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How long should an executive summary be?
An executive summary is usually one to two pages, about 250 to 1,000 words, or roughly 5 to 10% of the full report. A busy reader should be able to act on it without reading anything else.
Work it out
pages, single-spaced, Arial 12 pt, about 500 words a page
- Handwritten pages
- 4
- Reading time
- 4 min 12 sec
- Speaking time
- 6 min 40 sec–7 min 42 sec
- Typing time
- 25 min
- Paragraphs
- 5–10
- Sentences
- 50–67
- Characters with spaces
- about 6,000
Write it in the word counter with a limit of 500 words.
Open the word counterExecutive summary in pages and minutes
| Length | Single-spaced | Double-spaced | Reading time | Speaking time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 250 words | 0.5 | 1 | 1 min 3 sec | 1 min 40 sec–1 min 55 sec |
| 1,000 words | 2 | 4 | 4 min 12 sec | 6 min 40 sec–7 min 42 sec |
Estimates for US Letter or A4 with 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins and ordinary paragraphs; reading at 238 words a minute, speaking at 130 to 150.
What to include
- The purpose: what question the report answers.
- The main findings, with the key numbers.
- The recommendations or decision needed.
- What happens next: cost, timeline, owner.
Write it last, put it first, and do not introduce anything the report does not contain.
Sizing it
For a 10-page report, aim for about a page; for a 50-page report, two pages at most. In a business plan for investors, one page is often expected. Shorter is fine if the report is short: a three-paragraph summary of a five-page memo is better than a full page.
Questions and answers
How many words is an executive summary?
Usually 250 to 1,000.
Can an executive summary use bullet points?
Yes, for findings and recommendations. Keep the opening as a short paragraph.