Quick tip: Do your own interviews
Quick tip: Do your own interviews What’s the very best way to get great insights and quotes from experts? Interview them yourself. When you speak first-hand to a source, you often get great “sound bites.” And those can add an engaging human touch to your content. Plus, you get a chance to ask questions on…
Read More4 ways to evaluate white paper sources
So you’re writing a white paper… And it’s time to cite an expert, define a term, or introduce a proof point. Where do you find a good source? If you’re like most writers, you do a few quick queries with Google and get a list of search results. Then you start scrolling and clicking on…
Read MoreWhite Paper World 27: August 24, 2023
Quick tip: Build your own list of sources This just in: AI is enshittifying the web! AI survey book giveaway: Another winner! Deadline: Take the AI survey before it closes Don’t miss checklist: 12 ways to humanize your content Quick tip: Build your own list of sources How to save time researching your next…
Read MoreQuick tip: Build your own list of sources
Here’s how to save time researching your next white paper. Build your own list of sources you trust, and go to them for insights. I’ve said this before: Don’t start with Google. Now I’m doubling down on that advice. Develop your own list of trusted sources. Don’t rely on Google to find them. This works especially…
Read MoreQuick tip: Do footnotes the Chicago way
So you’re writing a white paper with lots of sources. So you’re writing a white paper with lots of sources. Way to go on doing your research! Now you need footnotes (or endnotes) to cite those sources. But how do you format the pesky things? Just stick in URLs and call it done? Well, I’ve…
Read MoreWhite Paper World 26: July 27, 2023
AI survey book giveaway: We have another winner! Quick tip: Do footnotes the Chicago way Checklist: 12 things writers can do that AI can’t AI survey book giveaway: We have another winner! Valicia Burke-France is a trained epidemiologist and healthcare educator with a PhD in biology who writes for medical and femtech companies. Originally from…
Read MoreQuick tip: Just flip it!
So you’re interviewing a salesperson and all they can talk about is their great new “solution.” But you want to talk about the problems their customers have. You need to understand why anyone needs the new product. Here’s a simple way to reframe that conversation: Flip it! Flip each positive into a negative Flip every…
Read MoreWhite Paper World 25, July 12, 2023
AI survey book giveaway: We have another winner! Quick tip: Just flip it! This just in: Best practices for prompting AI More from me: New interview, new podcast AI survey book giveaway: We have another winner, this time an AI Enthusiast! Colm O’Regan is a former scientist who’s worked in labs in four countries, now…
Read MoreWhite Paper World 24: June 22, 2023
AI Survey and Big Book Giveaway: We have a winner! Quick tip: Format for the screen, not the page Fresh content: White papers and… home-brewed beer?! AI Survey and Big Book Giveaway I was distracted this month by a big deadline for a white paper. I got a first draft in, but I was thinking:…
Read MoreQuick tip: Format white papers for the screen, not the page
I’ve seen figures saying 90% of all white papers are viewed on-screen. Yet too many white papers are still formatted like printed books: Long paragraphs of text Skimpy white space Few visual breaks Lots of extra pages at the start Making a white paper like a mini-book is NOT the way to reach busy prospects.…
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