Getting Started
How 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 paper writer tip #1: Stop selling
You must avoid the #1 problem with this format: Too much selling The solution is simple: Stop writing sales pitches and calling them white papers. Sponsors, recognize the danger of inserting a sales pitch into a white paper. Stop pressuring your writers to include them. Stop shooting yourself in the foot! What’s the problem with selling?…
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 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 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…
Read MoreWhite papers and… backgammon?!
Yes, playing backgammon is a lot like doing a white paper. If you don’t know what backgammon is, see the intro below. If you already know the history of backgammon, skip down to “6 similarities between backgammon and white papers.” Intro: What is backgammon? Backgammon is an ancient game that dates back at least…
Read MoreWhite papers and… baking a blueberry pie?!
Believe it or not, creating a great white paper is a lot like making a blueberry pie. Think about all the significant items you need to make a scrumptious pie. It all begins with a good recipe, so you know what to put in (and what to leave out), in all the right proportions. Then…
Read MoreRepurposing: Your secret marketing weapon
I’ve worked on white papers, and I have a secret: Less than 1% of those white papers was ever repurposed. Only a tiny handful of my clients, large and small, ever thought about repurposing. And only when I mentioned it. A secret weapon for marketing That means repurposing can be a secret weapon for any B2B marketing…
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