How to write a white paper,
by the numbers
by Gordon Graham, That White Paper Guy
Let's talk about a different way to write a white paper: as a numbered list.
You know what I'm talking about: documents with titles like "5 Secrets of..." or "6 Steps to Success in..." or "7 Ways to Boost Profits with..."
I've written pieces with all of those titles.
They're popular, because busy people love skimming, scanning and skipping their way through these documents.
Readers can actually "count down" through the numbers and quickly scan through this type of document.
A numbered list aims only to deliver quick how-to tips.
These can be useful, but they may not add up to the same detailed coverage that goes into a more ambitious type of white paper.
What does this mean to a content writer or marketer?
If you have a complex issue to discuss or you want to create a thorough analysis you can use for the next year or two, a numbered list may not be the best choice.
But if you need a quick, useful piece of content for a blog or to fill some scheduled marketing commitment, you can likely come up with a numbered list very quickly.
Design guru and author Roger C. Parker explains.
"You take a number and a concept, and you just brainstorm. The number provides a framework for you to complete," advises Parker. "Once you know you need six steps, your brain will help you get to those six."
Here's a four-step process illustrating this approach.
♦ 1: Find a basic concept
This can be anything your audience wants to gain or anything they want to avoid, including a set of "best practices" and the opposite "deadly mistakes to avoid."
For example, network administrators want a secure network with maximum uptime; they want to avoid intrusions, malware and downtime.
♦ 2: Add a number
If you take the positive concept "maximum uptime" and add the number "five," you get a title like "Five Ways to Guarantee Maximum Uptime."
Take the opposite concept and the number "six," and you get "Six Secrets of Avoiding Downtime."
♦ 3: Add a subtitle to position the document
Your subtitle can touch on a specific job role, such "A Special Report for Network Admins."
Then your complete title reads like this:
Five Ways to Guarantee Maximum Uptime:
A Special Report for Network Admins
What network admin wouldn't want to see that?
♦ 4: Fill in the blanks with great content
Remember to fill in your outline with great content for each point. As you write, you can easily add or drop points.
Anything between five and nine is probably fine; 10 can sound a little forced, like a "Top 10" list.
Another nice thing about writing a list-based white paper is that you don't need to develop rigorous step-by-step logic.
A list is less linear and more modular, so you can pull in more material without linking every point into a cohesive structure. Your material is held together by the numbering system itself.
What's the downside to this format?
If your document doesn't back up your title with great content, you will waste your audience's time.
White paper expert Jonathan Kantor has blogged that this format can generate documents with a "generic, vanilla tone" that can "turn off the reader completely." He's right to point out that there's no substitute for hard work.
Don't think you can just dash off a numbered list off without bothering about proof points and clear expression.
Remember that the list-based document is just another tool in your toolkit. Use it when the situation calls for it, not every time you sit down to write.
For more on numbered lists, see my special report called "How to Pick the Perfect Flavor for Your Next White Paper."
Written by Gordon Graham, an earlier version of this article appeared in the
April 2010 edition of the WhitePaperSource Newsletter.
To repost this article on your Web site, e-mail a request to Gordon@ThatWhitePaperGuy.com.
