What is a white paper, anyway?
by Gordon Graham, That White Paper Guy
Ask any 10 people this question and you'll likely get 12 different answers.
Here is the best short definition I've ever found, after years of looking: a white paper is a persuasive essay.
To expand on that a little, a white paper is a persuasive essay that uses facts and logic to promote a recommended solution to a certain problem.
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Beyond that, I've heard white papers described as: • A manifesto on how to solve a particular problem |
Clearly none of these exotic definitions quite do the trick.
Instead, I like to think about the problem/solution white paper that has evolved over the past 15 years or so.
The content of a problem/solution white paper provides useful information for readers seeking to understand an issue, solve a problem, or do their jobs better.
This can include explaining a certain product, service, technology or methodology.
The form of a problem/solution white paper is somewhere between a technical manual and a glossy brochure... somewhere between a dry-as-dust academic paper and a magazine article in Scientific American.
So there you have it, in a nutshell:
A problem/solution white paper is a persuasive essay, sponsored by a certain organization to provide helpful information about overcoming a certain problem, and formatted to look something like a magazine article.
Of course, there are other types of white papers too, most notably a product backgrounder and a numbered list.
To find out more about these other types, see "How to pick the perfect flavor for your next white paper."
To repost this article on your Web site, just e-mail a request to Gordon@ThatWhitePaperGuy.com.
