White Paper Writing Guide
Today is guest post day here at Duct Tape Marketing and today’s guest is Gordon Graham – Enjoy! Ever seen a “white paper” on the web and figured those are only for the big guys?
Is unfortunate, because – written and applied well – white papers are one of the most powerful. Make when writing white papers is to use the paper to talk about their product or solution. Material or to guide discussions in sales meetings. WHITE PAPER WRITING GUIDE 6 White-Paper Pitfalls While researching the material for this book, I read hundreds of white papers. I spent a day examining.
A white paper is a 6- to 8-page marketing document that helps a prospective customer understand an issue or solve a problem. Producing one can help your small business generate leads, build buzz, and level the playing field with much larger companies.
I know, I’ve done it. And I’ve helped dozens of other companies do it. If you’d like to put this high-powered marketing device to work, here are eight tips on writing effective white papers. Tip 1: Provide information your prospects can use.
Wondering what you could possible say in a white paper? You already know more than you realize. To help find a likely topic, ask yourself:. What pains do your customers experience?. What problems do you help with?.
What advice do you give them? For example, consider Tom the plumber. The problems he finds include leaky pipes, clogged drains and plugged toilets. And what sometimes causes them? A DIY job gone wrong.
What if Tom publishes a little report called “5 Home Plumbing Jobs You Can Do Yourself—And 3 You Should Leave to a Pro”? What if he mentions that report on his business cards, on Facebook, even on the side of his truck? Wouldn’t that help Tom stand out from every other plumber in town? Wouldn’t that make him seem like the kind of guy they can trust? Tip 2: Don’t make your white paper a sales pitch. The #1 mistake people make is turning a white paper into a sales pitch.
An effective white paper provides answers to questions that many prospects ask. If you dish out a sales pitch, you’ll waste this opportunity to get known and trusted. Tip 3: Write in a conversational tone. Many business owners are scared of writing.
You don’t need to be. Just write in a friendly, conversational tone, something like this article.
You want to sound authentic, helpful, and trustworthy. No need for big words and fancy sentences. You may want to hire an editor to smooth out your final draft: You can quickly find one by Googling “find an editor”. Tip 4: Present proof for your claims. If you make a claim, be prepared to back it up.
Dig up facts, figures, and quotes from experts and reliable sources. If Joe says homeowners can save half their plumbing bills by following his list, he should have an article in Time magazine or USA Today for proof. Tip 5: Get it designed properly. Your white paper should be attractive and easy to read, and that may call for a professional designer. Author/designer Roger C Parker has great tips available at his site.
A cover photo helps too, and your designer can find one for about $20 on a site like Tip 6: Develop a snappy title. The title is what people see when your paper comes up in a list of search results. So if your title doesn’t “pop” right out of the screen, prospects may skip right past it.
You can make a title interesting with a bold statement, a number, a question, a looming deadline, or a promise. Write lots of different titles, combine the best, then test your favorites on some actual customers. Tip 7: But don’t call it a white paper. In some sectors, the term “white paper” is valued, but in others it’s over-used or unknown.
You may get more traction calling your document a “special report.” To make the intended audience clear, create a subtitle that names a specific job role or challenge, such as “A special report for home-owners wondering about DIY plumbing.” Tip 8: Promote it like a madman. It’s not enough to stick a white paper on your website. You’ve got to promote it.
Mention it on your blog, newsletter, Facebook page, Twitter, and LinkedIn groups. Send it any relevant journalists, analysts or bloggers. Consider publishing a press release through a channel like PRWeb. Your goal is to get your white paper in front of everyone who could possibly benefit from it.
Photo credit: via Gordon Graham—also known as That White Paper Guy—is an award-winning writer who has created more than 175 white papers for clients from New York to Australia, for everyone from one-person start-ups to Google. His book “” was just published in spring of 2013.
What’s the first thing that enters your mind when you hear “white paper”? If you’ve never written one before (or work at Dunder Mifflin), you might think plain printer paper.
And that’s well, technically, that’s accurate. The white papers we’ll be talking about today are different.
These research-based reports (typically but ) are a staple content format for marketers. When they’re well-written, they’re powerful tools for solving problems, establishing authority, and generating leads. However, they’ve developed a poor reputation in some marketing circles. That’s because too many white papers are thoughtlessly churned out with an assembly-line mentality. Ever download something called a “white paper” that was actually a thin and poorly-disguised sales brochure?
A lot of us have. In this post, you’ll learn how to write white papers that don’t suck. Instead of cranking out crap to meet ill-conceived content quotas, it will walk through how to plan, write, format, and promote quality white papers. Ones that actually get read, smash your business objectives, and make you a star for your organization. Plus, it’s based 100% on first-hand experience. Table of Contents. So, What Are White Papers, Exactly?
A white paper is a document that argues a specific position or solves a problem for its audience. They first originated as a type of official government document.: Typically, the purpose of a white paper is to advocate that a certain position is the best way to go or that a certain solution is best for a particular problem. When it is used for commercial purposes, it could influence the decision-making processes of current and prospective customers. So, You’re Going to Write a White Paper. How Do You Get Started?
Before you jump into writing, you have some planning to do. Sure, this takes time off from actually producing the work. It’s necessary though to ensure what you write is purposeful and effective.
First Things First: White Paper Ideation Let’s figure out what you’re going to write about. This involves several steps. Figure Out Who You’re Writing For Who’s going to read your white paper?
Ideally, your organization or agency should have an idea who your target audiences and customers are. If not, we’ve put together a. Identify Problems You Can Solve For Them Once you’ve identified your audience, think about what kinds of information they need from you. Secondarily, you might also tie that back into your own products or services. That sets you up at the solution to that problem.
Generate Ideas When you know what problems to solve, you’ve got a purpose for your white paper. The next challenge, then, is to decide which ones to write about, and from which angle. A simple brainstorming session can help with this. Or, start by asking a few questions:. Which problems are top priority? Consider starting with ones that are most pressing or timely.
Which problems can I tie back into my business? Say your organization wants to be known as an authority on an area you’re new to. Or, maybe you have a new product or service offering coming out, and want to position yourself as the best option. Find ideas that align your goals with your audience’s. What are we experts on?
If you have deep knowledge or expertise on an area you’re known for, a white paper can help reinforce that perception. Next, Write Your Outline White papers are usually fairly long. The same outlining process you’d use for a shorter piece, like a blog post, will work here. You might need to make it a bit longer or more detailed, though, to avoid getting lost in your thoughts partway through. An effective white paper outline should include:. Headline or working title: You don’t have to settle on a headline or title right away, but start with a working version that describes your topic.
Our can help. An executive summary: This is essentially a brief (200 words or so) description of what your white paper will be about. Think of it like a short pitch for why someone should write what you’re about to write.
Your introduction: Which points will you touch on in your intro? These are what you’ll expand on in the body of your white paper. Section sub-headings: Like your headline, these don’t need to be final yet. But, you should have a clear idea of what you’ll discuss in each section. If your headline is the core problem you’ll solve, consider each sub-heading a sub-point or step toward resolving it. Beneath each sub-heading, include further bullet points clarifying exactly what you’ll write about. This is all about knowing what you want to say before you try to say it.
Sidebars: White papers often include sidebars or breakout boxes with additional information or data tables, like what you’d find in a magazine. In each section, list any possible sidebar ideas you might have. This could include any research or data you’ll need to find (more on this in a bit). Conclusion: Summarize your key takeaways. If it’s appropriate, you might consider adding a call-to-action here, too.
Do Your Research Good white papers are fact-based and research-driven. You’re not here to throw your opinions out to the world without data to back them up.
Depending on what you’re covering, you might get by with nothing more than Google and your company’s own insights. Nissan k21 engine points gap setting. If you want to take things to the next level, though, you’ll need to do deeper research.
Let’s take a dive. Dig Into Research Reports Industry research reports can provide an excellent data-backed foundation for your content. Seek out research groups (such as ) or professional organizations that produce original research.
Then, cite relevant stats and findings where appropriate. Check Out Wolfram Alpha calls itself a “computational knowledge engine.” What does that mean? It’s a search engine for facts and data with calculation functionality built in. It’s an extremely robust and powerful tool for research. Check out some of these top-level categories for things it can do: While we can’t go too far in-depth on how to use Wolfram Alpha here, they have plenty of to get you on your way. Make Use of Government Websites Depending on your industry, there are several government websites that might be helpful. Here’s a handful to consider:.
Do Your Own Original Research This is the most difficult option, but it can provide the most valuable results. If you have access to publically-available information, so does your competition. Original research you produced yourself, however, is uniquely powerful. Here are just a few benefits to original research:. It establishes you and your organization as an authoritative source. Wouldn’t it be awesome if your white paper became a highly-linked source of information for others?. It gives you something no one else has.
And that would make your white paper much more valuable than something anyone could have slapped together spending an afternoon with Google. You’ll learn more about your audience and industry. Last year, we did a survey of our blog audience. We were then able to turn our findings into a 5,000+ word blog post.
That’s long enough that it could have been a white paper, had we decided to publish it as one. It taught us a lot about our audience, too, including things we wouldn’t have learned otherwise. If you have the time and resources to do your own research study, Andy Crestodina of Orbit Media Studios has a.
Now You're Ready to Format and Write This White Paper We’ve done a lot of things so far. Some of it even involved a little bit of writing. Mostly, though, we’ve spent our time getting ready to write.
Writing a white paper isn’t easy. You’re now staring down an intense and involved project. If you’re writing in an industry where you’re not a subject matter expert, then your preparation (outlining, researching, and working with internal or client SMEs) is going to be even more important. You’ve got this, though. Flex those fingers, tap into your inner Hemingway, and let’s knock this thing out. How Do White Papers Differ From Writing Other Types of Content? We’ve touched on this a little earlier, but it’s worth repeating here.
While there are some similarities, writing a white paper isn’t quite like writing a blog post, case study, research report, grocery list, or well, you get the point. It’s decidedly it’s own animal and should be treated as such. White papers should be:. Professional in tone: This is formal, almost academic-style writing. Narrowly-focused: Pick one topic and explore it thoroughly.
Fact-based: Unverified claims don’t belong here. Data-backed: You don’t have to like math, but you have to love what numbers can do to make your writing stronger. Writing Your Title Or Headline is the first thing that will sell your white paper to your audience.
You want to write something that conveys clear value up front and gets them to click. However, you also want to avoid anything that could be perceived as click bait, or overly casual. So, your headline should hit each of the following checkboxes:. Establish a clear benefit to your reader: Why should they care? What’s in it for them to read past your title page? Including interesting stats or a strong action verb can help.
Sound professional: Even if your blog or social media content is fun and light-hearted, a white paper should strike a professional tone. It doesn’t need to be sterile and lifeless, per se, but use your best judgment here. Set realistic expectations for your reader: If your headline reads, “Ten Ways Shipping Companies Can Deliver Faster Shipments,” you better go into detail on all ten tactics. You’d be surprised how many “white papers” throw a paragraph of text surrounded by images onto a page and call it good. If you’re going to create crap, just say up front you’re creating crap. Or better yet, don’t write your white paper at all. Commit to quality or stay home.
Your first draft of a large document like this won’t be perfect. So, it’s important to have a in place. If your organization has another writer or editor on staff, then work together to polish your draft. Establish a Set Editing Process Know who your editor will be ahead of time and develop a set process. In our experience, it’s easiest to use tracked changes in Microsoft Word or Google Docs.
If you don’t have access to an editor (and even if you do), tools like and can also be life-savers. Edit for Content (Not Just Grammar) While editing a white paper (or anything), it’s important to edit for content, and not just spelling and grammar.
This entails asking the following questions:. Does this content answer all the questions a reader might have? If something important is missing, note it for the writer.
Is everything factually accurate? Double-check facts, statistics, and sources. How easy is your writing to understand? If there is language or jargon your audience may not understand, note it and consider alternatives. This can be corrected with a simple search on. This isn’t to say isn’t important. However, it’s just as important (if not more so) to ensure the quality of your information is up to par as well. How to Format Your White Paper If you’re fortunate enough to have a designer on your team, they’ll likely handle design and formatting for you.
However, if you’re on your own, don’t worry! That’s why we included a free white paper template in this post. Here’s how to edit it and make it work for you. Start by filling in your title page (it looks like this): Simple enough.
Next, follow the instructions included in the template to fill in each content section: Now, you might want to adjust the appearance of your fonts and headers. This is easy to do with Microsoft Word. All you have to do is edit your styles. Find your styles pane and right-click what you’d like to change. Let’s start with Normal: Next, click Modify: Now, you can change your standard paragraph text: If you’d like to change your Heading 1, 2, and 3 styles, follow the same process.
Handing Off For Design Unless you happen to be a skilled designer, it will be best to have a designer for your white paper. Your designer is likely going to need some direction from you, though, so your work isn’t done yet. How to Provide Designers With Image Direction While writing, think about what kinds of images you’d like.
Make notes in your doc that include the following information:. GRAPHIC HEADLINE: Include a brief header or title for your graphic. GRAPHIC COPY: Include descriptive copy. GRAPHIC DATA: Include statistics, numbers, percentages, metrics, and so forth. GRAPHIC NOTES: Include other thoughts or image direction for your designer That should be enough to give your designer an idea of what to create.
Recommended Reading: One-Column Vs. Two-Column Layout (Or Something More Creative) If your white paper is lengthy, you might want to consider a two-column layout.
That’s because they’re easier to read and skim, thanks to shorter line length: If your designer is good, though, you can get even more creative. Check out ( email signup required): If you’re working on your own, your template can easily be converted into a two-column layout.
Simply highlight your text: Then, click Layout, Columns, and Two. Promoting Your White Paper You’ve put a ton of work into your white paper. Now, how do you get people to actually read it? The answer is with a comprehensive promotion plan.
Decide Where to Host Your White Paper The first thing you’ll need to decide is where your white paper is going to live. Do you host it on your website?
A landing page? There are pros and cons to each. Let’s cover each one:. Landing Pages: are perfect for hosting your white paper on an attractively-designed page that’s optimized to convert. You can easily build landing pages with tools like,. Blog Posts: This is a quick and simple option.
White Paper Writing Tips
Also give you room to provide context for your white paper. Plus, being on your blog’s home page can also give it more visibility. Website Pages: Resource libraries are a strong spot to put white papers. Consider creating something similar to: It might be possible to combine approaches, too. For example, you could create a landing page for your white paper, link to it in a blog post, and then include the actual document in your resource library. That’s maximizing the exposure for your hard work.
Build a Promotional Social Media Campaign When you’re, be intentional about which channels you choose. Since white papers are professional documents, think hard whether or not Facebook (a network focused on family and friends) is a good place to share it. So, which networks should you consider? We’d recommend planning around:. LinkedIn: The ultimate professional social network. Create a series of posts to promote it, and if you’re involved in any professional groups, consider sharing it there, too.
Be careful not to spam groups, though. Twitter: Consider your audience here.
If your audience is mostly consumers who wouldn’t be interested in your research, consider avoiding Twitter. If, however, you have a large professional following, this should be your highest-volume network.
Google+: Sure, it’s a ghost town for most industries and niches. If you’ve had success building a professional social following there, though, don’t neglect it.
If you’re a CoSchedule customer, planning out a is easy. Create a campaign on your calendar and use Social Helpers to set up promotional graphics and post copy. Then, set it and forget it.
Recommended Reading: Use Your Email List If your email list is comprised primarily of professionals interested in the kind of research in your white paper, then send it to them. Keep these thoughts in mind:.
Stick to a professional tone. You want to sound authoritative. Focus on the value for your email recipient. Everything you write should be keeping this in mind. Include a link at the bottom of your other emails. If you send email newsletters, consider adding a section for your white paper there, too. Recommended Reading: What’s Next: Repurposing Your White Paper Content Quality white papers take a lot of work to produce.
So, make the most of it by repurposing its contents elsewhere. Here are a few ways to do this. Spin Your Sub-Sections Into Blog Posts You can likely write an entire blog post based on each section of your white paper. This gives you the opportunity to drill deeper into each specific point. Plus, if you link back to your white paper in each post, you can direct more attention toward it.
White Paper Writing Guidelines
Follow this process to help turn one small point into a much deeper and valuable blog post:. Take a section of your white paper you think you could have expanded upon further. Start writing hypothetical headlines that could work for a blog post.
Then, start building an outline. Which points or information weren’t you able to include in your white paper?
Writing A White Paper Guidelines
Go back to your research and dig deep to add more detail. Write your next blog post! Do this for each piece of your white paper, and you’ll quickly have multiple pieces of content promoting your white paper.
That’ll help you get the most mileage possible for your efforts. Recommended Reading: Leverage Your Research Elsewhere You probably dug up tons of interesting stats and pieces of information while doing your research. Use that information in other content you write. For example, you could easily:. Create new social media content sharing intriguing stats from your research.
Include research findings in other reports or blog posts (with or without referencing your white paper, as appropriate). Pitch a speaking engagement based on your findings.
Dig up something your audience would be interested in? Do you belong to any professional groups or do any public speaking? Consider using part of your research as a topic for a speaking engagement or conference session. We’ve now guided you through all the steps to writing an effective white paper. With the information in this post, plus the included template, you should have everything you need to do the job right.
Let’s recap quick:. We discussed what a good white paper should (and shouldn’t) be. Offer your readers unique, valuable, and well-researched insights on one specific topic. Don’t slap together thin content, make it look nice, gate it behind an opt-in form, and then call it day. We walked through a complete writing process to produce the final document. From ideation all the way through design, every step of the process has been covered. We touched on what comes next once your white paper is published.
Seriously, if you’re going to set aside the time to write a white paper (which could take days or weeks to produce), then get the most return on it you possibly can. Spin that sucker into as many content assets as you can think of.
That’s all we’ve got for you. Still have questions?
Drop us a line below, and as always, thanks for reading. This post was originally written on May 18, 2017. It was updated and republished on July 23, 2018.