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Make One-Pagers That Grab Attention, Engage & Convert (2024)

Create a one-pager that grabs attention and boosts conversion with our set of one-pager best practices and our high-performance interactive one-pager templates.

Dominika Krukowska

16 minute read

Topics:

Sales enablement

Although a one-pager is one of the shortest documents you’ll create for your business, don’t be misled into thinking it will be just as quick to produce.

On the contrary, boiling down your entire business vision into a single-page document requires careful thought, planning, and effort on your part. A poorly executed one-pager will turn off potential customers before you’ve had a chance to dive deeper into your unique value proposition.

That’s why I’m here to walk you through the entire process step-by-step.

I’ll show you what a successful one-pager should contain and show a real-life one-pager example for each component. We’ll cover all essential one-pager best practices and I’ll even throw in our best performing one-pager templates for you to use right away.

NOTE: the business one-pager structure I gift you here holds true also if you are planning to make sales one-pager. But… if you want precision information with examples go read our post that breaks down how to create a sales one-pager.

1. Cover slide

Your cover slide is the gateway into your content. Fail to make it instantly valuable and enticing and your readers may go do something else.

A cover slide works very much like the “above the fold” section of a sales landing page. Whether you hook your readers then and there, or you don’t, will make or break the rest of your one-pager.

Your cover slide is also your first impression by which the rest of your one-pager will be judged. Thankfully, there are a few nifty tricks you can use to hook readers, make a strong positive first impression, and enhance the overall reading experience.

Here’s what a great cover slide should look like:

I) Use a cover video

We’ve all heard the saying that “a picture is worth a thousand words'' countless times. And, although it may sound cliché, it’s actually a scientifically-backed fact.

In this case, how many words is a video worth? According to the research by Dr. James McQuivey, a staggering 1.8 million words! And it’s dated 2008, before the most popular video-streaming services took off, so it may as well be double the number now.

We ran our own research, laser-focused on sales and marketing presentations. By analyzing over 100,000 user sessions, we found that having a video in the cover slide boosts interaction by 32%. It’s also the perfect way of showcasing your product or solution without overloading your readers with raw facts.

II) Personalize for person, company, and need

Another important predictor of success is personalization. We all like to feel special, and knowing that someone took a few minutes out of their busy day to deliver a tailor-made presentation can really go a long way.

Want to know a little secret, though? With interactive one-pager creators, it will only take seconds to fill in your prospect’s name and send personalized one-pagers at scale.

III) Set the reader’s expectations

Have you ever wondered why more and more articles have information on the average reading time? That’s because this small blurb is enough to get 25% more people to read your article or, in this case, sales presentation!

2. Introduction

The intro is another way for you to set reader’s expectations by providing the outline for what your one-pager is about.

The short version of your introduction slide is simply your unique value proposition (UVP) in one clear and concise sentence. If you don’t have a UVP, you should take time to compose one.

As a rule of thumb, a UVP should answer the 3 following questions within 30 words or less.

Who is your solution for?
What's in it for them?
How are you better than the competition?

The introduction slide also has a long version which comes in the form of an elevator pitch-style overview of your company’s vision and unique value proposition.

It should answer the same questions as the UVP version, but can afford to set it within a narrative. This can make it more relatable and more memorable. Just make sure not to ramble about you and yours and keep it about the readers and their concerns.

3. About us

The about us slide is crucial for establishing a measure of trust. The reader may have reservations about who’s behind the one-pager and may need to settle this concern before immersing themselves in the content.

The reader will want to know basic things like where you are operating out of, what your goals are, and the values you represent.

At this point, your reader may also want to know about your expertise and how your solution differs from other companies on the market in broad strokes. Be succinct, but compelling enough for them to want to discover more.

Up till now you’ve only established curiosity, now you’ve got your readers' attention.

4. Problem

In this section, your goal is to identify the main pain points plaguing your target market and present them.

I) Speak to the heart and the mind will follow

People make irrational decisions for logical reasons. Show them you understand the emotions underlying their pain points. Dig deep into their underlying motivations and wants. Tap into their emotions.

For example, if your line of business is selling solar panels, you’ll want to avoid boring statements like: “We’re the leading photovoltaics company in the Bay Area, helping you save money since 1986”.

Instead, try something along the lines of: “Tired of your energy bill skyrocketing? Don’t want to choose between a long shower or keeping yourself warm at night?”

After touching on the underlying emotions you can back up your claims with a couple of key figures. The mind will use your numbers to retroactively rationalize and justify what the heart has decided.

TIP: Showing readers their potential loss by not making the change will work better than showing them what they can gain by making the change. That’s because people are more motivated by loss aversion than by promise of gain.

For instance, instead of capitalizing on how much money a prospect is going to save by switching to solar energy, you can say something like:

“One of the main benefits of solar energy is that it does not require any outside supply to work, meaning no additional costs related to its use. With traditional energy sources, the annual cost of maintenance and energy production is $X, and has been projected to increase threefold and reach $X by 2025.”

II) Position yourself as a consultant, not as a salesperson

Ideally, you’ll want to have your readers nodding along as they scroll through your one-pager. But for that to happen readers need to feel that your content is there to help THEM solve their problems, not help YOU sell your solution.

Showing that you understand their pains and struggles, before you ever say the word “solution”, is critical to position your content as credible and valuable, when the time comes to talk about the possible solutions.

5. Solution

Once your readers feel that you understand their struggles, they’ll be more receptive to your consultation when the time comes to offer them a solution to their problem.

Notice I said “your consultation” rather than “your solution”. That’s because the right solution may not be your solution. Nobody wants to talk to a salesperson, but everyone needs a consultant when making hard and critical decisions.

Only from this position will you be able to talk about your solution without it feeling to your readers like it’s being forced on them.

If your description of the problem hits the mark, practically and emotionally, and you’ve built a solution tailored to that problem, then your solution should truly be the best fit. But your confidence in your delivery may not be enough to dispel readers’ doubts.

The solution slide is your “money time” and nailing your solution slide requires that you establish 3 things: (1) relevancy (2) empathy and (3) credibility. You showed relevancy and built empathy in the “Problem” section, now it’s time to establish credibility.

I) Share data stories from real clients that stood where your readers stand now

Beware making unbacked claims. Claims without real data will shatter people’s trust in your venture. If not at this moment, then further down the funnel.

Back your claims with simple data and anchor it in the context of past success you’ve had with real clients or partners.

II) Talk about outcomes, not about features

It’s easy to inundate readers with too many details and endless lists of features. Avoid detailed product specifications or illegible tables filled with rows upon rows of hard data.

People unfamiliar with your solution won’t bother to make sense of any of it. Instead, your prospects will move on to another solution they can actually understand, leaving the first pillar in shreds too.

Build on the pain points you described in the “problem” slide and talk now about the outcomes you can bring that alleviate those pains. Use data visualization elements to present key outcomes in simple easily digestible numbers.

6. The details

The next section of your one-pager is where you can focus on the main features of your solution.

However, the biggest mistake you can make is to turn it into a listicle and expect people to see the value in it and flock to your solution.

One thing most companies fail to realize is that the biggest competitor is the status quo, where prospective customers learn about the available solutions, yet choose to do nothing at all.

Change takes time and effort. But, most importantly, change is scary (“What if I spend the time, money, and effort, and it all fails to make an impact?”).

Because of the risk involved in change, many people would rather take no action at all, even if the current situation leaves them deeply unsatisfied. This is why sales reps need to act as agents of change.

I) Be specific and concrete when describing your benefits

For example, “We offer 24/7 service and maintenance. You can take comfort in knowing that our highly trained and experienced group of experts is always ready to assist you with any technical issues. For the first 3 years, we will cover any cost of repair not caused by misuse of the product.”

II) Make “no change” scarier than change

In order to make the argument for change, your reader must come to the conclusion that NOT making a change presents a greater risk than making it.

In addition to the benefits, give prospects a clear overview of the losses they’re going to incur by not making the switch. Quantify the approximate opportunity cost of taking no action to make them arrive at the conclusion that change is necessary.

You can use the handy “From-To” formula to make easy to grasp change vs no change comparisons.

From-To formula:

This formula makes a statement about the current state and compares it to the promise of a better future state.

Let’s use Storydoc’s own example. We help sales and marketing teams create highly engaging interactive presentations, but we’re not cheap, so the case for change must be made.

So we use the From-To formula as follows:

Go from boring static presentations to captivating interactive web-based stories.
Transform your sales decks from zero to hero.

You don’t have to commit to using From and To. The same can be done by using words that describe change:

Stop suffering from X and start enjoying Y.
Replace X frustration with Y delight by doing Z.

7. Next steps

Now that your prospect knows how you can make their life better and why they should switch to your solution, it’s time for you to nudge them down the funnel.

I) Don’t conclude, and don’t say “thank you”

If you did your work well, then your one-pager has managed to create motivation for change in your readers. Amazing! That was the hard part. Now your readers are primed to take action, and the only thing that’s missing is a big-ol’ button to nudge them along.

Ending your one-pager or presentation with a “thank you”, or a “conclusion” slide will kill your efforts to maintain a relationship with your reader and prospective client. That’s because they pose a hard stop at the moment when a light nudge down the funnel is badly needed.

If you don’t end your one-pager with a clear and easily accessible call-to-action, all the effort you’ve put in so far will be lost.

You should open up two-way communication between you and your reader by making the next step they should take perfectly clear.

II) Don’t be pushy - nudge lightly

Any next step down the sales funnel, even the smallest one, as long as it’s on your readers’ own terms, is great. This is what Neil Rackham, the author of Spin Selling, calls the advance.

The principle is that as long as you get a commitment from your prospects for further interaction, you’re still in the game, and in a better position to provide them with more value and ultimately make a sale.

Next steps you can use to get prospects to advance:

Read a white paper with a deep dive into their problem and your solution
Sign up for a webinar
Read a case study
Read a relevant article on your blog
Sign up for an email crash course
Sign up for free trial of your product or service
Schedule a consultative talk with a professional
Schedule a demo with your sales team
Attend an event (digital or real world)

III) Leverage technology to make the next step as easy as can be

Every time a potential client closes your presentation, you risk losing their attention, as it can easily get stuck between the hundreds of emails they have to answer each day.

That’s where software integrations come in. With just a few clicks, you can integrate your one-pager with your calendar so prospects can book that coveted next meeting straight from the deck, or include a chatbot.

It’s particularly important on the first touchpoint, as your leads aren’t yet convinced they want to become paying customers of your solution. Meaning, if they don’t know how to book that next meeting, they’ll keep looking for a product that meets their needs better.

There’s science behind it too. Out of all the decks we analyzed, those that included a singular, clear next step had a 27% higher conversion rate!

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7 one-pager best practices to keep it competitive

Maybe you’re not ready to start creating your one-pager just yet. In case you want to cover all your bases and make sure you're creating your one-pagers based on established best practices, this section is for you. If you go through this section you can rest assured you’ll get nothing wrong.

1. Keep it short and concise

As the name suggests, a one-pager should contain your main value proposition within a single page.

Now, the advantage of scroll-based interactive one-pagers is that you’re not contained by the size of a PDF sheet anymore. But that doesn’t mean that you should try and cram in as much as possible.

While you may think it would work to your advantage to include more information, it can actually have an adverse effect. When someone is unfamiliar with your offering, all they need to know at first is: what can it do for me? If they can’t find what they’re looking for straight away, they’ll get frustrated and leave.

2. Keep a narrow focus

This next point is particularly important for companies offering a wide spectrum of products or services. It can be tempting to kill two birds with one stone and throw it all in there, but that defeats the very purpose of a one-pager.

Instead, create separate one-pagers for each category of products or services that you offer. This way, you’ll save your readers’ time by only presenting the offer that’s specifically tailored to their needs.

You’ll also avoid confusion and frustration. As many people are casual skimmers, they may struggle to find whatever it is they’re looking for at first glance. This could make them think you didn’t listen to their needs carefully and sent a completely unrelated offer, preventing them from doing business with you in the future.

3. Don’t make it text- or data-heavy

Another surefire way to lose your readers’ attention is by overloading them with walls of text or tables filled with complicated data. It’s not their job to make sense of the information you provided, especially when they have dozens of similar offers to compare.

Including interactive elements in your one-pager makes information more easily digestible, and also boosts engagement.

As we compared decks that users could play around with (for example, including tabs they could click through, live data calculators, or sliders) to text-based ones, we discovered that 41% more people scrolled them all the way down to the bottom and read them 21% longer.

Interactive one-pagers are also the best way to make a lasting first impression. If you received both of these decks, which one would you be more likely to grab your attention?

Static

Interactive

4. Ensure your one-pager is mobile-responsive

The main purpose of creating a one-pager is to save your busy prospects time, so it’s also important to ensure they can view it on the go.

As the world has gone mobile, almost half of all outreach decks are opened on mobile devices. So, by failing to cater to the needs of mobile users, you’re essentially losing every other lead.

Static one-pagers

Most business professionals create their one-pagers in PDF format, which provide an awful user experience for their readers. They’re hardly legible on a laptop, let alone on a mobile device.

Nothing causes people to disengage quite like having to constantly pinch in and out of a document on a small screen to be able to view content. And even if they test their patience and somehow make it all the way through, there’s no way to nudge them to take the next step.

static one pager in PDF format is hard to read

Interactive one-pagers

Interactive one-pagers are highly engaging for users regardless of the digital device they read them on. They help maintain your readers’ attention by swiftly guiding them through a captivating storyline.

All information is laid out in a way that’s easy to follow, so your prospects don’t have to wonder which bits they should be focusing on at any given moment.

Interactive one-pagers with engaging live graphs

5. Use your company’s branding

As your one-pager is the first point of contact with your brand, it’s important to make it memorable for your prospects.

The best way to build brand awareness is by ensuring that all elements of your one-pager are consistent with the guidelines specified in your brandbook.

Next-gen one-pager creators such as Storydoc can take care of this step for you by auto-extracting your brand colors, key visuals, and fonts and automatically applying them to any future template.

This way, you can rest assured you will always be staying 100% on-brand while the editor works on autopilot.

6. Personalize at scale

As your prospects will get swamped with dozens of similar-looking one-pagers, you need a powerful tactic to stand out in a sea of competitors.

Enter: personalization.

People can smell generic messages from a mile away. Think about it this way—how often do you respond to emails that start with a “Dear User”? Good news is you can personalize your email outreach.

By crafting dedicated versions for every customer, they’ll appreciate that you took time out of your busy day to address their needs, even if all you did was fill in a bunch of fields and pressed ‘Send’.

Because that’s literally how easy it is to personalize at scale using interactive one-pager makers like Storydoc.

The tool does all the heavy lifting for you, as it pulls relevant data directly from your CRM and creates personalized versions of your one-pager in seconds.

This simple fix will get 68% more people to read your one-pager and increase the average reading time by 41%. Most importantly, though, it will be shared internally 2.3x more often, which is one of the best measures of how effective your one-pager is!

7. Regularly analyze your performance

Creating your one-pager is not a one-off job. The only way you’ll know whether you made the best possible one-pager that is capturing leads is by constantly evaluating its performance, drawing conclusions, and improving it accordingly.

With Storydoc’s extensive analytics panel, you can easily gain deep insights into your sales process:

How many people viewed your one-pager,
How many times it was shared internally,
How much time people spent reading it,
Which slides they interacted with the most,
Where they stopped reading.

For instance, you can try out different one-liners or layouts and check which ones are resonating with your audience the most.

Then, once you know what’s working and what’s not, you’ll be able to create a high-performing one-pager based on science, not guesswork.

Dominika Krukowska

Hi, I'm Dominika, Content Specialist at Storydoc. As a creative professional with experience in fashion, I'm here to show you how to amplify your brand message through the power of storytelling and eye-catching visuals.

Table of contents

What does a winning one-pager include Create a killer business one-pager (step-by-step) Interactive one-pager templates 7 one-pager best practices to keep it competitive Create a one-pager with a dedicated builder

Make your best one-pager to date

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What does a winning one-pager include?

Create a killer business one-pager (step-by-step guide)

1. Cover slide

2. Introduction

3. About us

4. Problem

II) Position yourself as a consultant, not as a salesperson

5. Solution

6. The details

7. Next steps

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Interactive one-pager templates to get you started

7 one-pager best practices to keep it competitive

1. Keep it short and concise

2. Keep a narrow focus

3. Don’t make it text- or data-heavy

4. Ensure your one-pager is mobile-responsive

5. Use your company’s branding

6. Personalize at scale

7. Regularly analyze your performance

Create a one-pager that sets you apart with a dedicated builder

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Make your best one-pager to date