What Is a White Paper? [FAQs]

The definition of a whitepaper varies closely from trade to trade, which could be a little complicated for entrepreneurs trying to create one for his or her enterprise.

The old-school definition comes from politics, the place it means a legislative doc explaining and supporting a specific political resolution.

In tech, a whitepaper often describes a concept behind a brand new piece of expertise. Even a enterprise whitepaper can serve a wide range of makes use of and audiences — some extra product-focused than others. And though it’s put collectively like an e-book, the 2 are written fairly in another way.

We’re right here to arm you with the greatest definition of a whitepaper within the context of enterprise and what to do (and never do) as you create one. This text covers: 

Though Investopedia defines a whitepaper as “an informational doc issued by an organization to advertise or spotlight the options of an answer, product, or service,” be warned that overtly shilling your personal stuff might flip off your readers.

The aim of a whitepaper is to tell and persuade primarily based on details and proof, not inform the world why folks want to purchase your product proper now.

How Are Whitepapers Totally different From Weblog Posts and Ebooks?

Talking of what a whitepaper is not … in the event you’re on the lookout for a fast and interactive technique to current your worth to the trade, a whitepaper will not be your solely possibility. There are additionally ebooks and weblog posts — each of which have numerous variations from a whitepaper.

What actually set these merchandise aside are the dimensions, look, and time dedication of every one. Whereas writing weblog posts and ebooks can take wherever between a couple of hours and some weeks, a superb whitepaper can take between a couple of weeks and some months to jot down and polish. They’re much less flashy, way more critical in tone, and extra closely researched than weblog posts and ebooks.

Let me present you a comparability. The set beneath is one among our personal e-book templates (which you may get free of charge right here). It is a thorough however easy learn:

Now, here’s a whitepaper primarily based on our newest analysis on rising tech for small to mid-sized companies (an important report — see the online model right here). You may see how a lot element whitepapers can go into, each in textual content and in its pictures:

   Pictures by way of HubSpot Analysis [PDF]

Ebooks and whitepapers can begin on the identical template. However finally, whitepapers are the tutorial papers of selling content material. Readers count on a excessive diploma of experience backed by stable analysis that’s absolutely documented by references.

Ebooks, alternatively, are sometimes extensions of a topic you cowl repeatedly on a weblog. They’ll come out of diligent analysis, however they enchantment to a wider viewers when unpacking a enterprise topic.

You may think about this makes them sort of boring compared — in truth, most individuals do not really need to learn whitepapers, however they do it anyway to construct their information of an operation they want extra perception on earlier than making their subsequent transfer.

For that reason, they are typically significantly detailed and informative, authoritative, and written by trade specialists. And these qualities could make some choice makers really feel higher a couple of future buy.

What Makes a Good Whitepaper?

Technically, there aren’t any minimal necessities for whitepapers. Anybody can name something a whitepaper — this doesn’t suggest it’s best to, although. With out some boundaries on what’s and what is not a whitepaper, we danger complicated our viewers and shedding credibility. This is what an A+ whitepaper seems to be like:

• Size: No fewer than six pages, together with illustrations, charts, and references. May be upwards of fifty if the subject requires that a lot element. (Likelihood is, it will not.)
• Construction: There may be often a title web page, desk of contents, brief govt abstract (non-obligatory however useful), introduction, a number of pages educating the reader about the issue, a number of pages hypothesizing an answer, a number of pages providing an instance of an organization that used that resolution to realize outcomes, and a conclusion.
• Density: Denser than an e-book. Whitepapers aren’t often straightforward to skim — in reality, readers often have to learn them over greater than as soon as to get each morsel of knowledge out of it.
• Format: PDF in portrait orientation (8.5″ by 11″).
• Model: Skilled, critical, nicely written, and nicely edited. I might advocate hiring a graphic designer to design web page structure, pictures, fonts, and colours as nicely.

Whitepaper Examples for Lead Technology

So, if whitepapers are so boring, why do entrepreneurs create them? Properly, they’re an important useful resource in your prospects and gross sales group, they usually enable you to construct credibility and belief along with your readers. Additionally, individuals who select to obtain whitepapers usually are additional into the buyer shopping for cycle.

With that in thoughts, listed below are two use circumstances for a whitepaper:

A Technical Case Examine

It has been mentioned that case research, like ebooks, are very totally different from whitepapers. Nonetheless, some case research are lengthy sufficient that they are greatest packaged as whitepapers themselves.

A case examine is actually the story of a buyer’s success reaching a aim on account of their partnership with one other celebration. This success is greatest conveyed by means of sure metrics the client has agreed to be measured on. And relying on how technical or advanced the service is that they acquired, the extra analysis and element different potential prospects will need to see as they proceed their purchaser’s journey.

Due to this fact, case study-based whitepapers could be a terrific method of demonstrating thought management on a dense idea by means of a real-world instance of how this idea helped another person succeed.

A Reference Information

Think about you’re employed for an organization that sells kitchen cleansing gear to eating places and also you write a whitepaper in regards to the upkeep and inspection of business kitchens.

That whitepaper might be chock stuffed with details about authorized necessities for exhaust programs, cooking gear, and cleanliness documentation that would put even the largest kitchen upkeep fanatic to sleep if learn cover-to-cover.

Nevertheless it additionally serves as an extremely helpful reference for restaurant house owners who need to know how you can preserve their kitchens to cross inspection. As soon as they know the way clear they should hold their kitchens, they will probably purchase some costly cleansing gear from you as a result of they see you as a useful, detail-oriented, credible supply.

Many individuals create whitepapers for this goal — a useful resource that their leads can take with them to turn into higher at their commerce. Ideally, the higher they turn into, the extra certified they’re to work with the group that gave them the whitepaper.

Now that you realize the aim of whitepapers and the way they differ from ebooks, it is time to get began in creating your personal. With the above greatest practices in thoughts, here is the strategy you possibly can take to supply a superb whitepaper in your viewers: 

To do that, take into account making a purchaser persona. This exercise will enable you to put your self of their sneakers. Then, you will need to take into account what sort of data would appeal to them, how they’d use the data, and the way it could remedy their ache or drawback. 

2. Do your analysis. 

Whitepapers are informational in nature, and you will need to decide how you can present data your viewers cannot get elsewhere. You are able to do that by:

• Working an authentic examine/survey
• Placing collectively distinctive case research
• Detailing a singular course of or challenge

For those who’re unable to do your personal analysis, attempt drawing statistics from authorities and/or survey organizations and analyzing them in a singular method (and ensure you cite your sources).  

3. Create an overview. 

As a result of whitepapers are long-form in nature, an overview may also help arrange your ideas. Think about sketching out your matter within the following format: 

1. Introduction and Synopsis – Introducing the subject of the whitepaper, explaining why it is essential (from the standpoint of the viewers), and what the whitepaper units to do, convey, or remedy. 
2. Overview – Defining some a few of the key phrases you plan to make use of, detailing the variables or parameters concerned, and summarizing what you will talk about. 
3. Physique – Laying out all the important thing factors and highlights you will hit. 
4. Conclusion – Explaining the important thing take-aways from the physique and any motion objects the reader ought to take.

4. Put pen to paper and flesh out your define. 

Utilizing an informational and fact-based tone, start increasing on the concepts you’ve got by utilizing the define as a information. As well as, every paragraph ought to contribute to the general aim of the piece. 

5. Use imagery to assist your factors. 

As a result of whitepapers go deep on analysis and evaluation, visuals corresponding to charts, graphs, and tables may also help you current data in a visually attention-grabbing method and make the paper simpler to learn. 

6. Get suggestions. 

It is important to current the perfect write-up you possibly can in your readers. The upper high quality it’s, the extra authority you will have in your viewers’s eyes. Get suggestions from somebody you belief to catch typos or different points with readability. 

7. Put money into the formatting and design. 

Whereas it is not essential to get too flashy with it, shade, structure, and imagery goes a protracted technique to make your whitepaper interesting. 

1. Not One other State of Advertising Report, HubSpot

HubSpot does an incredible job yearly compiling knowledge from specialists and companions to convey trendy traits within the advertising panorama. That is helpful for entrepreneurs as a result of they’ll use the statistics to create advertising and gross sales content material in addition to be taught from the macro shifts which are occurring within the trade. The whitepaper presents this data with enticing graphs and brief editorial summaries together with hyperlinks to extra in-depth articles on every matter.

Picture Supply

2. It is Not You, It is My Information, Custora

Custora created this whitepaper about buyer churn, why it is essential, and how you can forestall it. What makes this e-book nice is that it guarantees concrete worth to the reader (income financial savings from stopping attrition) backed by a wealth of knowledge and actionable recommendation. Even higher, the whitepaper is trendy and enticing, so the studying expertise is nice. This helps the reader eat the long-form content material with out friction.

Picture Supply

3. Google Cloud’s AI Adoption Framework, Google

This whitepaper leverages Google’s authority to influence the reader into adopting AI. By offering a technique to start with, Google goals to offer the reader the instruments to suppose by means of the ability of AI as it may be utilized to their enterprise. Then, the whitepaper dives into extra technical data for superior readers.

Picture Supply

4. Workers and Cybersecurity, Excedeo

Excedo goals to teach in regards to the safety dangers that staff could unknowingly pose to companies when improperly skilled. The whitepaper advocates in regards to the sorts of inner IT insurance policies and coaching which are important in at present’s world.

Picture Supply

Whitepapers have a protracted historical past, and their makes use of have continued to alter. Make sure you resolve whether or not or not a whitepaper will really serve your viewers earlier than spending the months-long course of to supply it. Typically, an e-book will do exactly high quality. Alternatively, long-form instructional content material has a spot in your content material technique.

Editor’s be aware: This put up was initially printed in March 2018 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.