By Gordon Graham
In the last issue we looked at six germs that afflict the format of a white paper. Now let’s look at six more diseases that eat away at the content of a white paper, and what you can do about them.
#1: Sales pitch in disguise?
This is the single worst practice in white papers today. Executives from white paper syndication services and many surveys agree: Readers hate sales pitches.
A white paper is supposed to inform or enlighten a prospect by providing useful information that’s helpful on the job. Jumping into a sales pitch irritates prospects, and can kill your chance of staying on their vendor list.
If you’re writing a brochure, call it a brochure, don’t call it a white paper! Don’t let ad copy and marketing-speak contaminate your white paper; the results will be unhealthy.
#2: Not enough, unclear, or unprofessional illustrations.
Every white paper needs at least one infographic that sums up its key points. Nearly everyone understands pictures faster, and remembers them better.
And don’t use the first graphic someone dumps on your desk. Plan to edit and polish any illustrations. Avoid cheesy clip art. Forget photos of happy faces around gleaming boardroom tables. Simplify lines and boxes flying off in all directions, the way most engineers sketch. Redo tired PowerPoints.
Then test out your graphics on some people in your target audience. If they don’t get it, go back to the drawing board. Or ask a professional artist to clean up your graphics for you. The health of your white paper hangs in the balance.
#3: Too much hype, too little evidence.
Just because your CEO says something is true and you dutifully write it down, doesn’t mean anyone else will believe it.
A white paper needs to build a solid case with concrete evidence: facts, figures, names, dates, places, statistics from impeccable sources, quotes from industry experts, and stories from ecstatic clients. Without strong evidence arranged in a logical structure, your argument is nothing but recirculated hot air, laden with germs.
#4: Poor flow of ideas or logic.
There are tried-and-true rhetorical methods for building an argument.
Start with the familiar and link to the unfamiliar. Start with the past, describe the present, and project into the future. Start with an overview and drill down to the details. Start at the beginning of a process and trace the way to the end.
Whatever you do, find an appropriate logical structure and then stick to it throughout your white paper. If you skip around with no overall design, many readers will not follow what you’re saying.
#5: Undefined terms and acronyms.
No one likes TLA that MTFD. In other words, Three Letter Acronyms that Make Them Feel Dumb.
You don’t have to define terms like RAM or MPG if they’re well-known to your audience. You do need to define any company-specific terms or unusual acronyms that your audience may not know. Otherwise, this disease will have your white paper gasping for breath.
#6: Unprofessional writing or editing.
It’s okay for a product manager or developer to jot down some notes for a white paper. But then, find a professional writer or editor to polish up that text. He or she can be from your own company, or from an outside firm. If you don’t, you can easily publish something that reflects poorly on your company… and something that won’t persuade any prospects. Don’t let this disease pickle the innards of a white paper that you need to get results.
About the Author: Gordon Graham is a respected freelance white paper writer (see ThatWhitePaperGuy.com) and editor of SoftwareCEO.com.
