What is a one-pager?

One-pagers introduce a new product’s path to your company. A one-pager is a brief, but important document that product managers use to inform a company about a new initiative. Additionally, they are a device used to guide your team and to develop ideas in a structured and creative way.

Maybe the most important characteristic of a one-pager is that they are collaborative projects. Product one-pagers can also help you and your team navigate what to avoid while considering funding. They reduce risk and keep you and your team on track. One-pagers are also a way to standardize your company’s vision, both internally and externally.

What do you include in one-pagers?

One-pagers are short and concise—but are packed with important information. It is vital to reconsider your most important questions. What is your strategy? Who is your audience? How is your product or service different from every other? Who are the key actors throughout the entire development and launch?

At the end of the day, product one-pagers are ways to spur understanding and motivation. Share your and your team’s excitement, while stirring enthusiasm within your company, too. It is best to define breadth of your project.

Here are some things to consider:

• Inspire support – One-pagers ask stakeholders and organizations to support a new project or initiative. As you write your one-pager, be open about your funding goals while having strong reasons to support your request.
• Clarify your goals – Be specific when you describe your project and your expected results. Precise metrics are impossible to pinpoint at this stage, but be realistic about your initiative and goals.

Using a template to write your one-pager guides you through having everything you need in a brief and succinct package to present to your team. Now is your time to answer the tough questions with brief but concise answers. Collato’s template walks you through describing your vision, objectives, results, strategies, assumptions and risks, and more.

What is a one-pager template?

A template makes writing your company’s one-pager easy and comprehensive. Collato’s template guides you through the entire process. One-pagers often involve a lot of dependencies and stakeholders, so it is essential to have a central place to keep and organize information. You can use your knowledge map on Collato to keep your documentation organized. Stakeholders can use AI-powered search to answer all project-related questions, so you don't have to chase after others for updates or answer repetitive questions.

Who prepares one-pagers?

One-pagers are prepared by product managers and intended for collaborative work with the product team. Since one-pagers welcome feedback, it is important to have strong and distinct ideas but to be flexible enough to be able to adapt them to new viewpoints. Our template takes that into account by making it easy to add comments, react to new ideas, tag others, share new thoughts, and more.

Who are they for anyways?

One-pagers are used to stir up support for a new product initiative. Because they are written by product managers and collaboratively polished by the product team, one-pagers are an opportunity to share concrete goals and strategies with stakeholders or boards. They clear doubts by outlining missions, costs, insights, and data points.

How to write one-pagers

Step 1: Reconsider the basics

Reviewing your company’s goals is an absolute must when developing a new product or feature. What are your objectives? How do you plan to address any foreseeable problems? What about risks and obstacles? All these questions might sound basic, but keeping these goals top-of-mind for any initiative increases focus and is key to delivering successful outcomes.

Step 2: Write your first draft

Once you’ve reconsidered your goals, write a rough draft. It doesn’t need to be perfect! In fact, since a product one-pager is often used to stir up motivation and support, recognizing what comes to your mind first can also light the way for what you want to include. Don’t be scared of being messy! It doesn’t need to be perfect just yet.

Things to address in your one-pager:

• Your vision – Stay true to you and your team’s vision. Consider your product’s goals and how they fit in with the goals of your company and its stakeholders.
• Your position – This is your first opportunity to introduce your product or feature. It is also your chance to frame your brand within the context of the market. How is your product unique? After you finish this, it is then important to add a developed summary. Address your strategy.
• Your funding – Explain your funding goals. Present a good argument to justify the amount you predict you’ll need.
• Your solutions – Stakeholders need to hear about the product’s strengths and weaknesses. Make sure to consider potential problems and solutions.

Step 3: Use a template

Writing an effective one-pager can be challenging because distilling your product into such a short and concise package takes consideration and planning. Using a one-pager template makes it easy by giving you a clear structure and path. And you don’t need to worry about leaving anything out.

Step 4: Review with your team

Product one-pagers are collaborative projects. Use them to guide your team and recognize challenges and successes with your product. Use your team’s feedback to further refine your one-pager. Stay motivated! Listen to ideas that motivate you, too. The purpose of product one-pagers is to inspire motivation in stakeholders, too, after all.

One-pager best practices:

Don’t write too much – You guessed it, one-pagers are often, well, one page. Since they are meant to be read quickly and seamlessly, don’t write too much. Your stakeholders want to know the big picture and possible problems. Make sure to address those concisely.

Don’t address too much – Stay away from including the entire scope of the project. Only address one variable at a time, and don’t get bogged down with other products or unnecessary information. Stay on topic!

Inspire – Product one-pagers are a way to inspire investors and stakeholders. You already have a great idea, now it is time to share it with your team. If you’re excited about the product, then they will be, too.

Keep the product’s story in mind – One-pagers are a quick overview of a potentially successful product. An important part of framing a one-pager is to remember what problem your product solves. Tell the story of your product!

Be collaborative – One-pagers are uniquely collaborative. Don’t be afraid to adapt and change course. You’re planning your future path, after all, so it makes sense that it is not concrete yet. Involve your team and write a one-pager that reflects everyone’s ideas and efforts.

Use a one-pager template – Writing one-pagers can be difficult. It is not easy to condense a product's entire story, history, audience, and goals into one packaged page. On top of that, one-pagers need to be scannable, informative, and polished. Using Collato’s template makes it easy by guiding you through the entire process.