Search results for: Quick tip AI
Quick Tip: Don’t start your research with Google
Yes, you need a lot of research for a white paper. No, you don’t want to start with Google. That might send you down countless rabbit holes. And with AI content being dumped online, we can expect the web to get even more polluted with lies and disinformation in the future. So here are three…
Read MoreQuick Tip: Read a draft to your reviewers
Did you ever work with a SME who kept putting off reviewing a white paper draft? Maybe English wasn’t their first language. Or maybe they weren’t sure how to express their comments on your draft. But they were too embarrassed to admit it. Here’s a smart way around that: 1. Schedule a meeting or Zoom,…
Read MoreQuick Tip: My favorite way to polish a draft
Read it out loud. That quickly reveals any awkward phrases or run-on sentences. To me, reading out loud is the absolute best way to revise a white paper draft. But it can be awkward to read a draft to yourself and try to make changes at the same time. There’s a simple solution… Did you…
Read MoreQuick Tip: Don’t cross the red line
Companies doing their first-ever white paper often suffer from “Kitchen Sink Syndrome.” They tell me they want to generate leads. But they’re also dying to tell the world about their brilliant new product. And then they come up with a listicle or two. So they dump all that into one document. That ends up as…
Read MoreQuick Tip: Pick your idea the way Goldilocks does
A white paper needs an idea that’s not too big, not too small. Just like Goldilocks, you need an idea that’s just right. Here’s how to find one. Say you work for a company that makes electric lawn tools, the kind that run on batteries instead of gasoline. And you’re looking for a topic for…
Read MoreQuick Tip: Don’t ask dumb questions
Some people say, “There’s so such thing as a dumb question.” I disagree. Here’s why. Say you’ve lined up an interview with the VP of R&D for a white paper you’re working on. There are plenty of dumb questions you could ask a busy manager like that. Dumb question #1: Anything way too open-ended —”What does…
Read MoreQuick Tip: Use these 3 keys to better writing
Are you struggling to achieve a crisp, business-like writing style? Here are three keys to better writing. They’re all right there on your keyboard, and using them is free. Delete key: Cut unnecessary words And replace longer words with shorter words. Here’s one trick for doing that. Whenever you see similar terms joined with…
Read MoreQuick Tip: Teach, don’t preach
What’s the #1 problem with too many white papers? If you said “too much selling,” you’re right. There’s a time and place for a sales pitch. But a white paper is neither. I first heard this 20+ years ago when I interviewed executives from the two largest white paper syndication services at the time. “The…
Read MoreQuick Tip: Show people on your white paper covers
The cover of any white paper is extremely valuable real estate. Don’t waste this space by showing nothing but text. That approach went out in the 1990s. Here are three old-fashioned examples. What’s wrong with these covers? Well, many things: They’re not engaging They’re not visual, except for the splats of color They’re…
Read MoreQuick Tip: Don’t make your readers squint
My pet peeve about B2B content is basic, impossible to argue with, and simple to fix. Don’t make your readers squint and struggle to read your text Make your text crisp, easy-to-read, 100% black type. If you’re a young designer, remember: You’re not designing for yourself. You’re designing for your readers, many of them 40, 50,…
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