White Paper Pundit

By Michele Linn

Have you ever developed a white paper that wasn’t getting the response you expected? Or, maybe you are creating a white paper but aren’t quite sure if it’s hitting the mark?

One of the biggest mistakes I see with white papers is that they are focused on products and services instead of the reader. To help escape this problem, make sure your white paper answers these three questions from the perspective of your reader.

Question 1: What’s in it for me?

I think this first point is where many white papers fail. Organizations are understandably excited about their latest product or service, but as David Meerman Scott has said, “No one cares about your product except for you.”

To avoid this trap, it’s helpful to picture your ideal reader, with as much detail and possible and then read your white paper. Does every paragraph, call out and graphic answer the question, “What’s in it for me? How does this make my job easier?” If not, go back and frame your content in a way that makes it about your reader, not about you.

Another way to make your white paper more reader-focused is to have a concise executive summary. According to Information Week Business Technology Network Best Practice Research Series on White Papers, the number one element that makes a “great white paper” is a tight and focused abstract (80% indicated that this was important). As Jonathan often mentions in his blog, you need to appeal to the reader with a short attention span.

Question 2: Why should I trust you?

The best white papers are built on logic. You need to provide proof points from trusted sources that leads the reader to a specific conclusion. Yes, the reader is well aware that white papers are marketing and you are selling your point of view, but if you use solid reasoning and a logical flow, your ideas will resonate.

There are a lot of ways to build trust with a reader, such as:

• Quote industry experts in your field. For instance, if you are in IT, sources such as Gartner and Forrester are highly regarded.
• Always provide footnotes for your claims. This is a pet peeve of mine. If you use a statistic, tell me where it comes from so I can look into it in more detail; otherwise, I’ll think it is very outdated, out of context or simply made up.
• Include customer references as appropriate.
• Cite reputable studies. While many people love research, not all studies are created equal.

Question 3: What is my next step?

The last thing a white paper needs to do is tell the reader what they need to do next. This isn’t just a link to the home page of your website, but rather it is a specific call to action that helps your reader move along the path to purchase. I evaluated 40 white papers that Jonathan posted one Friday in his Friday free white paper list and found that only 30% of them had a call to action. That’s a pretty sad state of affairs—and a very easy way for your white paper to stand out.

While every white paper should have a call to action, this is especially critical if you decide not to require registration for your paper. If you can’t follow up with your reader, you need to make absolutely sure that they know how to learn more; otherwise, they’ll run a search on Google and likely come across your competition.

By making sure your white paper clearly answers these three questions, you will increase the affinity with your reader. What other questions do you think are important for every white paper to address?

Michele Linn is a freelance marketing writer specializing in white papers, research reports, feature articles, case studies, and other B2B communications. She is also a founding member and frequent contributor to the Savvy B2B Marketing blog.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 26th, 2009 at 11:37 am and is filed under WP Opinions, White Paper Types, White Paper Writing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.