Getting Started
Tools of the trade
We all need tools, and writers are no exception. Here’s a roundup of all the cool tools of the writing trade mentioned in White Paper World so far. I’ve tried all these and each one earns a solid two thumbs-up from me. And I use most of these tools on every white paper I write.…
Read MoreQuick Tip: Stop charging by the hour!
Whatever you think about AI, it’s fast. And cheap. ChatGPT-4 can write a blog post faster than you can dictate the words. And it can revise and rewrite just as fast. For pennies. With no complaints. So if you’re a writer or agency still charging clients by the hour, you can’t compete with your old-fashioned…
Read MoreQuick Tip: With AI, tackle your most significant tasks first
Just because you CAN do something with AI doesn’t mean you SHOULD. Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater. Don’t get rid of a perfectly fine workflow just to save a few bucks. For example, people proclaim they now use AI to generate their own graphics so they’ve stopped buying stock photos. Is that…
Read MoreHow to choose an AI writing product
There’s a ton of AI writing products out there, with more added every week. How can you possibly pick the right one? Well, here are some thoughts. At the AI for Writers Summit at the end of March 2023, Mike Kaput from Marketing AI Institute presented a list of writing tools. He briefly summed up…
Read MoreJokes told by ChatGPT
ChatGPT and other AIs are very weak at humor. They can’t tell a joke to save their electrons. So I decided to start a page to accumulate jokes told by AI. That way, all of us humans can look at them and groan and feel superior. Sound good? To contribute a joke to this page, click…
Read MoreWhite papers and… letters to Santa?!
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…
Read MoreA great example of a numbered list
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…
Read MoreWhite Paper FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
When I first started writing white papers 25 years ago, I looked all over for a FAQ. When I couldn’t find one, I decided to write one myself. Over the years, I’ve kept adding to it, until today when it covers 36 questions. This is undoubtedly the most detailed, most thorough FAQ on white papers…
Read MoreWhite paper writer tip #2: Build an argument
Every white paper writer must learn how to build a coherent argument. Without one, your white papers won’t convince anyone of anything. But a white paper that presents a strong argument can be right on the money. It can generate great results for years running. The question is, what makes a good argument? And how do…
Read MoreA tale of four white papers [with SAMPLES]
Out of all 300+ white papers I’ve worked on, a few stand out in my recollections. This is the story of four of those projects, and what we can learn from them. There’s nothing magical or heroic about these stories. What makes them memorable is that each project faced a different challenge: An impossible deadline…
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