White papers are an effective tool to show your knowledge and expertise as a company. This builds trust among your readers and could eventually help you generate leads. Interested in creating an interactive white paper? We’ll walk you through the process in steps.
What is a white paper?
To create a successful white paper, we need to understand what it is. A white paper is an in-depth document that presents information or insights on a specific topic. They are based on research and provide extensive analysis. Typically, the tone of voice of a white paper is objective and educational.
What is the purpose of a white paper?
Most of the marketing communications are about business operations and aim to promote services and products. A white paper does not necessarily have a direct relation to your organisation. It can have several purposes, for example:
- educating readers
- establishing thought leadership
- generating and nurturing leads
- demonstrating expertise
- standing out from competitors
- building trust
The key to writing a good white paper is to not make it overly promotional. Your aim should be to provide facts and not to sell. Naturally, it may play a supporting role in generating and converting leads eventually.
For more information on how to convert leads with white papers (including examples), be sure to check out our blog 7 ways to increase your conversions with online white papers.
How to write and format a white paper in 2024
The typical structure includes a title page, an introduction with a problem statement, background research, a proposed solution, and a conclusion. While that sounds straightforward, you may ask what the exact steps are for writing and formatting. Not to worry, we have put together a guide that takes you through the process of creating your white paper step-by-step.
1. Determine your audience and goal
You can’t create a white paper if you don’t know who it is for. Therefore, you must determine what your goal is (for example: generating leads) and who you are targeting. Your target audience is often a group outside the industry that is looking for more in-depth information.
To attract leads within your selected group, you must make your white paper appealing to read. The best way to do so is to address a challenge within the industry and present a compelling solution. If you are unsure which topic to address, this is a sign that you may need to do more research about the problems that your target group faces. Once you have selected your topic, identify clear goals to tailor your content to.
2. Choose your medium
When publishing a white paper, you will need to pick a medium. Nowadays, everyone prefers to consume and share content online. However, many organisations choose a PDF format while there are better options available. Read here why the (interactive) PDF is dead and why digital publishing is the new solution.
Digital publishing is more engaging and allows the incorporation of dynamic elements, for example, multimedia, data visualisation and animations. Above all, a digital publication is highly suitable for gating content to generate leads. Whichever medium you pick, make sure it is shareable on the channels your target audience resides at, such as via email or social media.
3. Outlining and writing your white paper
You now know whom your white paper is for, its goal and on which medium to publish and share it. Great. Let’s get to one of the most important steps: writing. When writing your copy, there are several areas to consider, for example, content, tone of voice, outline, and length of the document.
Outline & length
Since a white paper is a professional document based on research, you should use a clear structure. Although there are no rules to writing, it typically includes a/an:
- Title page
- Introduction/Abstract
- Problem statement
- Background information
- Proposed solution
- Supporting evidence
- Conclusion
- References
Using an outline like the above ensures that you explain your industry problem and solution clearly. Try to put enough time into researching and explaining your supporting evidence. However, don’t go overboard. A white paper is usually between 6 to 12 pages long. That should give you enough space to go into detail while still keeping it concise.
Content & tone of voice
You should have finalised your research before starting your copy. Typically, a white paper addresses an industry problem and a solution. To make your reader understand the problem that you address, it is recommended to support your claims with examples of real-world case studies.
Moreover, the tone of voice should be formal and authoritative. Take the time to explain complex concepts and offer a well-researched solution. Remember that your white paper is not a sales pitch but rather a demonstration of your knowledge and expertise.
4. Design your white paper
The design defines your white paper’s look and feel. It should be professional and matching to your tone of voice. You want to let your readers know that this piece comes from your organisation. Try to incorporate some of your brand’s styles without losing the sleek look. If you are unsure of what colours to use, consider using a colour palette generator. Moreover, choose a professional layout with consistent formatting.
Above all, the design must support your content. Using a lot of evidence may mean there is a lot of data to unpack. To make this data more readable, you can look into methods for data visualisation. It often reduces complex data to bite-sized charts, which are easier to understand for your reader. Besides, they are eye-catching and retain reader interest.
If you are unsure of where to start, have a look at white paper examples to find inspiration.
5. Implement a content gate for lead generation
Your white paper’s goal likely is to generate leads. We could just put our document out in the world and hope prospects find their way to your organisation, though the chances are low. An effective way to gather leads is to use a content gate. Gated content is when your content is secured behind (most often) a form. Upon submitting the form’s data, the content becomes available to the reader.
A content gate is a great idea, but should not work discouragingly. Our advice is to keep your form short and only ask for essential information. Most likely, you would want to know the person’s name, email, phone number and occupation. A form that is too long may scare off prospects.
To make sure people will fill out the form, you will need to persuade them. The content of your white paper must spark interest. Therefore, an effective method is to provide your readers with a snippet of its content before presenting them with the form. This way, they will notice if your research provides unique insights that are worth exchanging contact details for. Most digital publishing platforms allow you to choose on which page to make your content gate appear.
6. Ensure responsiveness and accessibility
There are many advantages to publishing digitally, one of which being that your white paper is available to everyone with access to a computer or phone. However, to make sure your white paper can be comfortably read by all groups, you need to ensure your publication is responsive and accessible.
To make your white paper readable to anyone on any device we advise to (at least) implement the following:
- Prioritise content: ensure your content is in logical order with the most important sections displayed prominently, especially on smaller screens.
- Alt-text for images: providing alternative text for images is a low-effort way to make your publication more accessible and it works well for SEO optimisation too!
- Good colour contrast: certain text colours are hard to read against a coloured background that does not provide enough contrast. Make sure to use colours that are compatible and readable for the visually impaired.
- Test on multiple devices: the best way to know if your white paper performs well is to thoroughly test it on multiple devices. That means computers and smartphones, though also consider devices for visually impaired people, such as screen readers.
7. Share on the right channels
Your white paper is done and ready for publication. The next step is to share it on the right channels. In the first step, you have done research into who your target group is. That demographic may have a certain preference as to where they are online - which websites and platforms they use. Sending your white paper through email will only reach your current contacts. Try finding channels outside of your direct circle that allow for easy sharing, such as social media. Which platforms do they use? At what time of the day? Are they in any groups, forums or online collectives? Sharing is (often) free, so choosing multiple channels expands your chances of reaching your goal.
Write, format, design and publish your white paper in Maglr
By leveraging Maglr's intuitive tools and interactive features, you can create white papers that stand out, engage your audience, and generate high-quality leads more efficiently. The platform's publishing and analytics capabilities further enhance the effectiveness of your white paper content. Our expertise extends far beyond white papers into digital magazines, interactive annual reports, brochures and more. Talk to us or get a 14-day free trial.
