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One-Pager 101: The Ultimate Guide
This is the first post in One-Pager 101: The Ultimate Guide, a step-by-step series on how to create a compelling one-pager for any initiative—whether you’re running a business, leading a nonprofit, or planning an event. At The Riparian, we keep it high-yield and low-fluff because your time is better spent doing the work, not reading about it. Browse the full series here →

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One-Pagers: The Fix You Didn’t Know You Needed

One-pagers are everywhere: sponsor pitches, event handouts, program overviews, PDF attachments that you… never even opened. It’s true, done poorly, one-pagers head straight to the trash (guilty as charged). But done well? They can carry more weight than a 12-page report. One-pagers are a rare combo of strategic, creative, and wildly practical. Not only that, they can work across teams, audiences, and industries and tackle problems you didn’t even know they could solve.

In fact, if you’ve ever Googled something like this, a one-pager might be exactly what you’re looking for: 

• What’s the best way to communicate my mission statement effectively?
• What should I include in a media kit for my business?
• How can I summarize a complex idea so anyone can understand it?
• How do I present my brand consistently across different platforms?
• How do I align my team around a new initiative for consistent messaging?
• How do I pitch a new program to potential sponsors successfully?
• What’s the best way to present my project to investors and get buy-in?
• What’s the best way to introduce my business to potential clients?

These are the kinds of challenges one-pagers are made for. They distill what matters, connect with the right audience, and move people to action—all without overwhelming them (or you). I’m going to break down why they work so well and how to make one that works for you. Let’s do it!

What Is a One-Pager? Definition and Key Features

Admittedly, “one-pager” is a vague term. Heck, if it fits on one page, you could call just about anything a one-pager. I see that flexibility as a strength, not a flaw—it means one-pagers can serve all kinds of purposes in all kinds of scenarios. Before we discuss those, let’s start with a baseline definition:

A one-pager is a concise document that gives key information about an organization, product, service, campaign, or event. It is designed to be clear, compelling, and easy to digest with language adapted to a specific audience. Usually, one-pagers contain essential details like mission, value proposition, outcomes, and a call to action.

One-Pager Definition

If this sounds dry and boring, I hear you, but don’t bail yet! I have found that one-pagers are actually quite full of life if you approach them from the right perspective.

For instance, you could read that definition and focus on the words key information and clear and come out feeling like a one-pager is just sort of a simple document with boilerplate info everyone already knows. Boring.

But when I read that definition, I see compelling and action. I know from experience that with the right process, one-pagers can be like tiny sticks of storytelling dynamite. I’m here to show you that process so you can leverage one-pagers effectively across all your projects.

(Nota bene: To keep things simple, I’m going to use the word initiative as a catch-all for all the various use cases of a one-pager. Feel free to fill in your most likely scenario, whether that’s your organization, product, service, campaign, event, or something else entirely.)

Top Benefits of a One-Pager for Your Business, Brand, Event, or Nonprofit

Let me be frank. You don’t need to waste resources on yet another document that isn’t going to accomplish anything. If it’s not saving time, clarifying your message, or getting people to actually do something, it’s not worth it.

But behold, I bring good news! A well-crafted one-pager can do all that and more. It’s not just a page—it’s a hardworking coworker, a communications Swiss Army knife, and a single-sheet plan of attack. Not bad for something that fits on a piece of printer paper.

A one-pager is worth your time because it provides:

• Clarity – Say what matters, skip the fluff.
• Consistency – Get your team (and your messaging) on the same page.
• Buy-In – Help others see the vision—and want to be part of it.
• Efficiency – Stop reinventing the wheel every time you share your idea.
• Versatility – One doc, many audiences.
• Action – Because, at the end of the day, you want people to do something.

Here’s what those benefits look like in action. First up: clarity.

Benefit 1: Clarity – Get to the Heart of Your Message

One-pagers provide clarity in three essential ways:

First, they force you to get clear. The beginning process of creating a one-pager is akin to a guided brainstorming session– we’ll cover that in a later post. This process is a bit like magic: laying everything out at a bird’s-eye view can be shockingly clarifying. It forces you to see your initiative with fresh eyes and focused attention. I often find this stage is more illuminating than people expect. Then, going through the process of boiling it down to one page helps you identify what actually matters—what you’re trying to say right now, who you’re talking to for this specific project, and what exactly you want to happen next.

Second, they align your team around core messaging. Whether it’s staff, board members, or volunteers doing the talking, typing, brainstorming, announcing, et al… everyone can stay consistent and on-brand because they actually understand what’s going on.

Third, they help your audience get it. Instead of wading through paragraphs of background info or internal jargon, your audience gets a clean, well-framed message they can actually remember—and act on.

Here’s the magic of clarity:

• Unclear: “We aim to empower communities through creative connection and impactful engagement.”
• Clear: “We offer free weekend art workshops for low-income seniors at five local senior centers.”

The first one sounds like it was written by a corporate buzzword generator. The second one actually says something real.

Here’s another example:

• Unclear: “We help clients unlock their true potential through innovative digital solutions.”
• Clear: “We design easy-to-use websites for small business owners who don’t have time to figure out tech.”

One sounds like a LinkedIn headline. The other speaks directly to your audience and their needs—and that’s the whole point.

When your whole team is using the same clear, snappy language, great things happen: the right people get the message, your product lands in the hands of the people who need it, and you stop having to explain what you do fifteen different ways before someone finally gets it.

Benefit 2: Consistency – Aligning Team Messaging with One-Pagers

Clarity is step one. Consistency is what happens when that clarity actually sticks—across time, teams, and touchpoints.

One-pagers save you from playing a massive game of organizational telephone. You know the one: you come up with a brilliant new program idea and share it in a team meeting. The development lead walks away thinking it’s a donor engagement push. The comms team decides it’s a community outreach effort. The designer whips up a visual centered on youth advocacy. By the time it gets back to you it’s a completely different animal—with a new name, distorted focus, mismatched graphics, and a call to action no one remembers discussing.

But with a one-pager, everyone’s working from the same playbook. Your message stays intact from the first brainstorm to the final pitch, no matter how many hands it passes through. That kind of consistency builds trust, reinforces your brand, and keeps your whole operation looking sharp and intentional—even when things are moving fast.

Benefit 3: Buy-In – Inspiring Support Through a Clear One-Pager

A beautiful thing about clarity and consistency is that, together, they invite buy-in. When people understand what you’re doing—and why it matters—they’re far more likely to support it, champion it, and invest in it. But if a key stakeholder is still fuzzy on the details, you can’t expect them to get excited, let alone take action. Or… even remember you talked about it the next time you meet.

A great one-pager helps people see themselves in your initiative. Whether you’re talking to a funder, a customer, a board member, or a potential partner, a clear and consistent message helps them connect the dots between your vision and their role in making it happen.

Let’s say you’re preparing to launch a new mentorship program. You’ve mentioned it to your board, dropped it into a staff meeting, and referenced it in your latest donor email. But when it’s time to pitch the idea to funders, one person thinks it’s a leadership course, another says it’s about teen employment, and someone else just calls it “that youth thing.” All of them are sort of right—but no one’s saying the same thing or catching the complete vision.

Enter the one-pager: one page, one message, one shared understanding. It lays out what the program is, who it serves, what makes it special, and what kind of support you need. Suddenly, heads are nodding. The board’s committed. Staff know how to talk about it. Funders are putting things together and starting to care. Now they’re not just understanding the program, they’re picturing the impact and how they can contribute to its success.

That’s what real buy-in looks like.

When people see clearly and feel deeply, they’re far more likely to say yes.

Want help bringing your one-pager to life?
I offer consulting and custom one-pager writing services—whether you need a creative partner to brainstorm alongside or someone to take the reins and write it for you. Work with me →

Benefit 4: Efficiency – Save Time with a One-Pager Strategy

For me personally, I love wheels. Wheels are great. But I do not feel the need to reinvent them. Steve Jobs probably would’ve said, “I can revolutionize the wheel industry”—but not me. I think wheels are doing a pretty dang good job rolling around, and I plan to keep using them for exactly that. It saves time, energy, and a whole lot of unnecessary reinvention.

One-pagers are like wheels. Once you’ve drilled down the important info and pulled it into a clear, copy-approved format, they keep you rolling. You don’t have to constantly rephrase your mission, re-explain your program, or restate your product highlights. A well-crafted one-pager becomes your go-to resource—your source of truth.

Here’s an example. You’re launching a new service—maybe a course, a consulting package, or a creative offer that blends a few of your skills. You’re excited, but every time someone asks about it, you end up explaining it differently. One version in an email, another in a DM, and a third when someone brings it up at a networking event. None of them feel quite right, and you’re definitely spending way too much time typing. I have been there before, and I’m sure I’ll be there again. It happens to all of us.

Now imagine you’ve got a one-pager: polished, punchy, and already aligned with your messaging. Need to send a follow-up? Done. Writing a landing page or sales post? Half of it’s already written. Someone asks what you do? You’ve got a clean, clear visual to show them. No need to start from scratch each time.

Benefit 5: Versatility – One-Pagers Across Audiences and Formats

One-pagers are delightful little powerhouses. Once you’ve created one, it can flex across audiences, platforms, and seasons with only minor tweaks. As I mentioned earlier, it’s basically a Swiss Army knife for your communications—compact, efficient, and surprisingly good at getting things done.

Adapting to Your Audience

One-pagers adapt easily across audiences. A change in call to action, a shift in tone, or a minor content swap is often all it takes to keep your message relevant without rewriting the whole thing.

Here are a few ways that plays out in real life:

• Event: Create a one-pager that hypes your upcoming benefit concert. With a few edits, it can also work as an internal resource for your emcee, a sponsorship pitch for a local business, and a handout for attendees who want to get involved post-event.
• Small Business: Design a one-pager to introduce your new service. It works for pitching potential clients, but also works as an upsell tool for current customers, a partner pitch at networking events, or even a media kit insert for press inquiries.
• Nonprofit: Send a one-pager outlining your new mentorship program to potential donors with a call to fund a student’s year. That same document—with a few tweaks—can invite volunteers to apply or help your board confidently pitch the program to local partners.
  

You might not need five different flyers, pitch decks, or email drafts– you might just need a one-pager.

Shifting Formats

One-pagers work wherever you do: on screens, in print, and in the room where it happens.

• Digital: Add your one-pager to a landing page, include it as a downloadable PDF in your newsletter, or attach it to a follow-up email after a call. Use bite-sized chunks of it for social posts or carousel content—suddenly, you’re a content-making machine. Low effort, high yield.
• Print: Useful at events, in welcome packets, direct mailings, press kits, or anytime someone asks, “Do you have something I can take with me?” Even better than a business card (although, have you thought about including a QR code to your one-pager on your business card? Double win).
• Presentations: Bring it to a board meeting, pitch session, or coffee chat with a potential partner. It’s your memorable leave-behind that shows you’re organized and ready for action.

Changing with the Seasons

Some one-pagers are built to last—that’s called evergreen content. They live on your desktop for months or years, getting minor updates as stats or contact info change. Others are built for the moment—seasonal campaigns, annual events, grant deadlines, you name it.

Here’s how that might look:

• An annual appeal one-pager might be reused every fall with fresh stories and an updated goal.
• A spring program launch could use the same structure from last year’s flyer, just with new dates and calls to action.
• A grant funder overview might stay the same for two or three years, with only minor edits as impact stats evolve.

Once you’ve built the base, you don’t have to start from scratch every time. You just open the file, make your edits, and move on with your life.

Benefit 6: Action-Orientation – Drive Results with a Clear Call to Action

Knowing your mission, goals, and strategy is important—but unless the right people catch the vision, it’s just a nice idea sitting in a Google Doc. One-pagers help you move from informing to activating. First, by sparking buy-in through compelling storytelling. Then, by offering a clear, concrete next step.

Enter: the call to action (CTA). The crown jewel of your one-pager. It’s not just a nice touch—it’s the whole point. A good one-pager doesn’t just explain what you do, it guides your audience to do something about it. Whether that’s donating, buying, signing up, applying, partnering, investing, enrolling, sharing, sponsoring, or showing up, the CTA is where your one-pager shifts from informative to effective.

Let’s say your message is tight, your story is working, and your audience is nodding along. Don’t let that energy fizzle out. Your one-pager should move people from “that’s interesting” to “I’m in.” That shift—from passive to active—is what one-pagers are all about.

Curious about how to craft the perfect CTA? Don’t worry, we’re going to cover that in a post soon. Stay tuned.

Who Can Benefit from Using a One-Pager?

(The cheesy marketing voice in me wanted to add “The Who is You!” but the self-respecting voice in me only allowed it in this parenthetical remark.)

One-pagers are useful for just about anyone, as you’ve probably gathered by now. Here are a few examples I get especially excited about:

• Nonprofits communicating impact, rallying support, or pitching a program
• Small businesses and solopreneurs launching a product or service
• Freelancers and consultants clarifying their brand and offerings
• Educators promoting a course or academic program
• Communications managers designing a comprehensive ad or marketing campaign
• Event organizers aligning teams, attracting sponsors, and engaging attendees
• Campaign leads crafting one clear message across multiple channels
• For-profit businesses, nonprofit orgs, and sole proprietors pinpointing their mission, impact, and action plan

So One-Pagers Work… What Comes Next?

So now you know what a one-pager is—and more importantly, what a good one can do. When done right, it’s not just a document. It’s a message machine. A buy-in builder. A surprisingly powerful little page that can help you get clear, stay consistent, spark action, and save a whole lot of time.

But if you’re thinking, “Okay, I’m sold… now how do I actually write one of these things?”—you’re in luck. That’s where we’re headed next.

In the upcoming posts, I’ll break down the nitty-gritty by sharing my patent-pending (not really), seven-step process. No, it’s not a weird gimmicky diet plan to lose fifteen pounds in a month. It’s the actual stuff I do to zero in on sparky one-pagers. Here are the steps we’ll cover (linked as posted):

I’ll see you there!

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