How to write a white paper with Google Docs
White papers are team projects. So why do we all work on separate PCs? Why do we all look at separate drafts, and e-mail around separate comments? Isn’t that a little… old-fashioned? About 10 years ago, I wrote a white paper for the first time with Google Docs. It was a challenging document with…
Read MoreHow to write a white paper for translation
Do you need to write a white paper—or anything else—to be used in different languages? Then you must write properly for translation. Here are six simple tips that will make your text easier for translators to work with, and cut down any chances of embarrassing gaffes. We came across a great little booklet called Borderless English:…
Read MoreHow to write a white paper, by the numbers
Let’s talk about a different way to write a white paper: as a numbered list. You know what I’m talking about—any document with a title like: 5 Secrets of… 6 Steps to Success in… 7 Ways to Boost Profits with… I’ve actually written white papers with all of those titles, and dozens more. Sometimes called “listicles”—a…
Read MoreHow to write a white paper as tips
Try Googling a phrase like “7 tips” and you’ll see at least 100 million hits?! Check out any newsstand and you’ll find “tips” on the cover of most magazines. Self-help books sell $2+ billion every year. And what is a self-help book, if not a series of tips? So why do “tips” rule newsstands, bookstores…
Read MoreHow to use a case study inside a white paper
In a recent presentation on white papers, expert Jonathan Kantor suggested using a case study inside a white paper. I thought, “Wow, what a great technique!” Then I realized I’ve been doing the case-study-inside-a-white-paper trick for years already. Here are two examples that show how I’ve included case studies as proof points inside white papers. Example #1:…
Read MoreHow to refresh a white paper
How long can a company use the same white paper? As long as it works, really. There is no “best-before” date on a white paper, no set time when it must be withdrawn from circulation. If a white paper is still generating traffic and pulling leads… if it still addresses a problem that prospects are struggling…
Read MoreHow to make an effective call to action in a white paper
Any white paper without an effective call to action is wasting a huge opportunity. A call to action answers the question, “What do we want our ideal prospect to do after they finish reading our white paper?” An ideal call to action keeps your reader engaged with your company, encourages them to take the next…
Read MoreHow to clone a white paper for multiple audiences [with example]
Most white paper readers want content directed right to them. 6-minute read. Fair enough. Don’t you? But what if you have two or three different audiences, in different roles or sectors? How can you engage them all? Sure, you can always write a separate white paper for each audience. But what if your client or company…
Read More6 more deadly diseases of white papers
A previous article looked at six germs that afflict the format of a white paper. Now let’s look at six more diseases that can eat away at the content of your white papers. These six diseases are just as dangerous—perhaps even more so—than the previous ones.But fortunately, if you identify them in time, you can…
Read More6 deadly diseases of white papers
Too many white papers today are falling victim to a global pandemic. An afflicted white paper becomes so feeble it can’t raise its voice to be heard in a crowd. Sometimes it’s even trampled underfoot. And all because the white paper is missing some key elements. Or perhaps it was never planned right from the very…
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