White Paper World 52: December 12, 2024
- Quick tip: Don’t rush a white paper late in December
- This just in: How many B2B marketers use white papers?
- This just out: New episode of The White Paper Review
- 325 white papers. 25 years. Top 10 tips
- A book for the holidays
Read this issue in 6 minutes. Listen to this issue in 11 minutes:
Quick tip: Don’t rush a white paper late in December
2-minute read.
Around mid-December every year, several prospects ask if I can finish a white paper before the New Year.
I say, “Not very likely. Why the rush?”
Then they sheepishly tell me.
Sometimes it’s their bonus
Their editorial calendar called for four white papers for the year, but they only did three. If they don’t do a fourth, they won’t get their bonus—and they’re counting on that money.
Sometimes it’s their budget
They have some money in the marketing budget they’ve got to spend by the end of the year. It’s “use it or lose it” and the CFO is breathing down their neck.
And sometimes it’s their mistaken belief that anyone will notice a white paper that comes out on December 30th.
Here’s what I tell them:
About their bonus
“Well, we can certainly start a white paper in late December and get it published in January. Isn’t that enough to check that box and get your bonus?”
Meanwhile I’m thinking: Don’t publish a white paper just because the clock is ticking! And push back on an editorial calendar that puts quantity over quality.
About their budget
“Sure, I’ll take your money now and do the work later. No problem.”
Meanwhile I’m thinking: Advanced planning is a wonderful thing.
On publishing a white paper late in December
“Your efforts will get buried under a three-foot pile of distractions: concerts, decorating, family, parties, shopping, storms, and travels. To get anyone’s attention, you’ll have to redo your campaign in January anyway.
“So let’s aim to publish by the third week of January. You’ll see much better results with that timeline.”
Meanwhile I’m thinking: Grind culture will really grind you down!
Bonus tip: Don’t publish any white papers before mid-January either.
You know what it’s like in every office after a big holiday.
Everyone spends the first few days talking about what they did, and ever-so-slowly getting back in the saddle.
They’re not busy downloading white papers the minute they come in January 6.
Why not mark December 11 through January 15 as “holiday blackout days” when you won’t publish any long-form content?
Why not take a breath, have a cup of eggnog, and enjoy the people around you at work and at home.
Bottom line: Your white paper just won’t succeed if you rush it out late in December or early in January.
This just in: How many B2B marketers use white papers?
1.5-minute read.
Results of the annual survey by the Content Marketing Institute for 2025 are in.
And they aren’t earth-shattering.
The number I always look at—how many B2B marketers say they use white papers—dropped slightly from 59% to 51%.
Am I worried? Nope.
If only half of all B2B marketers use white papers, fine. That’s still millions of companies.
And the 10-year rolling average is still 61% or 6 out of 10 marketers who do use white papers.
And if some marketers who never got decent results from white papers stop using them, that’s a good thing. It cuts out a bit of the useless noise in the market.
Seriously. If white papers don’t work for your company, don’t do them.
In B2B, every channel has its place. The key is to use each channel for what it does best for your audience.
For example, white papers can present the deepest research to back up the most persuasive arguments expressed in the most compelling terms.
And any white paper like that can serve as “tentpole” content to repurpose for many other channels, including social media, blogs, and video. Amen.
What about AI in B2B marketing?
As you’d expect, the CMI survey shows AI still making inroads: 4 out of 5 (81%) of B2B marketers say their teams use generative AI, up from 72% last year.
But only 1 in 5 (19%) have integrated AI into their daily workflows.
The rest are still exploring and tinkering. So if that’s you, you’re not behind.
Less than a quarter (23%) say they have any AI guidelines in place for marketing. Yet almost half (49%) use AI to create or manage content. That’s up from 39% last year.
But that means 1 in 4 companies are now using AI for content with no guidelines on critical issues like:
- Keeping company plans secure
- Fact-checking AI output
- Matching their brand voice with AI output
- Disclosing the use of AI to their audiences
This is a huge gap that should be closed. More companies really need AI guidelines for their marketing.
Hint: Maybe you can help your clients with that in 2025?
This just out: New episode of The White Paper Review
1-min read. Episode run-time: 24 minutes.
A new episode of the YouTube show I co-host with my writer buddy Brian Boys has dropped.
As usual, that episode features two white papers:
- One that does everything right
- Another that does everything wrong
Our goal is not to denigrate anyone’s efforts. It’s simply to share some pointers on what makes these documents more or less effective.
The good: A B2C white paper on cataracts
Our well-done example is that rare animal, a B2C white paper.
Published by a Florida-based vision care practice, this is an FAQ that explains everything you need to know about cataract surgery in simple, non-threatening terms.
And it contains all the other key parts of a white paper:
- a visual cover showing the ideal reader
- a table of contents
- an introductory summary
- factual and comprehensive content
- conclusions
- a call-to-action
- helpful infographics
- easy-to-read typography
Without resorting to medical jargon or fear tactics, this paper does an excellent job of positioning its sponsor as a knowledgeable and caring provider.
The bad: A sales pitch for an online game
Our poor example is for an online game that uses the “pay-to-play-to-earn” business model.
It has some nice visuals, although it’s all in reverse print (white type on black).
There’s no overview at the start, not a very good call-to-action at the end, and no industry research in the main body.
Unfortunately, that makes it basically a sales pitch: a big no-no for us.
Check out that episode and tell me what do you think. Did we nail it, or did we miss the mark?
325 white papers. 25 years. Top 10 tips.
Click cover to get tipsheet
More than 1,500 subscribers got the special tipsheet I announced in issue 50.
This covers the top 10 tips on white papers I’ve learned during my career, including:
• The biggest blunder you can make in a white paper, and how to avoid it
• 3 simple questions you must ask to understand your target audience
• 3 sure-fire ways to make your text easier to read
Every tip links to two or three hand-picked articles from my website for even more in-depth advice.
If you didn’t get yours, click here to get it today.
A book for the holidays
Anyone asking what’s on your wish list this season?
How about a book that will help you all year long?
Just show them my list of recommended books.
This includes many of the books I keep right beside my desk. And I’m adding more all the time.
This year I started a section on science fiction, though I soon realized it will take me months to list all my favorite SF books.
Fun fact: I used to work in a science fiction & fantasy bookstore in Toronto called Bakka. And like most of the staff there, I took out half my pay in books.
Anyway, you can use my list to give (or get) a worthwhile book that deserves a place on any writer’s bookshelf.
Happy holidays, and happy reading!
If you like this newsletter…
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Gordon Graham
That White Paper Guy
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