How-to tips and best practices on white papers

Click on any category:

• Getting started with white papers
• White paper planning
• White paper research
• White paper writing
• White paper design
• White paper promotions
• Case study tips & tactics
• Book reviews (recommended titles)
• Getting started with B2B content writing

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Getting started with white papers?

Check out these helpful articles:

1. White Paper FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
2. How to generate leads with a white paper:
   tips from TechTarget
3. “King of Content” infographic
4. White Papers For Dummies cheat sheet
5. How to pick the perfect flavor for your next white white paper: a 15-page special report

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White paper planning

• What is a white paper anyway?
• 3 strikes against thought leadership
• 4 wild beasts that white paper writers must tame
• 6 success factors for white papers
• An idea-generating machine for white papers

• Does your company need a white paper?
• Finding a white paper topic
• For best results, don’t rush a white paper
• For white papers, size does matter
• How I sold $20 million of software with a “special report”

• How to pick the perfect flavor for your next white paper: a 15-page special report
• How to plan a numbered list
• How to plan a product backgrounder
• How to plan a problem/solution white paper
• How to structure a problem/solution white paper: a 4-part series
• Know your audience for a white paper
• Let the writers write
• Must-do #1: Hold a kickoff call
• Must-do #2: Create an executive summary
• Must-do #3: Wrap up the project properly

• White papers vs blog posts
• White papers vs brochures
• White papers vs case studies
• White papers vs e-books
• White papers vs press releases

• White paper success story: Vircom
• When is a white paper NOT a white paper?
• Video and slideshare white papers: Do they work?

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White paper research

• Footnotes for white papers 101
• Footnotes or endnotes?
• How to evaluate white paper sources
• How to record white paper interviews

• How to work with a white paper researcher
• Tips on interviewing executives
• Tips on white paper sources

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White paper writing

• 3 keys to readable white papers
• 5 things NOT to do in a white paper title
• 5 tips on writing better bullets
• 6 deadly diseases of white papers

• 6 more deadly diseases of white papers
• 9 ways to break through writer’s block
• 11 ways to spice up a white paper title
• Finding a white paper topic

• Footnotes for white papers 101
• Footnotes or endnotes?
• For white papers, size does matter
• How to “clone” a white paper for multiple audiences

• How to create a white paper style guide
• How to improve a white paper title
• How to make an effective call to action
• How to pick the perfect flavor for your next white paper: a 15-page special report

• How to refresh a white paper
• How to tell a story
• How to use a case study in a white paper
• How to write a white paper as tips

• How to write a white paper for multiple audiences
• How to write a white paper by the numbers
• How to write a white paper for translation
• How to write a white paper title

• How to write a white paper with Google Docs
• Tips on using voice recognition for white papers
• Using software to enhance writing
• What is a white paper, anyway?

• Why not use hype in a white paper?
• Why you should write in small bursts of time

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White paper design

• Affordable graphics for a white paper
• Designers: how NOT to format a white paper
• Tips on using stock photos in white papers
• White paper makeover: Make every page count

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White paper promotions

• Does your company need a white paper?
• Don’t give leads to sales too soon
• Free places to publish a white paper
• How many white papers are “enough?”

• How I sold $20 million of software with a “special report”
• How to generate leads with a white paper:
  tips from TechTarget
• How to make an effective call to action
• How to write a killer landing page

• Promoting a white paper for maximum impact
• White paper success story: Vircom

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Case study tips & tactics

• Case studies: The 7 biggest blunders
• How to get customers to agree to a case study
• How to get the best bang from your case study
• How to write a customer story for beta software

• How many case studies are “enough?”
• How to use a case study in a white paper
• White papers vs case studies
• Why are case studies so powerful?

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Book reviews (recommended titles)

I highly recommend all the titles listed here, and you can read why in these mini-reviews.

• Crafting Whitepaper 2.0
• No Time Marketing
• The White Paper Marketing Handbook
• White Papers For Dummies
• Writing White Papers
• Yahoo Style Guide

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Getting started with B2B content writing

• Crafting Whitepaper 2.0
• No Time Marketing
• The White Paper Marketing Handbook

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Web editors and online publishers

Would you like to use any of these articles? I’m happy to share them with you.

Just let me know by e-mailing me at gordon@thatwhitepaperguy.com. And please include the following blurb at the end of the article:

“That White Paper Guy” is Gordon Graham, author of White Papers For Dummies. For more tips and best practices on white papers, visit http://www.thatwhitepaperguy.com

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