Search results for: quick tips

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…

Quick tip: Push your listicles to the top AP Style and everyone else says to spell out numbers up to nine when you’re writing copy or content, right? But you really should break this rule when naming a numbered list (listicle). Here’s why. Consider two white papers, called: —Three Secrets of SEO You Must Understand…

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…

  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…

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…

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,…

This tip applies to everyone: writers, marketers, agencies, and designers. You know how most organizations have some system for naming files? And those names go something like this: whppr-cdv10bb4f-220417e-FINAL-FINAL.pdf And those filenames end up on your white papers when they’re published? Or maybe somebody along the way renames each white paper to match your corporate…

We all know the proper page order for a white paper, right? The proper page flow is clearly like this: Page 1: The cover that attracts attention with a graphic and catchy title Page 2: The Contents that show at-a-glance what’s inside Page 3: The all-important Executive Summary that sums up the main ideas I…