White Paper Writing
White Paper World 40: April 25, 2024
Shun the TIONs: Part deux Guest tip: Excise the IZEs! Mini-review: The Elements of Technical Writing This just in: Netline 2024 report on B2B content Book Giveaway Extended: I want some more bad advice! Listen to this issue in 8.5 minutes: Shun the TIONs: Part deux My Quick Tip in the last issue advised…
Read MoreQuick tip: Excise the IZEs! [guest tip from Bob Bly]
The tendency to add IZE to nouns is an old story in English. The practice has been going on for centuries. Apologize was born before 1600, and criticize appeared in Shakespeare’s day. Revolutionize came along before 1800; burglarize first appeared in the 1870s. Edwin Newman, in his book A Civil Tongue, suggests that by adding…
Read MoreQuick tip: Shun the TIONs!
2.5 minute read. 3.5 minute listen. I see them all across the nation, to my total consternation: puffed-up words that end in TION. Too many people play this game of word puffery. You just add TION to any verb, and “poof!” it turns into a noun. But in my book, that’s going in the wrong…
Read MoreWhite papers and… the Greek gods?!
In ancient Greece, tales of the gods served to inspire, caution, and educate mortals. Today these legends can guide us to create white papers that ascend to the heights of Mount Olympus. Here are five tips on how these timeless gods and goddesses can inspire us to create more effective long-form content. 3.5 minute read.…
Read MoreQuick tip: Don’t say “once every xx seconds…”
I’ve been researching suicide lately. Don’t worry; I’m not thinking about doing myself in. It’s for a fictional story I’m working on. In my research, I encountered a statistic that always bugs me. Here it is, from no less than the World Health Organization: Suicide: one person dies every 40 seconds1 What a shocker, right?…
Read MoreWhite Paper World 36: February 1, 2024
Quick tip: Don’t say “once every xx seconds…” Great book: How to Lie with Statistics February Book Giveaway: Send me a shoddy statistic! Need help with your next white paper? Quick tip: Don’t say “once every xx seconds…” I’ve been researching suicide lately. Don’t worry; I’m not thinking about doing myself in. It’s for a…
Read MoreQuick tip: Here’s a great little book on statistics
So far, I’ve posted two quick tips on how to avoid shoddy statistics. Both articles included examples from the real world. You can see those here: Don’t use numbers out of context Don’t say “once every xx seconds…” So how about some positive tips on how to use numbers properly? If you’re interested in how…
Read MoreQuick tip: To find the gem, wash away the muck
One problem I often see in white papers is over-long quotes from sources. Lengthy quotes can easily slow down your narrative and distract from the point you’re trying to make. If you see a quote that runs two or three paragraphs long, you can be pretty sure the writer included too much. Your goal as…
Read MoreBig idea: Let’s get rid of the “sales funnel”
Now that the concept of the “sales funnel” is more than 100 years old, let’s retire it for good. And I’ve got a fresh metaphor to suggest in its place. It’s my favorite of three other possibilities, each one more realistic and more useful for B2B marketers and writers. What’s wrong with the sales funnel?…
Read MoreQuick tip: Don’t start your white paper like this
Too many white papers suffer from what I call “throat-clearing.” That’s when a paper begins by repeating something the audience already knows. Consider this example from a white paper from HP: Rapid innovations in Internet and mobile computing technology are drawing many communications, media, and entertainment (ME) companies to expand into profitable new markets to…
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