one-pager

One-Pager Skill

A one-pager is a forcing function: if it doesn't fit on one page, the thinking isn't sharp enough. It's

the leave-behind after a pitch, the brief that aligns a team, the thing a busy exec actually reads. This

skill distils a startup / product / project / idea into one skimmable, persuasive page with a clear ask —

pair it with the Paper or Modern PDF theme for a polished one-sheet.

Required Inputs

Ask for these only if they aren't already provided:

• What it's for & the audience — investor one-pager, product one-sheet, project brief, partnership leave-behind? (sets emphasis and the ask).
• The core — what it is, the problem it solves, and who for.
• Proof / why now — traction, data, market timing, or differentiation.
• The ask — what you want the reader to do next (invest, approve, pilot, partner).

Output Format

A single page, skimmable, in this order:

[Name / Title]

[One-line tagline — what it is, in plain words a stranger gets instantly]

The problem — 2–3 sentences: the pain, who feels it, why it matters now. Concrete, not abstract.

The solution — what you've built/propose and how it solves the problem. Lead with the outcome for the user.

Why now / why us — the proof: traction or metrics, market timing, and your unfair advantage or differentiation.

[Audience-specific block] — e.g. Traction (investor), How it works (product), Plan & timeline (project), The offer (partnership). Use a small table or 3–4 tight bullets.

The ask — exactly what you want next, and how to take it (contact / link / next step). End on the action.

Note (for the user): ruthless editing is the skill — every line must earn its place. If it spills past a page, cut, don't shrink the font.

Deeper Materials

• [templates/one-pager.md](templates/one-pager.md) — the fill-in template with the section budgets and quality gates inline

Quality Checks

• [ ] It genuinely fits one page — tight, skimmable, not dense
• [ ] The tagline makes a stranger understand it in one read
• [ ] Problem is concrete and the solution leads with the user outcome
• [ ] There's real proof (metrics / timing / differentiation), not just claims
• [ ] It ends with one clear, specific ask / CTA
• [ ] Emphasis matches the audience (investor vs. product vs. project vs. partner)

Anti-Patterns

• [ ] Do not overflow the page — a "one-pager" that's two pages has failed its only constraint; cut content, not font size
• [ ] Do not bury the ask — the reader must finish knowing exactly what to do next
• [ ] Do not write an abstract problem ("inefficiencies in the market") — name the concrete pain and who feels it
• [ ] Do not list features instead of the outcome — lead with what it does for the user
• [ ] Do not make claims without proof — one real metric beats three adjectives

Based On

One-pager / one-sheet practice (problem · solution · why-now · ask) used for startups, products, and project briefs.