What Is a White Paper?
Let me tell you directly: a white paper is an informational document that a company or not-for-profit organization issues to promote or highlight the features of a solution, product, or service it offers or plans to introduce. You should know that startups, large corporations, and government agencies each use white papers in their own ways.
Key Takeaways
Understand this: a white paper promotes a specific product, service, or methodology to influence current and prospective customers or investors. You'll find three types, including backgrounders, numbered lists, and problem/solution white papers. These are typically designed for business-to-business (B2B) marketing, such as between manufacturers and wholesalers, or wholesalers and retailers.
Using a White Paper
White papers function as sales and marketing documents to entice or persuade potential customers to learn more about a particular product, service, technology, or methodology. They might communicate an organization’s philosophy or present research findings related to an industry. I’m telling you, these are commonly aimed at B2B marketing between manufacturers and wholesalers, or wholesalers and retailers. The content is backed by research and statistics from reliable sources, often including charts, graphs, tables, and other data visualizations.
Types of White Papers
Let’s break this down for you. Backgrounders detail the technical features of a new product or service; they simplify complicated technical information and support technical evaluations, product launches, or promotions of industry leaders. Numbered lists highlight key takeaways of a new product or service, often using headings and bullet points with formats like '3 Questions to Ask' or '5 Things You Need to Know.' Problem/solution papers identify specific problems potential customers face and suggest data-driven arguments on how a featured product or service solves them, which can generate new sales, educate salespeople, or build industry interest.
Fast Fact
Here’s a straightforward fact: white papers are commonly 2,500 words or more in length and written in an academic style.
Writing a White Paper
White papers stand apart from other marketing materials like brochures, which can be flashy and obvious; instead, a white paper provides factual evidence to solve a problem or challenge. You need to ensure it offers well-researched information not easily found via a simple internet search, with a compelling narrative to hold the reader’s attention. As the author, you should research and fully define the topic, create an accurate outline, write an attention-grabbing introduction, format the paper for easy reading, and revise and proofread thoroughly.
Examples
Consider these examples from Microsoft’s publicly available documents, which focus on their cloud services suite without a clear sales pitch; they dive into topics like cloud security, hybrid clouds, and economic benefits of cloud computing. Titles include 'Digital Transformation and the Art of the Possible,' 'Harvard Business Review Analytic Services: Drive Agility and Innovation with ERP in the Cloud,' and 'IDC: The Business Value of Migrating and Modernizing with Azure.'
How Have New Industries Used White Papers?
New industries like cryptocurrencies have used white papers during initial coin offerings (ICOs) to entice users and investors. For instance, Bitcoin launched a few months after Satoshi Nakamoto issued its famous white paper online in October 2008.
Why Is It Called a White Paper?
The term may stem from 19th-century Britain’s 'Blue Papers' for Parliament reports with blue covers; less serious topics were published with white covers, called White Papers. In the U.S., they’re often background reports or guidance documents.
What Topics Might Be Included in a Government White Paper?
Government white papers are used by legislators or policymakers to examine problems and present solutions to elected officials, non-profits, think tanks, corporations, and citizens.
The Bottom Line
To wrap this up, white papers can span several pages with information backed by research and statistics from reliable sources. They’re commonly written in one of three formats: backgrounders, numbered lists, or problem/solution papers.
