By Michael Stelzner
I clearly remember that first day I wandered into an IKEA megastore. A line from that famous Eagles song came to mind: “Welcome to the Hotel California… You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.” IKEA, a Swedish-based retail chain that specializes in low-cost household items, designs its stores with only one way in and one way out. The path to freedom mazes shoppers through the entire store. No shortcuts, no easy way to find what you like, only a mile-long zigzagging path from beginning to end. By the time you reach the checkout line, you have been exposed to far more than you bargained for and you are exhausted.
Does this sound like some papers you have read or even written? Trudging through heavy or irrelevant content is a curse for most readers. Carrying the retail analogy a bit further, you can gain some insights from your favorite grocery store. Rather than wandering up and down aisles looking for vitamin B6 or Pop-Tarts, most grocery stores place clerks or helpful signs around the store to guide you. Similarly, a good white paper must clearly guide its reader.
The key to avoiding the IKEA trap is to clearly identify the salient points of the paper in a clean and efficient manner. Avoid making the reader eye more than a few sentences before you introduce the objective of the piece. Some people use executive summaries, but I prefer to simply state the goal of the piece in the opening paragraph. Make sure that EVERYTHING you discuss is relevant and related to the topic of the paper. White papers are not puzzles, so stay on topic and try not to make the reader guess what you are writing about. Use subheads to help people make their way through the paper quickly and find what they need. Try adding sidebars and callouts to summarize key points for the rushed shopper.
These simple tips will help you drive readers through to the last page of your white paper.
Michael A. Stelzner is author of the popular paper entitled “How to Write a White Paper” (http://www.stelzner.com/copy-HowTo-whitepapers.php) and has successfully guided readers down clear and uncluttered aisles. He can be reached at mike@stelzner.com.
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