{"id":2527,"date":"2015-10-20T15:00:34","date_gmt":"2015-10-20T19:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/?p=2527"},"modified":"2021-01-18T09:48:30","modified_gmt":"2021-01-18T14:48:30","slug":"from-white-paper-to-slide-deck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/from-white-paper-to-slide-deck\/","title":{"rendered":"How to repurpose a white paper into a slide deck"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here’s how to repurpose a white paper into a slide deck.<\/h2>\n

This is part 4 of our ongoing series. For other posts in this series, see the links at the bottom of this post. <\/em><\/p>\n

\"keyboard<\/a>A slide deck makes a good companion\u00a0to any white paper, since the two are so different.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

For example, you can use a slide deck to present the highlights of the\u00a0topic in an online webinar or in-house presentation.<\/p>\n

Then you can offer a white paper to those who want more details.<\/p>\n

Consider the key differences between these two types of content, as shown in the following table.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
<\/th>White paper<\/strong><\/th>Slide deck<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Format<\/td>Mainly text, some graphics<\/td>Graphics and voice<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Scope<\/td>Deep research<\/td>Highlights only<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Medium<\/td>Screen or paper<\/td>Screen only<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Viewed<\/td>By one person alone<\/td>By groups of people<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

 <\/p>\n

\"three<\/a><\/p>\n

Our sample slides<\/h3>\n

In this case, the client didn’t actually repurpose the white paper to use as\u00a0a presentation.<\/p>\n

Instead, we created a few sample slides to show how this white paper could be repurposed as a slide deck.<\/p>\n

To see those slides as a PPT file, click on the thumbnails above.<\/p>\n

To see those slides as a PDF with notes, click here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Here are a few more details about each slide.<\/p>\n

\"slide<\/a><\/p>\n

Slide 1: Alarming factoid<\/h3>\n

The white paper includes the disturbing\u00a0factoid that sleep deprivation costs companies an average of $3,200 per employee per year.<\/p>\n

Imagine if you’ve got 10,000 employees. That adds up! So this slide does nothing beyond highlighting this one alarming fact. And that’s enough!<\/p>\n

\"slide<\/a><\/p>\n

Slide 2: Surprising assertion<\/h3>\n

The white paper recommends a new approach to help get a good night’s sleep: cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia, or CBTi.<\/p>\n

And we make a surprising claim that CBTi is more effective than sleeping pills. This claim is backed up by WHO and medical authorities in the U.S. and the UK.<\/p>\n

There’s a lot of small text on this slide, but two-thirds of that is simply the names of the three associations being cited as sources.<\/p>\n

For any B2B content to be effective, you need to have credible sources lined up.<\/p>\n

And notice how the slide is driven by the graphic, showing an assortment of pills beside a clock reading 3 AM and the pill-popper still wide awake.<\/p>\n

That means a presenter can talk while showing this slide and the power of the graphic helps the main point sink into the minds of the audience.<\/p>\n

\"slide<\/a><\/p>\n

Slide 3: Screenshot<\/h3>\n

Here’s a screenshot of the mobile app and the download page from the client’s company.\u00a0Showing the recommended solution is a good idea for an intangible product like an app.<\/p>\n

There’s a lot of text on this webpage, but you don’t expect your audience to actually read it. The heading at the top tells the whole story in six words.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

How many slides do you need?<\/h3>\n

To cover the highlights of a typical white paper, 12 to 16 slides is enough.\u00a0Here are some pointers on how to manage this for each main flavor of white paper.<\/p>\n

\"scoop<\/a>For a problem\/solution white paper (chocolate)<\/strong><\/p>\n

You want your slides to cover every significant point the executive summary touches on.<\/p>\n

That means you can divide your\u00a0slides into three main sections:<\/p>\n