5 reasons why white papers are challenged: data and stories
Let’s compare a white paper to a dessert soufflé. Done right, a soufflé is an extraordinary dessert that gets people talking. But making a great soufflé takes the right ingredients, the right recipe, and an oven and soufflé pan in tip-top shape. If you’re missing one of these, your soufflé will fall flat. By the…
Read More6 reasons why white papers fail: data and stories
Not every white paper that’s started ever gets finished. In fact, my data shows 1 in 6 white papers fail. At That White Paper Guy, I recently analyzed 300 of my white paper projects going back to 1997. I was shocked to discover that 50 of these white papers—1 in 6—were abandoned and never published. …
Read MoreHow I analyzed 300 white papers
I recently reviewed all the white papers I worked on from 1997 to 2020. The results were fascinating. Of these 300 white papers, a full 50 were abandoned and never published. That’s 1 in 6. Three dozen more were published, but with clear defects. That’s 1 in 9. That means 214 of my papers (71%)…
Read MoreSample backgrounder white paper
Quick tip: Show people on your white paper covers
The cover of any white paper is extremely valuable real estate. Don’t waste this space by showing nothing but text. That approach went out in the 1990s. Here are three old-fashioned examples. What’s wrong with these covers? Well, many things: They’re not engaging They’re not visual, except for the splats of color They’re…
Read MoreQuick tip: Don’t make your readers squint
My pet peeve about B2B content is basic, impossible to argue with, and simple to fix. Don’t make your readers squint and struggle to read your text Make your text crisp, easy-to-read, 100% black type. If you’re a young designer, remember: You’re not designing for yourself. You’re designing for your readers, many of them 40, 50,…
Read MoreQuick tip: Name your white papers right
This tip applies to everyone: writers, marketers, agencies, and designers. You know how most organizations have some system for naming files? And those names go something like this: whppr-cdv10bb4f-220417e-FINAL-FINAL.pdf And those filenames end up on your white papers when they’re published? Or maybe somebody along the way renames each white paper to match your corporate…
Read MoreQuick tip: Move up your Executive Summary
We all know the proper page order for a white paper, right? The proper page flow is clearly like this: Page 1: The cover that attracts attention with a graphic and catchy title Page 2: The Contents that show at-a-glance what’s inside Page 3: The all-important Executive Summary that sums up the main ideas I…
Read MoreBook review: The Content Marketing Handbook
I have plenty of books by Bob Bly—the copywriter’s copywriter—on my shelves. And every so often, I add another. Bly is one of a small handful of writers who are equally at home writing both content and copy, writing to explain and writing to persuade. His recent book The Content Marketing Handbook is a treasure-trove…
Read MoreWhite Paper World 5: June 23, 2022
This just in: 2022 AWAI White Paper Spec Challenge Winner Quick tip: On your white paper cover, show pictures of people Design corner: Do you like my new font? Just for fun: 7 Wordle clones, 2 suggestions + Wayne Qwynn This just in: 2022 AWAI White Paper Spec Challenge Winner I just wrapped up…
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