5 tips on writing better bullets
Most white paper writers use bulleted lists to break up long chunks of text. But are your lists as effective as they could be? Here are five tips to help make every bullet count. Better bullets tip #1: Order bullets for quick scanning “Copywriters write numbered or bulleted lists in order of importance. The first…
Read MoreTips on interviewing executives
So you need to interview someone important for your white paper. They could be the founder of the company or the lead engineer on the project. The point is, executives are busy… and you don’t want to waste their time or sound like a noob when you speak with them. Before you panic, remember that interviewing…
Read MoreHow to record white paper interviews
I always thought I took great notes. After all, I worked for years as a journalist. But the first time I recorded an interview, I was humbled: My notes were all over the place?! Oh, I would catch the speaker’s meaning. And no one ever accused me of misquoting them. But when I compared my notes with…
Read MoreFootnotes or endnotes in a white paper?
You gathered a ton of evidence for your white paper. Now how are you going to present it? You have three possible ways to provide a source in a white paper: a footnote at the bottom of the page an endnote at the end of the document a citation within the regular flow of the…
Read MoreFootnotes for white papers 101
Footnotes are an essential ingredient of a persuasive white paper. It’s not difficult to write down your views. It’s much harder to find compelling evidence to back up those views. Footnotes help your white paper convey more authority than a simple blog post or opinion piece. Footnotes help build your argument and prove that you…
Read MoreVideo and slide-share white papers: Do they work?
A colleague and I recently put together a talk on white papers done as videos and slide shows. Apryl Parcher is a white paper writer and social media expert from WhitePaperResults.com. Apryl and I wanted to respond to the new formats for white papers we’ve seen cropping up, especially videos and slide shows. We present a few…
Read MoreWhen is a white paper NOT a white paper?
Here’s a headline I spotted recently: “Big Truck TV Launches a New Online Video White Paper Channel.” Naturally I was curious. This turned out to be a set of presentations with a talking head giving advice to trucking companies. So what’s with calling these “white papers?” Some people are tempted to call anything they create…
Read MoreWhite paper success story: Vircom
When Montreal-based anti-spam software developer Vircom released a controversial white paper, their website started getting hits. A lot of hits. So many hits, in fact, that they wondered if someone had launched a denial-of-service (DoS) attack against the company. After the smoke cleared, the breakthrough report “Why Spammers Spam” had been downloaded 2,200+ times… sparked…
Read MoreWhite papers versus press releases
If a client asks for “an announcement” what do they really want? In most cases, they’re after a press release. Press releases are short, factual announcements intended to share some news from a certain company. This format has existed for more than 100 years. The first press release is generally considered to date from 1906.…
Read MoreWhite papers versus case studies
Many people are not clear on the differences between white papers and case studies. B2B copywriters and marketers must understand when to use each one. After many years, I’ve come to the conclusion that white papers and case studies are the two most powerful, most convincing, and most cost-effective marketing materials that any B2B vendor can…
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