{"id":734,"date":"2014-06-13T14:23:12","date_gmt":"2014-06-13T14:23:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/?p=734"},"modified":"2021-02-01T11:43:49","modified_gmt":"2021-02-01T16:43:49","slug":"how-to-refresh-a-white-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/how-to-refresh-a-white-paper\/","title":{"rendered":"How to refresh a white paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

How long can a company use the same white paper?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As long as it works, really.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"greenThere is no “best-before” date on a white paper, no set time when it must be withdrawn from circulation. If a white paper is still generating traffic and pulling leads… if it still addresses\u00a0a problem that prospects are struggling with, why not\u00a0keep distributing it?<\/p>\n

For instance, I’ve written white papers that some clients are still using happily almost 10\u00a0years later.<\/p>\n

But once a year, maybe in the spring, it’s a great idea to “refresh” every white paper the company published.<\/p>\n

Here are four suggested steps for doing a quick refresh.\u00a0This won’t take long, but it will extend the effective life span of any white paper.<\/p>\n

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Note<\/strong>: This article assumes the content of your\u00a0white paper is still relevant, so it\u00a0won’t require the attention of a professional writer. This minor “refresh” can then be handled by any careful marketing associate.<\/p>\n

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Step 1: Update cover and copyright dates<\/h3>\n

Don’t reissue an older white paper with a new title; this could annoy prospects who downloaded it earlier.<\/p>\n

But if the cover says “Special Report 2014” change that to “Special Report, updated for 2015” or simply “Special Report 2015.”<\/p>\n

And change “\u00a9 2014” to “\u00a9 2015” or perhaps\u00a0“\u00a9 2014-2015.”<\/p>\n

Step 2: Update all “retrieved on” dates<\/h3>\n

Consider the following footnote:<\/p>\n

Jim Button, “10 Best Practices of Highly Successful Restaurants,” Restaurant Startup and Growth, retrieved April 15, 2014\u00a0from www.restaurants.com\/10-best-practices.html<\/span><\/h4>\n

Sometime in the spring of 2015, test the link to make sure the source document is still there.<\/p>\n

If so, refresh the download date to something like\u00a0“retrieved May 31, 2015.”<\/p>\n

If the source document is\u00a0no longer there<\/strong>, you have four choices:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Leave the footnote as is, and live with it.<\/li>\n
  2. Find the same document somewhere else and update the footnote.<\/li>\n
  3. Drop that footnote and cut the quoted text.
    \nBut if that undermines the effectiveness of your argument, try the next option.<\/li>\n
  4. Look for a similar source and rewrite that text.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    This fourth option is clearly the most work.<\/p>\n

    It’s better for you to discover and fix this kind of discrepancy, than for a reader to get\u00a0frustrated clicking through to\u00a0a source that isn’t there. When a prospect\u00a0can’t find a source, they can often lose trust in the company behind the white paper.<\/p>\n

    Step 3: Update references to specific years<\/h3>\n

    Any phrase that points to a specific year or number of years can easily go out of date. So you’re well advised to search and refresh all these phrases.<\/p>\n

    For example, with Word you can search for:<\/p>\n