White Pape

rs

Bigger and

longer is

n’t always

better

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What we’ll be talking about

What are white papers?How to research white paperHow outline a white paperHow to write a white paperRecommendations

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What is a white paper?

Pages or articles that can be distributed in print or through online sources Used to inform the public about products, services or technologies and potentially convince them of something Requires research and planning in order to be successful The topic depends heavily on your marketing goals

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Effective white papers

In order for a white paper to be successful you must meet the following characteristics.

Know the type of paper you audience will best respond toKnow the expected time frame in which it must be producedKnow what particular message needs to come across

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Research

A white paper always starts with researchIncludes internal and external sources so that the writer can not only become familiar with the topic but also have key data points to include It’s important to know the outside sources that you use in your paper because ultimately they will determine your credibility

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Research continued

The writer should interview experts and review other sources of expertise on the topic Examples include: professional associations, niche websites and expert blogs

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Outline

The second step is to outline your white paperThe outline should be open-ended and flexible as it is likely to changeFrom the outline an overview or executive summary must be compiled that includes the primary points of the paper

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Outline continued

The overview is short and typically includes the raw data that was collectedAfter compiling the executive summary you can look and see if further research needs to be done

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Writing a white paper

White papers don’t typically follow traditional formats: introduction, body and conclusionThe arrangement of the white paper depends on the style, tone and subject

Usually include a boilerplate at the end

It is accepted and recommended to use bullets and callout boxes in a white paper because they emphasize important information and increase readability

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Writing a white paper continued

Length should be determined by the topic but anywhere between 3 to 10 pages is commonLonger is not necessarily better, as the paper should be readable and get the points across quicklyThe final product will be disseminated in the manner that the company typically uses

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Writing a white paper continued

This generally includes an email that leads to a landing page where the paper can be downloaded Remember that the white paper should follow company formatting standards You should indicate your privacy policy regarding original content and its distribution The white paper should be an easily accessible format such as PDF

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Recommendations

Allow for extra time during the process to collect more data or make changes to the paper This also allows for a longer review time Always make sure to highlight the message that is central to the paper

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Recommendations continued

It’s more important to convey the point than overly elaborate Don’t include information that is not relevant to the subject Get as many people to review the white paper before publishing as possible

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Call to action

Full report -http://crunk.starrtincup.com/whitepapersWilliam TincupW: www.starrtincup.comE: tincup@starrtincup.comP: 817-204-0400