After two months of testing different approaches to get improved results with Slideshare, I have found that using these two tips in creating and uploading slide presentations can make the difference between pro and rookie. We both know which one you want. 
Tip #1 – Create your presentation using the 4:3 format (square) that has been around since the beginning.
The alternative layout is the 16:9 format (wide-screen). Don’t use that format if you are going to upload your presentation to Slideshare. It will cut off the tops and bottom of many of your slides. The frustrating part of this recommendation is that it is just the opposite of what I recommend for your slide decks that will be uploaded to YouTube. If you are going to be converting your slides into a video and sharing on YouTube, the wide-screen (16:9) format will look much better, eliminating those ugly black lines on either side of your video.
Tip #2 – Save your presentation as a PDF before uploading to Slideshare.
This is especially true if you are using fonts that are more unique than Arial or Times New Roman. If you upload your raw .pptx formatted deck, Slideshare will do the conversion for you. Many times the fonts come out looking squished or just not crisp. So when you are creating content in slide decks, you need to decide in advance which format you are going to build the slides in. Either 4:3 or 16:9. You will be disappointed if you build it in one format and then convert it into the other. It looks ugly and you will end up rebuilding the entire presentation again anyway. If you want to see what a presentation looks like where I had not yet learned these lessons, check out this deck. Hopefully these tips will save you from the frustrations I have dealt with. I highly recommend using Slideshare and YouTube to extend your content and spread your ideas. Just build them in the right formats from the beginning.
