Redemption Press Blog

Lasting Impression: Package Yourself With Class – Part Three

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one sheet comparison

OK, so far we’ve covered the first 3 of 7 components:

  • Part One — Bio, Headshots & Business Cards.
  • Part Two — Elevator Speech

In this post we’ll cover your one sheet. Now, depending on the area of expertise you want to focus on, your one sheet could highlight your speaking ministry, your book and some suggested interview questions regarding your topic, or just your brand and basic message.

The Content of Your One Sheet

Let’s first go over the most important elements of an effective one sheet:

  1. One or two photos of yourself – We’ve already discussed the importance of professional photos. Be sure to use a head shot and an additional action shot, possibly you speaking or signing books.
  2. The cover of your book – Don’t just throw the cover on there, but have your designer make it look like an actual book, where you can see the binding and pages.
  3. A catchy headline and/or your tagline – If you have a ministry tagline use that, but if not, a headline that will grab attention along with your name.
  4. A short bio in third person – The bio on your one sheet is different than the first person bio you use on your social media pages and blog. Keep it to 40 words or less and make sure it presents you, as much as possible, as an expert in your field.
  5. Book description or speaking topics and potential interview questions – Depending on the type of one-sheet, either present a compelling description of your book, or list 3 or 4 speaking topics with a short description of each. Follow those up with some suggested interview questions. Should the media want to interview you on your topic, it’s always helpful and appreciated if you provide them with the questions that will provide great content for their show.
  6. Endorsements / testimonials / awards / achievements – Scripture says to let another man praise you and not your own lips (Proverbs). Listing a few endorsements on your message, your book, you as a speaker or professional in your field will add to your credibility. If your endorsers are long winded, be sure to ask if they don’t mind you editing it down to just a few sentences, and then pick the most powerful ones.
  7. Contact information, including social media platforms – Always include the best ways to reach you, to include phone, email, mailing address, and all the social media platforms you have a presence on.
  8. A call to action – Always complete the one sheet with a call to action. Visit my website, call to schedule an interview, schedule me to speak. Make the most of the opportunity by asking them to take the next step.

Okay, we’ve covered content, so now let’s move on to the design of your one sheet.

One Sheet Design

Like I did with the headshots, I Googled author/speaker one sheets and found a great example of how not to design it and a contrasting great example of a one sheet.

As is probably pretty obvious, the one on your left is way too cluttered, busy, outdated fonts and design, and looks like a homemade design. The other is professionally designed with great pics, colors, content and design.

Comparison of good and bad one sheet design

Believe me; it’s not worth saving a few hundred dollars only to end up with an amateur looking one sheet…you just cannot afford to leave an unprofessional impression. Your presentation needs to stand out from the others and communicate why your message and presentation is going to meet the needs of the potential reader / hearer / client.

See you next time with part four of this series! You can view the entire Lasting Impression: Package Yourself with Class series or subscribe to our RSS feed in your favorite reader!

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Meet the Publisher

I've been around Christian publishing since 1987 when I helped our ministry self-publish an important resource for Vietnam veterans and their families. That book went on to be picked up by a royalty publisher and has since sold over 250,000 copies with a million in print.

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