White Papers for Dummies

• Plan, create, and promote effective white papers
• Pick the perfect style of white paper for your next project
• Manage a white paper project with a 12-step process

Discover how to write great white papers, and use them to boost your business!

White papers are a challenging form of content marketing that takes years to master. Luckily, this hands-on, friendly guide gives you a shortcut. Whether you're a marketing manager seeking to use white papers to promote your company, or a writer looking to break into this well-paying field, White Papers For Dummies gives you practical, step-by-step advice on planning, creating, and promoting effective white papers.

• Get started — find out what white papers are, who reads them, and whether your company (or client) needs one
• Plan a white paper, fast — pinpoint the audience, purpose, topic, key points, and call to action for your white paper
• Master highly effective habits — discover how to think like a lawyer, write like a journalist, and promote like a madman to make your white paper a hit
• Tricks of the trade — avoid common pitfalls that trap beginners creating their first white papers
• Reach your target audience — get a crash course on ways to promote your white paper and get it discovered, read, and shared

Open the book and find:

• Why white papers are called "the king of content"
• The huge opportunity for writers
• Outlines for the three main types of white papers
• More than 40 ways to promote a white paper
• Tips on finding powerful sources
• Ten ways to improve a white paper title
• Advice for white paper designers
• How to use white papers throughout the sales process

Whether you’re a marketing manager seeking to use white papers to promote your business, or a copywriter keen to break into this well-paying field, White Papers For Dummies gives you a wealth of practical, hands-on advice from one of the world’s leading experts in the field.

The fact-based documents known as white papers have been called the “king of content.” No other B2B marketing piece can do more to generate leads, nurture prospects, and build mindshare.

Where white papers were once used only by technology firms, they are becoming “must-have” items in the marketing toolkit for almost any B2B firm. Practically every startup must produce a white paper as part of its business planning.

But writing effective white papers is a big challenge. Now you can benefit from the experience of a white paper specialist who’s done more than 200 projects for clients from Silicon Valley to Finland, from mighty Google to tiny startups. Author Gordon Graham—also known as That White Paper Guy—provides dozens of tips and tricks to help your project come together faster and easier.

White Papers For Dummies will help you to:

• Quickly determine if your B2B firm could benefit from a white paper
• Master the three phases of every white paper project:
  planning, production, and promotion
• Understand when and how to use the three main types of white paper
• Decide which elements to include and which to leave out
• Learn the best practices of seasoned white paper researchers and writers
• Choose from 40 different promotional tactics to get the word out
• Avoid common mistakes that many beginners make

While white papers first appeared in business-to-business technology marketing, they are now expanding quickly into many other business sectors. Almost every start-up now needs to produce a white paper as part of its business plan.

White Papers For Dummies helps you put together a white paper that hits each section clearly and concisely, allowing you to master the tips, tools, and techniques necessary to persuade audiences and produce the best white paper possible. It offers expert tips and real world examples to demonstrate the five basic elements of a white paper, audience targeting, as well as the most common mistakes made on these important documents.

• The 5 basic elements of a white paper
• Targeting the information to the proper audience
• Avoiding common pitfalls and mistakes

White Papers For Dummies is for marketing writers who want to perfect their skills or break into writing white papers, as well as for marketers who want to harness the power of white papers to help both large and small companies prosper.

Part I: Getting Started with White Papers 9

Chapter 1: Unleashing the Power of White Papers 11

Chapter 2: An Exciting Opportunity for Writers 29

Chapter 3: The Past, Present, and Future of White Papers 47

Chapter 4: Just the FAQs on White Papers 57

Part II: The Three Flavors of White Papers  85

Chapter 5: Picking the Perfect Flavor for Your Next White Paper 87

Chapter 6: The Backgrounder: As Basic As Vanilla 103

Chapter 7: The Numbered List: As Fresh As Strawberry 121

Chapter 8: The Problem/Solution: As Complex As Chocolate 143

Chapter 9: Mashing Up Different Flavors 171

Chapter 10: Special Ingredients for a White Paper 181

Part III: From Foggy Idea to Finished Document 195

Chapter 11: A Proven Process to Complete Your White Paper 197

Chapter 12: Planning an Effective White Paper 207

Chapter 13: Producing a Powerful White Paper 225

Part IV: Succeeding with White Papers  251

Chapter 14: Doing Research: Think Like a Lawyer 253

Chapter 15: Write Like a Journalist 273

Chapter 16: Promote Like a Madman 305

Part V: The Part of Tens  327

Chapter 17: Ten White Paper Problems and How to Solve Them 329

Chapter 18: Ten Tips on Designing a White Paper 335

Chapter 19: More Than Ten Ways to Spice Up a White Paper Title 341

Index  349