How to pick the perfect flavor for your next white paper
by Gordon Graham, That White Paper Guy
Most "white paper experts" list 8 or 10 types of white papers.
When I first started in white papers, I used to agree.
But after working on 150+ of these documents, I've made a startling discovery: There are really only three main flavors of white papers. That's right: three.
If you understand these three flavors—and when to use each for optimum results—you can quickly get on with the business of building mindshare and generating leads.
Here are the three main flavors I see:
1. A Product Backgrounder details the features and benefits of a specific product or service
2. A Numbered List provides a numbered set of tips, questions, answers or points about a certain topic
3. A problem/solution white paper is a persuasive essay that uses facts and logic to present a new solution to a widespread problem
What's more, I believe these are as easy to tell apart as vanilla, strawberry and chocolate ice cream.
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This flavor of white paper pitches the technical or business benefits of a product or service, using a hard-sell that's best for prospects at the end of the buying process.
A plain-vanilla backgrounder is fairly easy to prepare, but it won't generate as many leads as other flavors.
It's a good flavor for a well-known company that doesn't need to work hard to attract prospects... but not recommended for a smaller firm fighting for recogntion.
The reason: The people who most likely encounter a product backgrounder already have your company or your product in mind. That leaves out a huge number of prospects.
Many more will search for the problem they're struggling with. It's the difference between searching for "Acme Scanomatic 3000" and "paperburden at work."
A product backgrounder is great to support a product launch, like when you unveil the Acme Scanomatic 4000. You can send it to journalists and bloggers while a new product is still news.
A numbered list is like strawberry ice creamA numbered list is a light and lively treat that's easy to digest. |
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This flavor of white paper consists of a roundup or list of points that highlight an issue. It's the easiest to create, and great for quick content to include online or in an e-newsletter.
You can use the flavor to grab attention with a provocative take on some issue.
For instance, Acme Scanning might issue a document called something like "16 Ways to Generate Less Paper, Starting Today."
But while a numbered list is fairly easy to write and quick to read, these tend to lack the depth and staying power of the other flavors.
It's not easy to delve deeply into any topic with a numbered list.
A problem/solution white paper is like chocolate ice creamA problem/solution white paper is a rich and satisfying experience. |
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Problem/solution white papers usually take a soft-sell approach that educates readers about an issue and positions your company as a trusted advisor, not just a vendor.
These are best for prospects at the start of the buying process.
The typical problem/solution white paper describes a widespread problem, and how every attempt to solve it has been unsatisfactory. Then it recommends a new, improved solution in generic terms. Finally, it shows how your product truly solves the problem best.
For instance, Acme Scanning might release a problem/solution white paper called, "How to Streamline Your Accounts Payable Processing by 50%."
This is the toughest flavor of white paper to create, since it demands a mountain of proof. And it requires your sales and marketing team to stop pushing your product so hard.
The upside is that more people will encounter a problem/solution white paper and value its contents. A problem/solution white paper usually generates the most leads for the longest time.
I have a client still getting results from a problem/solution white paper I wrote nearly five years ago!
To find out more about each flavor of white paper and how to use it for best results, click the thumbnail above.
To repost this article on your Web site, e-mail a request to Gordon@ThatWhitePaperGuy.com.
