White Paper Design
Worst. White. Paper. Ever.
While researching white papers over the past 20 years, I’ve seen a lot of dreck. Analyzing all those poor examples helped me identify what I call the “worst practices” of these documents. And I’m amazed to report—more than six years since I first encountered it—that one white paper is still the worst I’ve ever seen. Click the cover to…
Read MoreWhere to find stock photos for white papers and B2B marketing
At That White Paper Guy, we really like using stock photos, both in white papers and in our social media. When you find realistic-looking stock photos, they can retain readers who would otherwise be put off by a wall of gray text. To help you make your content more interesting, we’ve done some research on the…
Read MoreTips on using stock photos in white papers
Want to use a photo to spice up a white paper? But not sure where to find one, or how to use it? The best source for stock photos remains iStockPhoto.com. This site hosts close to 10 million photos, plus graphics, music and video clips. Most of this content is royalty-free, meaning you can buy a photo and use it…
Read MoreHow to do a white paper makeover and make every page count
I just downloaded a white paper that’s almost two-thirds overhead?! Can you believe it: 7 out of 11 pages are the “wrapper” around the content. Every white paper needs some overhead, just like a sandwich needs two pieces of bread to hold it together. But when this counts for nearly two-thirds of a white paper,…
Read MoreDesigners, here’s how NOT to format a white paper
Nothing undermines a good white paper faster than poor design. If you’re not sure how to design a white paper, or you’ve never done one before, read on. A white paper is neither fish nor fowl. It’s something between a marketing piece and a scholarly essay. It’s not a brochure, so it shouldn’t be…
Read MoreAffordable graphics for a white paper
Every white paper needs at least one good graphic to help anchor it in the reader’s mind. But many marketers face the same problem: No budget for fancy graphics. Here’s a cost-effective tool that can help just about anyone create white paper graphics: SmartDraw. SmartDraw is an extremely easy-to-use drawing program. And the business version comes with many templates…
Read MoreWhy we’re using Pinterest for white papers
You see “Pinterest” and you’re about to leave this page. Don’t do it. Pinterest is not just for recipes, crafts, or home decorating. We think Pinterest is the perfect place to show off B2B white papers. That’s why we started our own Pinterest board here. And this post explains what we’re doing, and why. What is Pinterest?…
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