white paper essentials
TRANSCRIPT
White Paper EssentialsWhat tech clients should know before hiring a writer
What's to know?What white papers do
How they differ from web copy
How they work
What their parts are
Use white papers to …
Define criteria for business successExplain a strategy for successDemonstrate mastery
White paper
Strategy
explained
Don't use a white paper tosell your mousetrap.
Sell a better strategy for catching mice.
Unike a website,white papers …
Obey the rules of English compositionTend to use less imagery (graphic or text)Convey a tone of objectivityFollow a consistent standard structure
White papersmake a bargainwith the reader …
"In exchange for useful information on a subject of critical interest to me, I agree to be on the receiving end of your marketing."
People CHOOSEto read vendorwhite papersbecause …
Companies that invent technology are first to know what's next.
Vendors WRITEwhite papersbecause …
Customers want to read themThey're great SEO magnetsThey're great giveawaysThey enforce message consistency
6 Parts of aWhite Paper …
TitleDeckIntroductionMain body introMain bodyConclusion
The TitleThe title should be one line long and convey acomplete idea that: 1) draws readers in; and 2)sets up a premise that drives the paper. The titleby itself does not have to state your case. Thepoint is to draw the reader in and raise an issueor state a truth that the reader will findintriguing on its own merit. Name a problem oropportunity. By naming it you claim it, and — ifnothing else — that’s the message readers get.
The DeckUnder the title, two lines. Restates the title inanother way so as to amplify or expand the premise.You can state why the premise matters — howreaders should act or could be in trouble or miss anopportunity if they don’t. This drama between goodacts and potentially bad consequences is one of theways to make a premise intriguing and the whitepaper a good read. Another example of drama wouldbe the conflict between conventional wisdom(“everybody does it this way”) and yourrecommended best practice.
The IntroductionExtends to the first subhead, typically one page. Asummary of the white paper, starting with thepremise and ending with the action readers shouldtake — i.e., adopt a technology, deployment model,best practice, or business strategy that yourcompany enables. Subheads, by the way, should beactual content — like a business benefit or acustomer quote — not generic placeholders — like“Conclusion.” They should also be short — sevenwords at most.
The Main Body IntroThe main body introduction begins where themain introduction leaves off. The mainintroduction has just presented a solution.Now the body introduction overviews in somedetail what’s been going on in the world tocreate the need for that solution. So ittransitions naturally to the next section.
Main BodyThis is a narrative, punctuated by sidebarsand exhibits, that logically links together anumber of key facts that add up to theargument previously summarized. Facts mayinclude but are not limited to:
Market dataBusiness methodsTechnical descriptions and specificationsPros and cons of various approachesProof points of business trends, technology trends, etc.Case studies
The ConclusionA conclusion is not a summary of the keypoints in the paper. It is simply a short one ortwo paragraphs that make readers feel likethey have reached the end. On the one handyou want the reader to go away satisfied thatthere is nothing left hanging. On the other,you don’t want the reader wishing he or shehad stopped reading 30 seconds sooner.
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