Whether you’re brand-new to this field, or you’ve done a few white papers but could use a refresher, this article can help.<\/p>\n
This gives you all the best practices that make up the keys to success in writing white papers.<\/p>\n
This can be your “White Papers 101” or the definitive guide to writing a white paper.<\/p>\n
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Note<\/strong>: This article uses the terms “writer” and “client” for the two parties who work most on a white paper.<\/p>\n The writer is most often an outside contractor, but they could be an in-house employee.<\/p>\n The client is most often a marketing person who hires a writer.<\/p>\n But the client could be a product manager or engineer who comes to the marketing team for help doing a white paper. Make sense?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To get started, it’s important to understand that a white paper project has three main phases:<\/p>\n You can think of these as the “three Ps” of any white paper.<\/p>\n Every white paper is a big, complex project with many people involved.<\/p>\n Beginning white paper writers often get a couple of surprises on their first projects.<\/p>\n Surprise #1<\/strong>: Even though we call it “writing a white paper” the writing is only one of a dozen steps along the way.<\/p>\n Few of these steps involve composing or revising text. Most of them involve something else.<\/p>\n Surprise #2<\/strong>: As the writer, it’s up to you to manage the project.<\/p>\n Whether your client tells you or not, they’re pretty much counting on you for that. If you don’t do it, nobody else will.<\/p>\n So let’s take a deeper look at each of the three Ps.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Those answers will serve as the compass to guide all your efforts.<\/p>\n If the client’s company has developed any\u00a0personas to represent their key target markets<\/a>, get them and study them.<\/p>\n If not, try to explore three key areas about the intended readers:<\/p>\n If there are several different segments of the audience, go through this exercise for each one.<\/p>\n But make sure everyone agrees which is the primary<\/strong> audience.<\/p>\n And if your client doesn’t have any precise ideas, a guesstimate can be close enough. For example, if the audience will be a mix of people with all different backgrounds, that’s good to know.<\/p>\n But if the audience will be 80% women in their 30s and 40s, that’s powerful.<\/p>\n And if your client intends to print out a few hundred copies of the white paper for an upcoming trade show, that’s good to know.<\/p>\n That means the page design, big colorful graphics, and pagination will be important.<\/p>\n But if your client expects everyone will simply download the PDF and scroll through it on their screens, the pagination is less important.<\/p>\n And the graphics may need to be smaller and simpler.<\/p>\n There’s no right and wrong here. The goal is simply for everyone to understand who the white paper is aimed at, and who the writer should be trying to reach.<\/p>\n You must learn where your primary audience is on their customer journey.<\/p>\n You may be familiar with my theory of the three ice cream flavors for white papers:<\/p>\n For prospects at the start of their journey<\/strong>, the chocolate or problem\/solution flavor works best.<\/p>\n This is the classic type of white paper that discusses a nagging business problem and a better way to solve it.<\/p>\n Chocolate is the best flavor for generating leads.<\/p>\n For prospects in the middle of their journey<\/strong>, the strawberry or numbered list flavor works best.<\/p>\n This is a light and lively set of tips, concerns, or questions about a topic that interests your ideal readers.<\/p>\n Strawberry is the best flavor for getting noticed or for throwing dirt on competitors.<\/p>\n For prospects near the end of their journey<\/strong>, the vanilla or product backgrounder works best.<\/p>\n This is a deep dive into the features and benefits of a particular product.<\/p>\n Vanilla is the best flavor for helping a prospect evaluate a product, or to support a new product launch.<\/p>\n Once you pick the right flavor for a white paper, you’ll know what to put in and what to leave out.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For more details, I describe all this in-depth in 100+ pages in my book, White Papers For Dummies<\/em><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n For a condensed version, you can get my free infographic<\/a>. Just click on the thumbnail to download the 4-page PDF.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This PDF includes an overall section-by-section guide on what to include in a white paper of each flavor. I often give this a quick glance myself whenever I start a new white paper.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A couple of summers ago, I helped my father-in-law build a shed that was supposed to be pre-fabricated, with all the pieces sawed up and ready to assemble.<\/p>\n Once we sorted through the pile of lumber, we realized there were no plans, no instructions, not even a bill of materials we could use to get started.<\/p>\n We had to go back back to the building store a few times, asking, “You know those pieces that look sort of like this… What are those for?”<\/p>\n Eventually, we put together the shed and it’s still standing proud.<\/p>\n But any kind of plan would have saved us hours of head-scratching and false starts.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So if you skip planning and simply start writing, you’re taking a big risk.<\/p>\n The good news is that planning doesn’t take long. And the more white papers you plan, the faster you’ll get.<\/p>\n For example, to plan out a white paper, I usually need a one-hour phone call with my client, a few hours of web research, and a few minutes to stare off into space and think.<\/p>\n You can do all that inside of a week.<\/p>\n At the end of this phase, the writer can deliver a document several pages long that spells out a high-level plan for the white paper.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This includes all the steps that are easy to imagine:<\/p>\n Remember that as the writer, it’s up to you to manage this process and bring everything together into a successful document.<\/p>\n I’ve found that if the writer doesn’t do it, nobody else will.<\/p>\n There are really three forms of research involved in writing a white paper:<\/p>\n Let’s consider each type briefly.<\/p>\n 1. Going through background provided by your client<\/strong><\/p>\n How much the writer can rely on background from the client depends in part on which flavor you’re doing.<\/p>\n If you’re writing a vanilla white paper<\/strong> about a product, your client should have lots of background for you.<\/p>\n That material may be slide decks, in-house reports, market studies, press releases, previous blog posts… you name it.<\/p>\n The writer’s job is to sift through all that material and find the key facts and perspectives that will help shape the white paper.<\/p>\n If you’re writing a strawberry white paper<\/strong>, here’s a good way to save time: Schedule a quick session with your client and\/or another well-informed employee who they suggest.<\/p>\n Then have some brainstorming to come up with 10 or 12 points, concerns, issues, or questions that can form the heart of your numbered list.<\/p>\n Later you can pare these down to 5 or 7 of the strongest ones. But this initial brainstorming can really save time at the start.<\/p>\n If you’re writing a chocolate white paper<\/strong> about a nagging industry problem, your client will likely have some general market overviews.<\/p>\n But to come up with convincing facts and numbers about the problem, you will most likely have to do a fair amount of web research, as described below.<\/p>\n 2. Doing web research<\/strong><\/p>\n So now you can just jump into Wikipedia, right?<\/p>\n Not so fast.<\/p>\n Whenever I see a white paper that starts by defining some term from Wikipedia, I think, “Amateur night! These people really didn’t do proper research.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Wikipedia is a great resource, but only if you use it properly.<\/p>\n You can use Wikipedia to get a quick overview of some topic.<\/p>\n But Wikipedia is a secondary source<\/strong> that points to and discusses\u00a0primary sources<\/strong>.<\/p>\n You can use Wikipedia to find primary sources through the footnotes, and then explore those.<\/p>\n When you quote from primary sources, your evidence has more weight.<\/p>\n Quoting from Wikipedia is a sure sign of lazy and superficial research. So please don’t do it.<\/p>\n As for Google, it’s only as good as your searching skills.<\/p>\n So make sure to keep learning how to search skillfully.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And try out the Advanced Search built into Google. You’ll be amazed what you can do with a few more characters.<\/p>\n And as for evaluating what you dredge up with Google,\u00a0here are some more tips on reliable sources<\/a>.<\/p>\n 3. Interviewing experts<\/strong><\/p>\n The client will most often have a few in-house experts who understand the nagging problem, the market space, or the product in great detail.<\/p>\n Those people are often called Subject Matter Experts or SMEs.<\/p>\n The writer’s job is to interview those SMEs and pull the relevant details out of their heads to use in the white paper.<\/p>\n This is where former journalists and technical writers have a head start because they have experience interviewing people.<\/p>\n But if you’ve never interviewed anyone, have no fear. Just prepare a list of topics to delve into or questions you’d like answered.<\/p>\n Then get your SME talking, and record the conversation with their permission so if you miss anything, you can review it later.<\/p>\n Here are some more tips on interviewing experts<\/a>.<\/p>\n Your interviews will most likely be over the phone, not in person. And you can do a perfectly good interview over the phone.<\/p>\n And here are some tips on recording interviews<\/a>.<\/p>\n These days, we’re all so used to Zoom that many SMEs will expect to do a Zoom with you. That can work nicely, and you can use Zoom to record the whole conversation as a video.<\/p>\n Video is great for breaking the ice and virtually “meeting” someone.<\/p>\n But if you’re scribbling madly or typing up notes throughout the interview, you don’t want your SME to watch the top of your head bobbing around as you work.<\/p>\n In that case, you may want to turn off your video feed and just use your voice.<\/p>\n Every time I teach a class on white papers, at least one person asks if it’s okay to just make up evidence or quotes.<\/p>\n Of course, I say absolutely not.<\/p>\n Research is hard, slogging work.<\/p>\n And you can easily get distracted and go down a rabbit hole that eats up a couple of hours for an interesting but ultimately useless diversion.<\/p>\n But to create an effective white paper, you have to do it.<\/p>\n And to reassure your client that you did it properly, carefully source and footnote all the facts and quotes in your draft white paper.<\/p>\n I go even further: I submit a complete set of PDFs of sources.<\/a> That only takes a few minutes. And I believe it sets me apart from other writers.<\/p>\n Most writers provide URLs for their sources. That’s fine until a webpage is moved or taken down. What then?<\/p>\n And really, is a URL enough detail for a footnote?<\/p>\n Most researchers don’t think so. That’s why proper footnotes include a lot more information than just a link.<\/p>\n White papers are somewhere between marketing and journalism, somewhere between a well-researched journal article and a passionate call for action.<\/p>\n No one can dash off a first draft and think their writing job is complete.<\/p>\n So don’t procrastinate until your back is up against the deadline. Start sooner rather than later and use this method<\/a>.<\/p>\n You must sleep after writing that first draft. Then rewrite, rethink, polish, and then sleep again. The next day, polish it some more.<\/p>\n Have a trusted partner or writing buddy go through it too.<\/p>\n My wife, Angie, has been my “secret weapon” for two decades now. She’s saved me many times from turning in something with a problem that needed to be fixed.<\/p>\n All this to say, I routinely do five drafts of every section of every white paper before I deliver it.<\/p>\n You must make every word count. Make every word work hard.<\/p>\n A white paper has no room for any lazy thinking or flabby writing. Give your client your very best, every time.<\/p>\n At some point, you hand off your text to a designer to create the graphics and format the pages.<\/p>\n For best results, work closely with them.<\/p>\n Some writers may say, “I’m a word person, not an artist. I’ll leave that to them.”<\/p>\n That’s not the best approach. Not every designer has ever worked on a white paper before.<\/p>\n And they may have some wrong-headed ideas about this type of document.<\/p>\n To help make the white paper a success, tell the designer about the audience you’re trying to reach.<\/p>\n And provide them with:<\/p>\n Talk to the designer about the basic do’s and don’ts of white paper formatting<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you do, you are helping your white paper to succeed.<\/p>\n And don’t worry about being too pushy. No one likes to work in a vacuum.<\/p>\n In my experience, any truly professional designer will appreciate having a better idea of what you’re trying to achieve with the piece.<\/p>\n At several points, your client will review your drafts to give you comments from themselves and their team.<\/p>\n Don’t be grumpy and defensive about their feedback. Every draft from every writer can be improved.<\/p>\n The fact is, most comments won’t hurt a white paper<\/a>.<\/p>\n To push back on something you see as seriously misguided, refer back to the purpose, audience, and scope you defined in the plan.<\/p>\n Phrase your responses with respect, something like: “I’m concerned that this will take away from the success of this white paper.”<\/p>\n Not: “This is the stupidest idea I ever heard!”<\/p>\n You don’t want your client to waste their time micro-managing the writing, illustration, or design of the white paper.<\/p>\n Some clients think this is the fun, creative side of the project. So naturally, they like to be super-involved.<\/p>\n That’s understandable, but you’ve got this.<\/p>\n And they have better things to do, things only they can do (hint: promotion).<\/p>\n If necessary, try to refocus their efforts on their upcoming promotions<\/a>. Those can be really fun and “creative” as well.<\/p>\n At the end of this phase, you want to deliver a finished white paper your client can post on their website ready to download.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Some clients simply post the white paper to their website, check that item off their To-Do list, and wait for the downloads to start.<\/p>\n Does that sound like enough? Of course not.<\/p>\n In our noisy world, with hundreds of things competing for every prospect’s time and attention, your client needs to make sure your white paper gets noticed.<\/p>\n There are two types of promotions:<\/p>\n These tactics are like using a megaphone to blast out your message to your ideal prospects.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So if your client has a house list of prospects, they should certainly use it to announce the new white paper.<\/p>\n You also want to send your white paper to the inboxes of all these other audiences:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n These tactics are like using a magnet to attract your ideal prospects.<\/p>\n This is one part planning + one part SEO.<\/p>\n Any white paper that ends up on the first page of Google for your client’s keywords is going to be a success.<\/p>\n Any paper that doesn’t appear until page 5 or 10, not so much.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Some promotions are must-do, and some are optional depending on your client’s audience and your budget.<\/p>\n To learn the basic must-do promotions, download a free 18-point checklist you can share with your client<\/a>.<\/p>\n Well, that’s my guided tour of the three phases of any white paper, with lots of tips and supporting articles to look at for each phase.<\/p>\n I hope that was helpful. And I wish you great good fortune doing your next white paper!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nThe three Ps of writing a white paper<\/h3>\n
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\nPhase 1: Planning is vital, and doesn’t take long<\/h2>\n
![\"icons](\"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/phase-1-plan.png\")
Every white paper should start with a friendly discussion to make sure both the writer and the client are on the same page.<\/p>\n1. First, find the purpose<\/h3>\n
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2. Next get\u00a0a fix on the intended audience<\/h3>\n
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3. Then pinpoint prospects on their customer journey<\/h3>\n
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4. Now you can pick the perfect flavor<\/h3>\n
![\"photos](\"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/bigstock-Assorted-Ice-Cream-In-Sugar-Co-3045959-300x258.png\")
Knowing all this, you can pick the perfect flavor for your white paper.<\/p>\n\n
![\"infographic](\"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/White-Papers-For-Dummies-infographic-232x300.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nDon’t skip the planning phase<\/h3>\n
![\"contractor](\"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/bigstock-Portrait-Of-Construction-Engin-423274607-300x200.jpg\")
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\nPhase 2: Production =\u00a0creating the white paper<\/h2>\n
![\"icon](\"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/phase-2-produce.png\")
With the planning all done, you’re ready to start creating the white paper.<\/p>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/researcher-300x232.jpg\")
<\/h3>\nResearching your white paper<\/h3>\n
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![\"Wikipedia](\"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Wikipedia-logo.png\"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n![\"Google](\"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Google-logo-1-300x119.png\"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n![\"interview](\"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/bigstock-Coporate-interview-between-exe-315802921-300x200.jpg\")
<\/p>\nDocument your sources<\/a><\/h3>\n
Write carefully, and then rewrite<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"man](\"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/bigstock-Mature-man-working-on-laptop-w-305308900-300x200.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWork closely with the designer<\/h3>\n
![\"graphic](\"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/bigstock-211867084-designeer-in-bw-shirt-300x200.jpg\")
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Be diplomatic with your client<\/h3>\n
![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/bigstock-Young-confused-mid-aged-woman-414157301-300x200.jpg\")
<\/p>\nRefocus your client on promotion<\/h3>\n
\nPhase 3: Promotion gets a white paper in front of the right people<\/h2>\n
![\"icon](\"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/phase-3-promote.png\")
Promotion<\/a>\u00a0is often overlooked by clients.<\/p>\n\n
Outbound promotions<\/h3>\n
![\"megaphone](\"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/bigstock-Megaphone-5180182-245x300.jpg\")
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Inbound promotions<\/h3>\n
![\"magnet](\"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/magnet-u-shape-253x300.png\")
You want to help get the white paper noticed by Google, so the search engine results show it to prospects looking for what it covers.<\/p>\nMust-do promotions<\/h3>\n
Conclusions<\/h3>\n
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