Posts by Gordon Graham
The most influential white paper in history
What would you say was the most successful white paper ever written? Hint: It turned 10 years old in October 2018. Need another hint? This paper proposed a whole new architecture for distributed databases. One last hint: This paper was the starting point for the world’s most successful cryptocurrency. If you said “the Bitcoin white…
Read MoreIs it bigger than a breadbox?
Have you ever interviewed a someone who says they have “no metrics” for your case study? Perhaps your source never had to justify their purchase, so they didn’t keep any formal metrics. That means they have no numbers to show how much your offering helped with their business problems… and no numbers you can use in…
Read MoreWho do you trust for a white paper source?
White paper writers often ask me, “What makes a good source?” That’s a great question in today’s era of “fake news” and “alternative facts.” Deliberate falsehoods are being spread from many sources: social media chatbots, agents of foreign governments, clickbait creators—not to mention vendors lying about their products. Because of all this deceit, a recent…
Read MoreA few of my favorite things; a look back at 2017
Here’s a few of my favorite things from 2017. After all, there’s more to life than white papers. One of the habits of highly effective people is to “sharpen the saw.” That means taking time off to refresh and renew yourself. [Tweet “Take time off to refresh and renew; you can start with some of…
Read MoreWhat’s a good topic for a white paper?
I get that question a lot. One good answer is, “anything that’s hot right now.” And that hot topic should refer to something that’s relatively new, relatively complex, and relatively expensive. This rule explains why I recently heard from four eight 13 16 24 prospects launching new cryptocurrencies—something like Bitcoin. What makes cryptocurrencies so hot? …
Read More11 ways to grab attention with a white paper
What are some tips and tricks for grabbing a reader’s attention with a white paper? I recently answered that question on Quora. There are many things you can do to help get a white paper noticed, ranging from the cover to the structure to how you write the content. Here’s a more detailed answer, expanded…
Read More16 possible ways to structure a white paper
You’ve probably heard my concept of the three “flavors” of white papers. But within these three, there are many different ways to organize a white paper. Here are 16 possibilities, which I’ve extracted and expanded with thanks from one of my favorite books, Presenting to Win by Jerry Weissman. Weissman is a former New York…
Read More12 steps to great white paper project management
A white paper project is a complex undertaking, with many moving parts. Here is a 12-step program, of sorts, for effective white paper project management. We’ve learned all these lessons through painful experiences with white papers that went off the rails. A few were never even completed, despite my best efforts. So consider these best…
Read MoreCrossing the chasm with effective white papers
This is a tale of two white papers, and the companies that planned them. It shows how an effective marketing strategy can help you to create an effective white paper. And it shows how an ineffective marketing strategy can hinder your best efforts to create a good white paper. Along the way, we’ll review a few…
Read MoreHow to get great reviews for your white paper
Every white paper gets reviews, often by numerous people. But these reviews aren’t always helpful. To gain an effective review, a white paper writer or sponsor sometimes needs to take reviewers by the hand and give them a little guidance. This article includes five tips, plus a reviewer’s checklist you can download and circulate to your…
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