White Paper Writing
White Paper World 48: September 27, 2024
Quick tip: Think outside the list This just in: The enshittification of everything What I’m reading: The Canceling of the American Mind 6.5-minute read. 11-minute listen: Quick tip: Think outside the list 2-minute read. In an earlier tip, I described how to write better lists. But sometimes a list isn’t the best approach. Sometimes recasting a…
Read MoreQuick tip: Make every bullet count
There’s nothing like a set of bullets to make a list easy to scan. But are your bulleted lists as sharp as they could be? Here are four tips to help make every bullet count. Tip 1: Order bullets for quick scanning It’s obvious how to arrange a set of bullets, right? You put the…
Read MoreQuick tip: Fix a draft white paper that’s too long
So you’ve written a draft white paper, but it’s way too long. Now your reviewers and your sponsor are complaining. So can you shorten a draft that’s way too long? Yes, you can. And here are five practical tips how. What’s too long, anyway? Technical people may read a white paper 30 or 40 pages…
Read MoreWhat ChatGPT says about white papers (updated fall 2024)
Every writer is talking about the ground-breaking AI program, ChatGPT. We’re all wondering whether it means the end of our careers or the start of a new and exciting chapter. So I decided to ask the source. Early in 2023, I interviewed ChatGPT 3.5 on the issues every writer is concerned about: What it can…
Read MoreQuick tip: How to layer information for multiple audiences
Ideally you can create one white paper for every segment of your target audience. But what if you can’t swing that? What if for some reason—time, money, or whatever—you need to reach more than one audience with the same white paper? In another article, I described how to “clone” one basic document for various segments…
Read MoreQuick tip: 6 easy hacks for ChatGPT [with sample prompts]
After using ChatGPT for a time, we learn a few hacks to get better results. Here’s a quick roundup of six easy ways to pump up your prompts: The first three are common tips you may have heard already. The last three are strange “emotional engineering” to push the AI further. Plus, a bonus tip…
Read MoreYou asked: Is copywriting different from content writing?
That’s a great question. Here’s my answer, some lively comments, and some updated comments I posted after musing on this some more. I was fortunate to learn my craft writing for traditional magazines. From 1985 to today, I wrote close to 1,000 magazine articles, mainly about technology, for everyone from accountants to woodworkers. One thing…
Read MoreQuick tip: Use AI to make a Mini-Me
Remember the Austin Powers spy spoof movies? And the ones where supervillain Dr. Evil had a miniature clone of himself, called Mini-Me? Mini-Me dressed the same, talked the same, and shared many of the same silly tics as Dr. Evil. But he was a whole lot shorter. This is how to think about the executive…
Read MoreWhite Paper World 42: June 14, 2024
Quick tip: Use AI for tech support Big idea: How to de-position the competition [includes case studies] Just for fun: All the papers of the rainbow 3 minute read. 18:30 minute listen (includes Big Idea): Quick tip: Use AI for tech support 1:15 minute read Do you ever have software headaches? Or some new gadget…
Read MoreBig idea: How to de-position your competition [includes case studies]
7 minute read. 12:45 minute listen: Many white papers try to attack the competition. This challenge often falls to the white paper writer, with little guidance from the marketing team. “Show how our solution is better,” they may say. Or something just as vague. But how do you do that? How do you attack a…
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