Using a text message mock-up in presentations
A short text exchange can explain a customer problem faster than a paragraph. Here is how to place one on a slide so it is readable, honest and memorable.
Try it: start from this sample
Pick the slide that a chat can carry
A conversation suits a slide that shows a problem, a reaction or a moment of friction. It is weaker for numbers or plans. Use one chat per slide and let the slide title state the point, so the audience reads the chat as proof of that point rather than a puzzle.
Choose a look that matches the situation. A workplace example fits a team chat look, while a customer story may suit a phone-shaped one. Check the plans page for which plan each look needs before you build the deck around it.
Make it readable from the back of the room
Projectors wash out pale colours and shrink small type. Keep to three or four messages, export at the largest size your plan offers, and crop the image so the chat fills the slide instead of floating in white space.
Test it by standing a few metres from your screen. If you need to squint, shorten the messages or switch between the light and dark colour schemes to match your slide background.
Label it and keep real people out
Add a small line under the image saying the exchange is a mock-up, for example a simulated conversation used as an illustration. Investors, clients and colleagues should never wonder whether a quote is genuine.
If you want to show real feedback, ask the person first and remove names and details. Otherwise write a representative exchange and invent the people. Reuse the same two invented names across the deck, so the audience learns who is speaking and the slides feel like one story. Never paste in a customer's actual text without permission.
Tips
- Write the slide title first, then build the chat to prove it.
- Limit each slide to one conversation of four messages or fewer.
- Match the chat colour scheme to your slide background.
- Put your label in the slide itself, not only in the speaker notes.
- Export a PNG, drop it into the deck and view it full screen before the talk.
Questions
Which export format is best for slides?
A PNG or JPG image works in every slide tool. The Free plan exports PNG, and paid plans add JPG and larger sizes. The plans page lists the details.
Can I animate the chat on a slide?
The Creator plan exports animated GIF and video, which many slide tools can play. Check that your presentation software supports the format before the event.
Do I need to label a mock-up in a pitch?
If there is any chance someone could take it for a real exchange, yes. A short line such as Simulated conversation for illustrative purposes is enough.
Can I use a real customer's message?
Only with their permission, and with identifying details removed. Making up a representative example is usually simpler and safer.
Use it for simulated, labelled content. ChatsRat makes mock-ups and fictional conversations for creators, designers and teachers. Do not use it to pass off a made-up conversation as a real one, to impersonate a real person, or as proof of anything. See the Acceptable Use policy.
About the watermark. Exports on the Free plan carry a visible ChatsRat watermark, and every export carries an invisible mark that the verify page can read. Plans list what changes on paid plans.
ChatsRat is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any messaging app. App names on this page describe a style only.