White Paper Writing
The most influential white paper in history
What would you say was the most successful white paper ever written? Hint: It turned 10 years old in October 2018. Need another hint? This paper proposed a whole new architecture for distributed databases. One last hint: This paper was the starting point for the world’s most successful cryptocurrency. If you said “the Bitcoin white…
Read More10 tips on writing bo-o-oring content
This guest post from B2B copywriter Steve Maurer turns the normal advice we hear about writing content on its head. We got a good chuckle out of this and we hope you do too. You work in an interesting industry. And you have an amazing product. If other companies buy it, they’ll get a great…
Read MoreWho do you trust for a white paper source?
White paper writers often ask me, “What makes a good source?” That’s a great question in today’s era of “fake news” and “alternative facts.” Deliberate falsehoods are being spread from many sources: social media chatbots, agents of foreign governments, clickbait creators—not to mention vendors lying about their products. Because of all this deceit, a recent…
Read More11 ways to grab attention with a white paper
What are some tips and tricks for grabbing a reader’s attention with a white paper? I recently answered that question on Quora. There are many things you can do to help get a white paper noticed, ranging from the cover to the structure to how you write the content. Here’s a more detailed answer, expanded…
Read More16 possible ways to structure a white paper
You’ve probably heard my concept of the three “flavors” of white papers. But within these three, there are many different ways to organize a white paper. Here are 16 possibilities, which I’ve extracted and expanded with thanks from one of my favorite books, Presenting to Win by Jerry Weissman. Weissman is a former New York…
Read More12 steps to great white paper project management
A white paper project is a complex undertaking, with many moving parts. Here is a 12-step program, of sorts, for effective white paper project management. We’ve learned all these lessons through painful experiences with white papers that went off the rails. A few were never even completed, despite my best efforts. So consider these best…
Read MoreCrossing the chasm with effective white papers
This is a tale of two white papers, and the companies that planned them. It shows how an effective marketing strategy can help you to create an effective white paper. And it shows how an ineffective marketing strategy can hinder your best efforts to create a good white paper. Along the way, we’ll review a few…
Read MoreHow to get great reviews for your white paper
Every white paper gets reviews, often by numerous people. But these reviews aren’t always helpful. To gain an effective review, a white paper writer or sponsor sometimes needs to take reviewers by the hand and give them a little guidance. This article includes five tips, plus a reviewer’s checklist you can download and circulate to your…
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?…
Read More10 tips on writing from Alexander Green
Last fall I had the pleasure of attending the AWAI 2016 Bootcamp in southern Florida. What a fantastic event! What’s not to like about a meet-up of 450 writers in an ocean-side town that has October temperatures reaching almost 90 degrees? The opening keynote speaker Alexander Green provided many inspiring tips on writing. If you haven’t heard of him…
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