Have you tapped into the versatile whitepaper as part of your 2023 content game plan? If not, you could be missing out on an invaluable asset primed to captivate audiences while accelerating your authority.
This comprehensive guide will overview everything you need to know to unlock the immense potential of whitepapers this year and beyond. You’ll discover what makes them such a versatile content workhorse compared to alternatives, types to consider, writing and promotion best practices along with common mistakes to avoid.
Let’s get started!
What Exactly Are Whitepapers & Why Care Now?
Whitepapers are in-depth, well-researched reports designed specifically to establish thought leadership around significant industry challenges. Ranging from 5 to 30+ pages, they leverage facts, statistics, interviews and other forms of credible evidence to position your company as the foremost expert in addressing issues your audience cares about.
But whitepapers refrain from outright selling in favor of an educational, consultative tone conveying understanding and solutions. The byproduct? Serious lead generation upside.
Consider that well-optimized whitepapers can:
- Secure prime search real estate and route new visitors to your site
- Provide helpful, non-promotional "pre-selling" content perfect for complex sales
- Build tremendous trust and goodwill with buyers through insight sharing
- Capture lead contact information in exchange for gated access
- Demonstrate understanding of customer pain better than any other format
With B2B content marketing budgets expected to rise 15% in 2023, now is the time to invest in substantive assets.
A Brief History of Whitepapers & Their Continued Relevance
While whitepapers trace back decades as technical documents distributed at industry conferences, marketing teams soon discovered their lead generation superpowers in the 1990s tech boom.
By 2010, whitepapers cemented themselves as a versatile staple equally at home as:
- Educational guides for unfamiliar industry processes
- Deep dives on emerging technologies
- Data-rich landscape snapshots
- Compelling visions for solving pressing business problems
However, the rise of "snackable content" and explosive growth of ebooks, case studies and analyics reports led some experts to question whether long-form whitepapers remained relevant.
Yet recent industry surveys revealed whitepaper usage remains strong while serving distinct, irreplaceable purposes compared to alternative assets.
In fact, 64% of B2B marketing professionals credited whitepapers as "very effective" in moving leads through the sales funnel.
So rather than an either/or scenario, integrate whitepapers as part of a multifaceted content marketing strategy.
Now let‘s explore the core types of whitepapers, so you can select formats aligned with campaign goals and audience needs.
3 Must-Know Types of Whitepapers
While customizable in countless ways, most whitepapers conform to three primary categories:
1. Numbered List Whitepapers
Numbered list whitepapers present key information in easy to digest, ordered bullet points. Consider them the ultimate beginner‘s guide on nearly any topic imaginable.
Common numbered list whitepaper formats include:
- N Ways to Achieve X
- N Questions You Must Ask When Evaluating Y
- N Benefits of Z
This simplified structure provides enough context to demonstrate knowledge while remaining consumable for time pressed readers.
2. Problem-Solution Whitepapers
As the name implies, problem-solution whitepapers walk readers through a vexing industry issue before championing your product or service as an ideal fix. Think of it as diagnosis then prescription.
These whitepapers tend to follow a format of:
- Underdiscussed (Yet Critical) Business Challenge
- Summary of Pain Points & Risks of Inaction
- Overview of Existing (Yet Incomplete) Approaches
- Description of Our Groundbreaking Solution
- Call to Action to Learn More / Connect with Reps
When well-matched to buyer needs and pain points, problem-solution whitepapers can powerfully advance leads towards becoming satisfied customers.
3. Backgrounder Whitepapers
Backgrounder whitepapers help readers deeply understand new, complex or otherwise unfamiliar industry concepts impacting decision making. They give context instead of direct calls to action.
Consider leveraging backgrounders to:
- Explain how an emerging technology works
- Provide orientation on a new regulatory framework
- Analyze recent shifts in buyer behavior trends
- Profile an innovative production method
- Review rapid advancements in material science
While not overtly promotional, backgrounders establish your firm as an indispensable authority. They empower better decisions while nurturing organic affinity for your brand as savvy guides.
Now that you understand the primary whitepaper categories, let‘s explore best practices for writing compelling versions readers appreciate.
Crafting the Ultimate Whitepaper
While immensely effective when skillfully executed, mediocre whitepapers fail to generate leads or establish any meaningful thought leadership.
Set your future assets up for success by incorporating these field-tested tips:
Choose topics strategically
Not all potential issues make for relevant or compelling whitepaper fodder despite seeming logically connected to your industry.
Instead, rigorously vet ideas using criteria like:
- Underreported, yet critical topics: What challenges lack meaningful solutions or coverage? What recent shifts beg analysis?
- Content gaps aligned to buyer needs: Does ample content exist educating audiences on relevant topics? Or are key questions going unanswered?
- Issues triggering significant anxiety: What challenges prompt the most confusion and concern across your client base?
- Problems tied directly to business outcomes: Is it preventing revenue growth? Impacting profitability? Causing compliance failures?
Draft an initial list then conduct open-ended customer interviews and scan industry content to identify white space opportunities.
Perform extensive research beforehand
Whitepapers must demonstrate mastery on chosen issues through judicious research and synthesis.
Gather relevant data and perspectives by:
- Compiling statistics from reputable research firms
- Reviewing standards from governance bodies
- Identifying relevant case studies
- Citing recommendations from influential leaders
- Analyzing findings from adjacent studies
Contextual research separates transformational whitepapers from trivial ones. Answer key questions like:
- What notable data sources exist?
- Which experts provide unique wisdom?
- Who else grapples with this issue?
- What past failures and wins hold lessons?
Aim for a healthy mix of quantitative data and qualitative commentary as supporting evidence.
Organize ideas clearly
Even the most insightful concepts mean little without clear structure and flow. Outline key themes and content areas before drafting full paragraphs to effectively sequence points.
Revisit and enhance this outline throughout the writing process.
While whitepapers clearly demonstrate expertise, resist the temptation to sound overly academic. The most engaging whitepapers conversationalize findings and best practices, so readers feel like they‘re having an informative discussion rather than being lectured.
You can strike this balance by:
- Explaining concepts clearly before using industry jargon
- Adding occasional open-ended questions to spark thinking
- Making statistics relatable through comparisons
- Addressing the reader as "you" where applicable
- Incorporating simple visuals to reinforce points
Refine drafts through multiple edits
All impactful content undergoes extensive refinement and whitepapers are no exception. After completing initial drafts:
- Set aside for several days to clear your head
- Reread from scratch while editing small grammatical glitches
- Review structure critically to enhance flow
- Check accuracy & currency of data as some may now be outdated
- Solicit peer feedback from colleagues in sales, marketing and leadership
Keep iterating until the definitive version appears conveying expertise with concise language and sequencing that anticipates reader needs.
Now let‘s switch gears to explore whitepaper design and formatting best practices critical for engagement.
Designing Scannable, Visually-Compelling Whitepapers
In addition to rock-solid content, whitepaper formatting choices literally determine if (and how deeply) readers interact with your creation.
While this guide details too many techniques to cover comprehensively, focus special attention on:
Typography Fundamentals
- Use highly legible fonts like Arial or Georgia at 11-12 pt. size
- Break lengthy sentences into shorter fragments
- Avoid dense blocks of text by inserting subheads
- Use bolding judiciously for emphasis
Structural Elements
- Include numbered pages and descriptive footers
- Insert a branded cover page listing key details
- Feature a streamlined table of contents for navigation
- Summarize value in 1-2 page executive summary
- Close with contact information and call to action
Supplementary Illustrations
- Sprinkle brief anecdotes and examples liberally
- Insert data visualizations like charts to demonstrate trends
- Use diagrams to explain multi-step processes
- Feature imagery to reinforce key points
Reviewing award-winning whitepapers from industry leaders often yields clever ideas for elevating engagement and comprehension. Test various formats to determine ideal presentation given paper objectives and reader profiles.
Of course your stellar whitepaper means nothing if unavailable to target audiences. So let‘s explore promotional essentials next.
Distributing Whitepapers for Maximum Impact
Creating brilliant whitepapers only gets you halfway towards enjoying game-changing benefits like lead generation and thought leadership.
You must also master tailored distribution across channels where your audiences actively gather.
While entire books exist detailing promotional techniques, here is a starter list of proven whitepaper amplification strategies:
Gate Access for Lead Growth
Upload whitepapers behind lead gen forms requiring work emails for access. This exchanges downloading for contact information critical for sales and marketing.
Post on Your Properties
- Display banner ads and pop-ups on your site
- Promote through blogs, email newsletters, social posts
Leverage Paid Ads
- Bid on relevant keywords aligned to whitepaper themes and run search campaigns
- Sponsor posts on LinkedIn and Twitter tied to target seniority levels
Pitch to Multipliers
- Seek coverage by key industry analysts and publications
- Request inclusion in relevant association newsletters
- Ask leaders to share and endorse on social media
Repurpose Across Touchpoints
Extract elements for spin-off blog posts, infographics, video explainers and quick tip sheets. Repackage research into multiple assets and formats.
Hopefully these strategies generate a steady influx of whitepaper downloads while establishing your firm as the foremost authority. But missteps ruin ROI, so let‘s briefly discuss mistakes to avoid.
Common Whitepaper Pitfalls & How to Course Correct
While tremendously effective when skillfully executed, even major brands create whitepaper duds on occasion.
Stay clear of these all too common pitfalls:
Too Sales-Focused
- Whitepapers educate rather than sell. Resist overly promoting products.
- Shift to discussing business outcome improvements over capabilities.
Boring, Derivative Content
- Phoning it in fails to demonstrate insight. Perform original research.
- Take a stand and offer unique perspectives instead of rehashing the obvious.
Disjointed Messaging
- Outline rigorously to maintain logical flow before drafting anything.
- Create smooth transitions between themes.
Ignores Audience
- Analyze customer data to identify precise pain points and questions.
- Survey prospects anonymously if needed to pinpoint struggles.
When in doubt, invest in professional writers. Their experience generating results provides welcome peace of mind that your investment will pay dividends.
Hopefully this guide provided an invaluable orientation on the immense power of whitepapers to captivate audiences while accelerating your authority and market share.
As discussed, whitepapers remain highly versatile content assets with distinct formatting suited to achieving an array of promotional goals compared to alternatives.
Now it‘s simply a matter of picking styles and topics aligned to campaign needs, performing extensive research, writing with an approachable authority, designing for maximum scannability and distributing across paid and owned channels frequented by your audiences.
To further explore how whitepapers might support your 2023 content marketing plans, I would be delighted to continue the conversation in more detail. Please reach out at your convenience to set up a quick yet insightful discussion on possibilities and particulars.
Looking forward to helping you unlock more value from whitepapers this year!
