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Quick Tip: Don’t start your research with Google

Yes, you need a lot of research for a white paper. No, you don’t want to start with Google.  That might send you down countless rabbit holes. And with AI content being dumped online, we can expect the web to get even more polluted with lies and disinformation in the future. So here are three…

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Quick Tip: Read a draft to your reviewers

read a white paper out loud

Did you ever work with a SME who kept putting off reviewing a white paper draft? Maybe English wasn’t their first language. Or maybe they weren’t sure how to express their comments on your draft. But they were too embarrassed to admit it. Here’s a smart way around that: 1. Schedule a meeting or Zoom,…

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White Paper World 14: December 2022

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Fresh content: White papers and… letters to Santa?! Quick tip: My favorite way to polish a draft Holiday shopping: Just a little time left November book winner What I’m listening to: Huron Carol, with a little history Fresh content: White papers and… letters to Santa?! Do you know anyone writing a letter to Santa this…

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Quick Tip: My favourite way to polish a draft

polishing a white paper draft

Read it out loud. That quickly reveals any awkward phrases or run-on sentences. To me, reading out loud is the absolute best way to revise a white paper draft. But it can be awkward to read a draft to yourself and try to make changes at the same time. There’s a simple solution… Did you…

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White papers and… letters to Santa?!

Santa Claus reading letters from children

Do you know anyone writing a letter to Santa? I always urge my kids to write one early in December. And that got me wondering: Is a ‘Dear Santa’ letter anything like a white paper? In the spirit of the holidays, here’s a lighthearted look at the similarities between the two… with tips on white…

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How to understand your white paper’s audience

Comedians know it. Politicians know it. And white paper writers must know it, too: The first key to success is to understand your audience. “Understanding your audience will help you write the content they need in the words and the way they need it,” says industry veteran Ginny Redish in her excellent book, Letting Go…

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Quick Tip: Don’t cross the red line

Companies doing their first-ever white paper often suffer from what I call “The Kitchen Sink Syndrome.” They tell me they want to generate leads. But they’re also dying to tell the world about their brilliant new product. And then they come up with a listicle or two. So they dump all that into one document.…

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White Paper World 13: November 23, 2022

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Fresh content: Tools of the trade, all in one place Quick tip: Don’t cross the red line Tools of the trade: Rate your headlines for originality and SEO What I’m thankful for: Great books! Just for fun: November book giveaway Fresh content: Tools of the trade, all in one place From time to time, I…

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A great example of a numbered list

great numbered list from Robert Reich in The Guardian

I recently came across an excellent example of a numbered list. You know, strawberry? It was a political column published in, of all places, The Guardian online newspaper. It’s clearly not a white paper. For one thing, it’s only 700 words long. And it’s an opinion piece in a newspaper, not a piece of B2B…

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