For reports, proposals and decks
Executive Summary Generator From Your Report
A one-page executive summary of your report or deck: the answer first, the reasons behind it and every number traced to its page.
Free to start. No card needed.
How to write an executive summary by hand
Write the summary last, for the reader who must act on the report and may never read past it. USC Libraries' guide1 says to read the whole study before you write, keeping in mind who the report is meant to influence. As you read, mark the recommendation, the figures behind it and their pages. Then write the answer your reader needs in one sentence, before you draft anything else. If you can't, the report may not have one yet, so work it out in the pyramid principle template first.
Put your answer at the top, as the US Army requires of its own correspondence: the main point at the beginning, or bottom line up front2. Barbara Minto, author of The Minto Pyramid Principle, teaches her Situation, Complication, Question framework3 as a way to find the question in your reader's mind. In a summary, that means one line on what was true and one on what changed, then your answer. Under it, give three or four reasons, each a claim ("the new site pays back in three years"), not a topic ("financials").
Leave out the method and any background your reader already knows. Copy each figure exactly as the report gives it, note its page, add nothing the report doesn't say, and label projected savings as estimates. End with what happens next: the decision you need, who owns each step and by when. Then test it against the Army's standard for its own writing: a reader should understand it in a single rapid reading.
How it works
How River writes your executive summary
Drop your report into the box at the top as a PDF, Word file or PowerPoint deck (up to 10 files), or paste the text. River reads every page or slide before it writes a word. As it reads, it notes the question the report answers, its recommendation and each supporting figure with its page. Then it writes one page, about 250 to 400 words, for the report's own audience, such as a board or a client sponsor.
The summary opens with a line on the situation, a line on what changed and then the answer, in bold. Three or four supporting points follow, each stated as a claim, then the next steps with the owners and dates the report gives. Every figure carries its page, slide or section in brackets, and when two pages disagree, River shows both. If the report never reaches a clear answer, River says so and lists what's missing instead of inventing one.
Below the summary come a one-slide version, a 100-word email for readers who skip attachments, a figure check table and any questions for the report's author. The generator works on a consulting report, board paper, proposal, research study or strategic plan, and River can tailor the result for a reader you name. If the argument itself needs work, the storyline builder turns findings into a pyramid and a slide outline. Before a deck goes out, the consulting deck review gives it a hard read.
How it works
From report to summary
Drop your report
Drop a PDF, Word file or PowerPoint deck, up to 10 files, or paste the text.
River reads everything
It reads every page or slide before writing, noting the answer, the key figures and where each sits.
Get your summary
Your one-page summary opens in your River workspace, answer first, then the slide and email versions.
Edit and tailor it
Edit any line, ask River to tailor it for a board or finance lead, or build the storyline.
Executive summary: Depot network review
Northwind serves 2,400 stores from six depots (p. 3), and on-time delivery held at 94% through 2025 (p. 4).
Since March, Dayton and Columbus have run over capacity, and on-time delivery in Ohio fell to 81% (p. 11).
Merge Dayton and Columbus into one site by the third quarter, for a one-time cost of $3.2 million (p. 22).
The report estimates savings of $1.1 million a year (p. 24), 40 trucks freed (p. 19) and payback in under three years (p. 25).
Every figure carries its page, so you can check it.
What you'll get
A one-page summary, answer first, with every number sourced
- One page that opens with the answer, then the reasons behind it
- Every number copied from your report, with its page or section
- A one-slide version and a 100-word email, from the same read
Before and after
Your report in. The answer on page one.
A 38-page depot network review as a PDF, for a regional food distributor: delivery data for 2025, three costed options, site visit notes and a long appendix.
Executive summary: Depot network review Northwind serves 2,400 stores from six depots (p. 3). On-time delivery held at 94% through 2025 (p. 4), but since March two Ohio depots have run over capacity, and on-time delivery there fell to 81% (p. 11). Merge them into one site by the third quarter, for a one-time cost of $3.2 million (p. 22). Why The merger pays for itself. The report estimates savings of $1.1 million a year (p. 24) and payback in under three years (p. 25). It frees trucks for growth. The report estimates the merged site would free 40 trucks for the northern routes (p. 19). One-slide headline: Merge the two Ohio depots by the third quarter to fix late deliveries. To confirm: When can the Columbus lease end? The report doesn't give a date.
Each figure carries its page, so you can check the summary against the report line by line.
What lands in your doc
What's in your executive summary
- One page, about 250 to 400 words, that opens with the situation, the complication and the answer
- Three or four supporting points, each stated as a claim and backed by figures from your report
- What happens next: the decisions, owners and dates the report states, or a note that it names none
- A one-slide version: a headline of 15 words or fewer and three points, each carrying a figure
- A 100-word email that leads with the answer, for readers who never open the attachment
- A figure check table giving each number's page, slide or section, plus questions the report leaves open
Questions consultants ask
Common questions
What is an executive summary?
An executive summary is a short version of a long report that lets a busy reader understand it and act without reading the rest. It states the main finding or recommendation, the reasons it holds and what needs to happen next. It sits at the front of the report but is easiest to write last. Five worked executive summary examples show the format for different documents.
How long should an executive summary be?
One page, about 250 to 400 words, suits most business and consulting reports, and it's the length River writes to. As a general rule, USC Libraries' guide1 says to stay within 10% of the original's pages, and 10 pages at most. So a long study can justify more than one page. The executive summary template shows what to cut first when yours runs over.
What should an executive summary include?
An executive summary should include the answer, the reasons for it and what happens next. Open with a short paragraph: a line on the situation, one on what changed, then the recommendation or main finding. Add three or four supporting points with their figures, then next steps, owners and dates. The US government's plain language guide4 says to start with the bottom line and put background toward the end.
How do I write an executive summary with River?
Drop your report or deck into the box at the top of this page, or paste the text. PDF, Word and PowerPoint files all work, and a deck's figures are cited by slide. River writes the summary, its slide and email versions and a figure check into your free River workspace. There you can edit any line or ask for changes.
Will it make up numbers or facts?
River is built not to make up numbers or facts. It copies every figure exactly as your report gives it, with its page, slide or section, and adds no fact the report lacks. Projections stay marked as the report's estimates, and a figure shown only in a chart goes on a list to confirm. A figure check table lists every number and its source for you to check.
Is my report private?
Your files stay in your own River workspace unless you share them. River's privacy policy says it does not use your documents to train AI models. The outside AI services that process them work under data protection agreements and don't train on them either. If the report belongs to a client, check your agreement with them before you upload it.
Is the executive summary generator free?
Yes, it is free to start, with no card needed. Your summary opens in a River workspace, where you can edit it, share it or ask River to change it. Paid plans add more AI use and access to the most advanced models.
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