white paper writer job description

Writing White Papers: Short, Steady Projects with a Higher Payoff Than Most Full-Length Books!

• by Rebecca Matter

Here at Barefoot Writer Magazine, we often talk about the value of choosing a marketplace or industry to focus your writing projects on—a niche, if you will. 

That value is tremendous, because it makes you a specialist who commands higher fees than the average writer.  

But there’s another way to become a specialist who earns a sizeable income. That route includes becoming an expert at a specific type of writing service, rather than a specific niche. 

In this article, I want to talk about a specific service-based niche opportunity: Writing white papers. You’re about to see why it’s a writing specialty that’s extremely profitable, fulfilling, and even fun … 

The “Edu-Marketing” Opportunity that Pays in Spades

If you’re not familiar with them, a white paper is a document that both educates and persuades. It identifies a problem and then offers a solution. And, it’s a marketing tool used exclusively in the Business-to-Business (B2B) marketplace. 

B2B companies use white papers to introduce new products and systems, such as technology innovations. But beyond simply informing, white papers are designed to help key decision-makers and influencers reach a decision about implementing a particular solution. And they do so with zero hype. 

Companies that publish white papers use them in a variety of marketing approaches. For example, they help companies: 

• Create leads
• Drive sales
• Generate awareness about products and services
• Introduce a company to new prospects
• Build credibility
• Establish leadership in specific fields 

White papers typically run between five and 10 pages long. On average, white paper projects take anywhere from 30 to 50 hours to write, depending on how complicated the project is and how much research you need to do.  

So, it’s an ideal opportunity if you like medium-size writing projects that wrap up in a short time. But it’s the money you can make in this industry that makes white paper writing a viable long-term career … 

How to Build a Lucrative Business Writing White Papers

I’ll give it to you straight: The starting fee for a white paper is about $2,500. Once you build up a list of satisfied clients, that number only goes up. Let’s say you get three successful white papers under your belt. By the time you take on your fourth project, you could bump your asking price up to $4,000 per white paper. Get a little more experience under your belt—let’s say about a year—and you can bump it up again to $5,000. I even know a handful of white paper writers who charge as much as $6,500. 

This is why white papers can become extremely lucrative as a specialty. Assume that after a year, it takes you a week to write a white paper and you charge $5,000 per job. In a year’s time, and even with four weeks of vacation thrown in … you could be making $240,000! 

But, for the sake of argument, let’s assume you spend at least every other week working on your self-marketing plan and connecting with clients to line up those projects. Writing a white paper every other week for a year, and still counting four weeks of vacation, still puts you over six figures—at $120,000 to be exact.  

As you can see, it can be very profitable … 

6 Steps to Writing a White Paper That Works

If you choose to focus on white papers as your writing specialty, your objective will be to get prospects thinking about the problem and the solution featured in your white paper. The next goal is to introduce one of your client’s products or services as the best choice for that solution. 

To give you a feel for whether writing white papers is a career you might want to check out, here’s an overview of the six main components that make up each project. They are:

• Initial problem . Most white papers open with an introduction of the problem your reader is facing.
• Proof of the problem . Next, you want to show your reader proof that the problem exists, and that if left unchecked, that problem will cause other pain points or complications.
• Additional problems . This is where you’d go into additional problems your reader may not be aware of. The more problems you present, the more likely your reader is to want to find a solution.
• The solution . This section provides a general explanation of how to fix the problem.
• Your client’s solution . This is where you’d talk about your client’s specific solution, and you explain why it’s better and has more benefits than any other solution out there.
• Call-to-action . You’ll close the white paper by telling your reader what to do next. 

That final step might include inviting the client to download a demo version of a software package, or call a toll-free number to answer questions, or even go to a website to look at case studies.  

Demand Continues to Snowball

As you can tell, this is an excellent specialty if you like to follow a process and focus on medium-sized projects. Most of these projects will require your attention for anywhere from one week to a month at a time. 

It’s a perfect fit if you’re looking to build a long-term, profitable writing business. But that begs the question: Is there enough demand? The answer to that is a resounding Yes .  

Just last spring, the Content Marketing Institute published their 2015 report on Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends . That report shows 86% of B2B companies use content marketing in their sales process. And white papers are content marketing gold, especially for B2B companies that sell new, complex, or expensive products or services.  

That same study, which included a survey of over 5,000 B2B marketers from around the world, showed that a whopping 68% use white papers as part of their content marketing. And with over 240,000 B2B companies in the United States alone… it doesn’t take a math whiz to figure out demand is huge.   

Of course, that begs the next question— why is demand for white papers so huge?  

The Content Marketing Institute report showed 58% of companies using white papers rated them as effective content marketing tactics. But on a more basic level, the simple explanation is that people use them because they work. 

White papers are a low-pressure method of sales communication. They’re not hypey, and they’re designed to give the reader useful information that informs and teaches. So white papers don’t necessarily persuade, but they do provide the reader with enough information to make an educated decision.  

And that’s where it snowballs. According to a study by Eccolo Media, 84% of businesses find white papers either extremely or moderately influential in their purchasing decisions. The study also found that 77% of business decision-makers said they read one or more white papers last year. 

On top of that, they found that white papers are the most viral piece of marketing collateral with 89% saying they pass them along to others. One in three said they shared them with three or more people. 

Incredible Writing Opportunity — But Is It Right for You?

While you can make great money writing white papers, it’s not for everyone. 

For starters, research plays a major role in the white paper process. You’ll spend part of your time acting much like an investigative reporter, digging up facts and scanning data. Any time you write a white paper it is essential that you back up your claims with examples and information from third-party sources. When appropriate, you can even include charts, diagrams, or graphs to drive your point home. 

You’ll also need to interview business experts in whatever industry you write for. Sometimes they’ll be part of your client’s company, sometimes they’ll be experts in the field you write about. So, you’ll want to be able to ask targeted questions that uncover facts you can then draw from in your white paper.  

To be sure, the writing itself should be on the informal side. Just keep in mind your white papers need to be written in an objective voice — there’s no room for sales talk in a well-written white paper.  

It’s also a very good idea to have a working knowledge of B2B copywriting. Not only will this make it easier to connect with your audience, it also opens the door for you to work on other B2B projects. That could include any combination of white papers plus the following: 

• Case studies 
• Special reports and free reports
• Technical manuals
• Newsletters and e-newsletters
• How-to guides
• Educational programs
• Instructional videos

Also, note that the B2B world is a 6-trillion industry. According to the Direct Marketing Association, Business-to-Business companies spend over $55 billion per year on B2B marketing. 

When most people start out to make their living as writers, many focus on copywriting and Business-to-Consumer (B2C) copy. So, there tends not to be as much competition among copywriters in the B2B arena. That leaves the door wide open for anyone looking to get established in a field like B2B and a specialty like white papers. 

The No-Hype Writing Field You’ve Been Waiting For

The bottom line is that scores of companies have a definite need for white papers. And, the demand for well-written white papers far outweighs the number of freelance copywriters who’ve chosen to specialize in writing white papers. 

Plus, it’s hard to beat the reality of making $2,500 to $6,500 for one week’s work writing five to seven pages of copy. 

If you decide to take on the world of white papers, take some time to learn as much as you can about the process. Download and read white papers from the industries you’re most interested in writing for.  

Then, start looking for potential clients. Pay attention to what a company is already publishing. If it’s in an industry you would enjoy writing about and researching, approach them and ask if they need any freelance writing services. Better yet, suggest a new project idea they might be interested in. 

So, if you’re excited by the idea of a wide variety of projects written in a no-hype, journalistic style, the white paper industry could be the writing opportunity you’ve been waiting for. 

Editor’s Note: If you’re interested in learning more about writing white papers, check out AWAI’s program How to Write White Papers that Command Top Fees . It’s written by B2B writing experts Steve Slaunwhite and Ed Gandia, who break down every step you need to know to start writing professional white papers and how to earn top fees for each and every one.

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• How to Land White Paper Writing Jobs with Huge Pay

But just how do you may that leap? How exactly do you get into writing white papers? Where do you even find white paper writing jobs? And what are some mistakes to avoid along the way?

What is a white paper, how much can you make on white paper writing jobs, how to get white paper writing experience, where to find white paper writing jobs, white paper writing mistakes to avoid, mistake 1: not vetting the client, mistake 2: no direct client contact, mistake 3: skipping the research, mistake 4: a key question omitted, mistake 5: running in circles.

One of the biggest moves a freelance writer can make to earn more is to move into better-paying types of work, like white paper writing jobs.

When you go from, say, writing $20 blog posts to writing white papers that can pay $1,500-$10,000, it’s a big leap.

That’s what we’re about to discover. Keep reading.

A white paper is a cross between a magazine article and a corporate brochure, sharing an organization’s often-complicated message in an easy-to-understand, formal, and persuasive manner.

Most clients want to read the educational magazine article part of the white paper to find out the solutions to their problems—but the persuasive brochure part of the white paper does its job too, and convinces the readers to buy the product or use the service.

The unique balancing feature of the white paper—to both educate and sell—makes it one of the most powerful marketing tools. This is the reason why clients are ready to pay $1,500-$10,000 for a six to 14 page document.

It’s a great way to make money writing !

The huge upside of writing white papers is why we did a comprehensive training bootcamp on the topic over on the Freelance Writers Den. You can access this entire four-week bootcamp plus over 300 hours of other trainings by becoming a Den member .

If you know how to write articles or marketing materials, you should be able to learn how to write white papers with a little effort and practice.

The first thing you need to do is read all you can about writing white papers from books, blogs, articles, etc. That also means studying examples so you know what’s expected (check out this example ). More and more companies are posting white papers online to build their authority—download a few and give them a read.

Now start writing…

After you learn the process of writing white papers, you can start practicing your skill on a hypothetical or real company. Choose a business-to-business company, as B2B tends to commission more white papers than B2C. They usually have complicated offerings and need to convince business owners to purchase their product or service.

Another idea: create a white paper to sell your writing, about how businesses benefit from using freelance writers. Post it on your site as a free download for prospects.

Sharpen your skills by writing white papers as often as you can. Once you feel that you’re ready, start looking for clients.

• Let your existing clients know what white papers are, how they work and why their business needs one. Show them the samples you’ve created. If you can convince them that they need a white paper, you will be on your way
• Look for business owners who are getting articles or brochures written. Explain what a white paper is and why it’s better than a regular article or brochure. Propose possible topics that would be appropriate to their business. Hopefully, you will be able to entice them into asking you to write one
• Write one for less. If it’s your first job, then it doesn’t matter if you charge less. Maybe you will not earn enough for all the effort you put in, but you will get a sample that will help you land lucrative jobs in the future

Once you have a few samples in your portfolio, you can look for better jobs.

The best thing is to advertise your services as a white paper writer through your website , cold calling , and other marketing methods. Look for companies that are involved in fields like technology (cloud computing, CRM, content management, IT healthcare), or finance (insurance, banks, re-insurance).

Of course, you can also look for white paper jobs on sites like LinkedIn .

While you’re gaining experience, there are some critical mistakes you should try to avoid as you enter this market.

Here are some mistakes Carol Tice, founder of Make a Living Writing, made on a white paper writing gig:

When a writer-friend tells you, “Hey, this is a chance to work with an amazing end client that’s a Fortune 500,” I don’t know about you, but I tend to get stars in my eyes.

It turned out that I’d be working not directly with this client, but with one of their approved marketing agencies. The guy who headed it was a former staff speechwriter and marketing writer at this F500. Once again, I was wowed.

“Man, this guy must know *exactly* what he’s doing,” I thought.

What I didn’t find out? He’d just recently quit the company and set up this agency…and had no experience running an agency. He’d never had writers working under him before. He hadn’t written white papers either.

That turned out to be something he sucked at. In the course of my project, everyone he had hired as a “staffer” for his little agency quit.

He would have his staff minions give assignments to the writers—and guess what? It was like a big game of telephone.

Almost every single thing I was told, from deadlines to wordcounts, turned out to be wrong. A lot of frantic rewriting ensued.

Takeaway: If I’d asked around about this guy, I might have learned he was a legendary prima donna—and would have trouble delegating writing work.

Everything I did on this white paper writing job came down secondhand. I couldn’t even have told you who at the big company this agency reported to.

I’d receive word trickle-down style, about who to interview about what. Then, after I interviewed them, I’d be told I didn’t ask them the right things, or that I needed a different source. These kinds of miscommunications are an epidemic in agencies that keep their clients close to the vest.

In his efforts to keep us from poaching the client work (not even possible with this company, since they only used a few approved agencies), he would parcel out parts of projects to different people. You never knew who else might be touching different parts of your same elephant. The result: chaos.

Takeaway: I should have gotten clarity off the bat on who I’d be reporting to for this white paper writing job, who was on my project, and who I’d be able to access.

I basically worked with what I was handed, instead of doing my own research to learn more about the types of charity programs I was documenting. I might have had better backup ideas for interviews, or programs to compare it (favorably) to, if I’d taken the time.

More than once in the course of the project, I was sitting around for days on end, and then having to do a rush job on an interview, where I probably could have more quickly found sources on my own and just asked for approval.

Takeaway: Don’t sit with your hands folded waiting for info from your client—do your own legwork, so that you have more to work with.

One big question I really wish I’d asked is, “What is your writing process like?”

After all, I’d never written a white paper before. So I didn’t realize that I needed a few key things:

• Approval of each of my sources from higher-ups
• A signed release from each of my interview subjects
• To let each interview subject read their copy before turning it in
• To obtain stock photos from my subjects

Long after some of my interviews, toward the end of the project, I was suddenly asked to “turn in my releases.” To which I replied, “What releases????”

I’d never been given a form or told my interviews had to fill it out…but suddenly, I looked like a clueless fool. It had been weeks since some of my interviews, and it was extra work to dig some of them back up and get them to sign off.

Takeaway: Find out what *all* the elements are that are your “deliverables” in the project—and be sure you get them as you go. Don’t leave paperwork to the end.

One of the things that was dangled in front of me on this white paper writing job was the idea of foreign travel. Their program is global, and they were including some stories from other countries.

When it was strongly hinted that I might snag one of these assignments, I turned my life upside down to run out and get an expedited passport. Which, of course, turned out to be a total waste of time. In fact, I never left my house, even.

Takeaway: Don’t chase phantoms on a gig. If someone’s hinting you might need to do something for the project, get more details and find out if it’s real, before wasting time.

The good news is that the project did eventually get finished…and it came out real nice. I got a great clip out of the deal. It was definitely worth doing, despite all the problems.

But I wish I’d taken a more thorough attitude to scoping this out before I dove in. Then, I might have had a smoother road and ended up getting more white paper writing gigs for this client, instead of having a relationship that went down in flames.

As it worked out, it was a long time before another white paper writing job opportunity came around.

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The 2024 Ultimate Guide: How to Write and Format a White Paper

The step by step guide to succeeding with white paper marketing.

• 1 What is a white paper?
• 2. White paper examples
• 3 How to write a white paper
• 4 Mistakes a white paper should avoid
• 5 White paper Format
• 6 Gating your white papers
• 7 White paper distribution
• 8 Handling your white paper leads
• 9 Choosing the right white paper template
• 10 Final thoughts

Introduction

White papers are a popular and powerful tool for content marketers. They can be used to position your company as a thought leader and authority on a subject by presenting useful and persuasive research findings and information about your products and services, White papers can also be used as a powerful asset to generate more leads when the information is valuable enough for readers to submit their personal details in order to access your findings. This ultimate guide will teach you everything you need to make white paper marketing a formidable addition to your content marketing strategy . 

1. What is a white paper?

A white paper is an in-depth report or guide about a specific topic and the problems that surround it. It is meant to educate readers and help them to understand and solve an issue.

In the world of marketing, a white paper is a long-form piece of content , similar to an eBook . The difference between the two is that white papers tend to be more technical and in depth. The facts and opinions expressed in white papers are often backed by original research or statistics that the publisher has aggregated from reliable sources. They often include charts, graphs, tables, and other ways of visualizing data. 

The term "white papers" originated in England as government-issued documents. One famous example is the Churchill White Paper , commissioned by Winston Churchill in 1922.

Today, the term is most commonly applied to “deep dive” style publications. Businesses — especially in the consulting, financial, or B2B sectors — use them to communicate their organization’s philosophy on a topic, make the case for the superiority of their product, or simply to present research findings related to their field.

White papers are no less editorial than other forms of content, but the depth of research lends them an authoritative tone. For this reason, they are good candidates for promoting thought leadership .

Who uses white papers?

In the past, white papers were most often produced by governmental agencies, NGOs, think tanks, consultancies, and financial institutions that needed to present the findings of their ongoing research in a succinct format.

With the widespread growth and adoption of content marketing (the creation and distribution of non-promotional content intended to generate interest in a business and its offerings), white papers have become more common in other industries as well. Any organization that engages in content marketing can benefit from producing white papers.

Their popularity across industries is due to their versatility. While all white papers have certain elements in common, a B2B startup will use them differently than a large consultancy, and both will use them differently from a governmental organization.

Types of white papers

There are numerous types of white papers a business might publish.

• One type is the backgrounder , in which the benefits of their product, service, or methodology are explained in depth.
• Another is a problem-solution approach, which walks the audience through the solution to a problem that is common in their industry.

Other types of white papers simply present a summary of useful statistics and information about the state of a particular field or industry. An example of this would be the Content Marketing Benchmarks Budgets and Trends from the Content Marketing Institute.

Whatever type you produce , the contents of your white paper should serve to showcase your expertise in a given area. Your audience is searching for an information document, and will look for an authoritative source — a business they perceive as having in-depth knowledge of a subject.

The contents of your white paper should serve to showcase your expertise in a given area.

The purpose of a white paper

White papers enable you to build trust with your audience. They show readers that you're reliable, experienced, and adept in a given domain. When potential customers search for an informational document to help them understand a problem or opportunity they're facing, and you provide them with a quality white paper that helps, they'll turn to you again in the future.

This perception of authority can also serve to boost sales in an organization. More than half the respondents to the Eccolo Media B2B Technology Content Survey reported having read a white paper before making a buying decision. Buyers prefer to purchase from vendors they trust and see as experts in their field.

Finally, white papers are extremely useful for lead generation . The Content Preferences Survey from DemandGen found that more than three-fourths of survey respondents were willing to exchange personal information for a white paper — more than for eBooks , case studies, analyst reports , podcasts, brochures , or infographics.

With all of these potential benefits, utilizing white papers in your content marketing strategy can produce great results.

More than three-fourths of survey respondents were willing to exchange personal information for a white paper.

2. White paper examples

When you think about white papers, you probably think of PDF articles with thousands of words. But times are changing and so is the way we produce and consume content.

Nowadays, every marketing collateral (including white papers) needs to be well written, well structured, and designed for every type of visitor. 

Here are some great examples of white papers doing exactly that. 

This unique one-pager presenting findings from the Developers at Work Survey demonstrates how a white paper should be done. The animated, interactive data charts show off just what's possible with our embed feature.

Open white paper example #1  

Privacy and the GDPR - BDO

This well-produced special edition produced by BDO and creative agency Monte Media does an incredible job of turning a conventionally dull topic into a piece of content that's engaging and comes to life.

Open white paper example #2

This white paper is a step by step guide to succeeding with content marketing.

See more  white paper examples

Start creating white papers with Foleon

3. How to write a white paper

Starting a white paper can be a daunting task. So much information and research are required that it’s easy to get lost in that portion of the work and let it become a roadblock to actually putting things on paper.

Even after the writing itself has begun, white papers are tricky to do well. Simply listing statistics without some form of narrative arc is a surefire way to keep your white paper from ever being read. Luckily, following a few simple guidelines can help keep a white paper engaging and make the process of finishing it much easier.

Pick the right topic

This might seem obvious, but without a topic that resonates with your audience, your white paper is not likely to be read. When choosing the right topic, you should consider three important criteria:

• It should be something you are qualified to write about.
• It should be something your audience is interested in.
• It should address a topic around which little content has been written already and thus fill a " content gap ."

Naturally, finding a topic that brings points 1 and 2 together is vital. White papers are meant to be authoritative pieces of content based upon the author's experience and expertise, so it's important to write about what you know . But you must match this to the interests of your readers if you're to produce something they'll be eager to engage with .

Don't be afraid to crowdsource information from within your organization. If the topic of a white paper is related to engineering, why not interview an engineer or have them look over what you’ve written? The same goes for other roles. Crowdsourcing knowledge means having the power of a true expert in many fields.

Finally, filling a "content gap" will help your white paper get noticed and gain traction. By addressing a topic no one else has written about definitely, your white paper will be more likely to rank highly on search engines and even be featured elsewhere on the web.

Pro tip: You can even ask your audience what they would like to see in your upcoming white paper. You'll get ideas, make your topic more relevant, and you'll generate buzz around your content even before it's finished. In fact, we used the same method for this guide!

Define your audience

Defining your audience goes hand in hand with choosing the right topic. But moving beyond your audience's interests, it’s important to think of the kinds of people who will be reading your white paper.

• Are they fellow professionals, well versed in your subject?
• Are they likely to be reading something they are relatively unfamiliar with?

Knowing this helps establish the voice you should use and whether industry-specific jargon is appropriate. It also narrows the scope of the research you should include. It’s always important to ensure all arguments are logically sound and well supported, but the stats and information presented should be relevant to the specific audience you're targeting.

Part of defining an audience in the age of Google centers around how people will find the white paper. This means thinking about which platforms specific personas use for research and what search terms they put in. Not only will this help a white paper get found by the right people, but it is useful when outlining the white paper later on.

Optimizing for keywords is important, but remember to write for people, not for search engines. Google is getting better all the time at understanding and matching search intent with relevant content . This has become particularly important with the advent of AI-powered language models which can produce long-form content at scale. 

Wrap it in a great intro and outro

Ad with all good writing, your intro should serve to captivate your audience, pique their curiosity, and entice them to read further. It's good practice to provide a brief summary of what they'll find in the white paper and to emphasize exactly what benefit they'll get from reading it.

Your outro is equally important, especially if you're using your white paper to market your products or services. You should avoid any self-promotion in the body of your white paper, but you can certainly mention your relevant product offerings and how to obtain them — perhaps using a compelling call-to-action — at the end.

Pack it with value

White papers are not meant to be advertisements for your company, and you should avoid any overt promotion. Instead, you should provide plenty of useful information that will be valuable to readers even if they don't become customers. Emphasizing value is the key to a great white paper that will get shared and widely read.

Remember, white papers serve to showcase your expertise as a company or brand in a given field. Your readers should come away having learned something useful and with the impression that you're a reliable source of expert information. As pointed out earlier, generating this kind of reputation will lead to greater business success as buyers are more likely to purchase from companies they trust.

Emphasizing value is the key to a great white paper that will get shared and widely read.

Don’t be scared of multiple drafts

No first draft is ever a finished work. Elizabeth Bishop, the renowned and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, wrote seventeen drafts of her poem “One Art” before it was completed. It’s now considered one of the best villanelles ever written .

While a white paper may not need seventeen drafts, there will undoubtedly be points missed and logical inconsistencies in the first version. Finishing a draft, stepping away, and coming back to it with a fresh mind is the best way to ensure quality. If there’s another good writer at your company, getting another set of eyes on it is even better.

Keep it interesting

White papers should be more detailed and thorough than blog posts or eBooks . This may cause them to be more dry and formal, but this doesn't mean they have to be boring.

A trap that white papers easily fall into is using statistics as a crutch and not maintaining interest throughout. Technical as it may be, you still want your white paper to be read. To make this happen, it’s useful to borrow techniques from fiction and creative nonfiction writers.

There are lots of resources for learning about a plot, but generally, it has five parts, as illustrated in Freytag’s pyramid:

These won’t always correspond perfectly in a factual piece of writing like a white paper, but they can get you thinking about how to create and hold interest. Use those ideas to keep readers’ attention until the very end.

4. Mistakes a white paper should avoid

There are some pitfalls and common mistakes to avoid when writing a white paper. Each of these has the potential to make an otherwise stellar piece of content into a wasted effort. Here's a brief list of things to look out for.

Sounding like a sales pitch

When white papers are used as part of a marketing campaign where businesses showcase their product, a common mistake is to make them sound like a sales pitch . Don't let this happen; it will immediately turn your readers off. In a white paper, your audience is seeking unbiased, educational information that will help them, not try to persuade them. Save the sales pitches for other content, like product brochures .

Lack of adequate research

As previously mentioned, white papers should be well-researched documents. It’s true that conducting lengthy original research may be outside a marketing team’s budget, but merely including a few stats from the first page of a Google search simply won’t cut it.

Aggregating statistics and searching through scholarly work may take time, but the result will be worth it. For your white paper to achieve its intended effect, It’s important to establish your content as an authoritative source to which the audience would want to return.

Poor design

We'll go in-depth into design in the next section, but it's worth mentioning here. The written content of a white paper is what matters most, but neglecting design is a big mistake. Design makes your salient points stand out and helps the reader understand what they're reading. Using visuals (like images, animations , videos, charts, and graphs) that support your arguments is crucial.

Check out this white paper example built with Foleon!. Open the white paper

Not telling a story

White papers are informative and factual. We’ve driven that point home already. That doesn’t mean they should be boring. Backgrounders, problem-solution white papers, and research findings all have a story to tell, and the reader is far less likely to make it through the entire piece without some form of narrative to keep them engaged. Setting up a problem, elaborating on a solution, and including some type of success story is a proven formula for making any type of content more story-like.

Leaving it abstract

Because most white papers will involve sharing research findings, it can be easy to leave them in the realm of theory without explaining how to utilize those findings on a practical level. This is true more of backgrounders but can be the case with problem-solution white papers as well.

A good example is the abundant amount of content on employee engagement. Many B2B cases have covered the importance of employee engagement and the pitfalls of getting it wrong. Too little of this content goes further and gives concrete examples of what companies in specific verticals can do to alleviate the problem.

5. White paper format

Before addressing anything else, we first need to talk about the format you'll use.

A picture is no longer worth a thousand words. Today, its value is in the number of eyeballs it can keep glued to your content and the ratio of those viewers it convinces to click through to other sections of your website.

Your carefully crafted copy and painstakingly gathered statistics won’t earn those clicks on their own. The average human attention span is now less than that of a goldfish . And with 3.3 million Facebook posts, 448,800 tweets, and 149,513 emails sent every minute , competition for your readers' attention is intense, to say the least. Long form mediums like the white paper need serious sparkle just to compete.

How to format a white paper

You'll need more than just black text on a white background. Your design choices regarding things like color, typography, and the use of visuals will play a prominent role in the success of your white paper. Here are a few important principles to keep in mind for creating a quality white paper design.

Keeping mobile visitors in mind

More than 54% of internet traffic is now mobile , and web designers have adapted to this trend by creating what's known as responsive design . Before this, web pages simply scaled according to the size of a user's screen, retaining their layout. Naturally, this made most pages both unreadable and unnavigable on smaller devices.

Responsive design solved this by allowing elements on a page to rearrange, resize, or be completely hidden from view in response to the size of the screen. When a smaller screen is used, font-sizes increase, buttons become larger for touch screens, and the entire layout adjusts to make the page mobile-friendly.

But while this has become standard for web designers in a mobile-first world, producers of other digital content assets like white papers have generally not adapted . Surprisingly, most companies that offer white papers and eBooks on their websites still use PDF format .

The problem with PDFs is that they're unreadable on smaller screens . They're fixed-layout documents — they can't adjust or adapt to different screen sizes. Reading them on a mobile device requires excessive zooming and panning around, which is a terrible experience for users.

Mobile traffic is ever-increasing. If you decide to produce your white paper as a PDF , you risk excluding this vast segment of your audience. It's a design mistake that will cost you views and conversions.

See examples of responsive white papers

Emphasis and readability

Because in-depth white papers contain lots of text and visuals, as well as supplementary information like footnotes, figures, logos and copyright info, the danger is that your design becomes cluttered. Clutter accumulates before you realize it. You may choose a clean layout and color scheme, to begin with, but as you continue to add content, things can get crowded. Often, you must make tough choices about what not to include to strike the right balance between completeness and readability.

Good design makes bold choices and prioritizes important information. These choices and priorities affect layout, placement, color, font size, page order and more. Use these design elements to create emphasis on vital pieces of information. But be careful. Emphasizing too many pieces of information — or too few — will cause readers to struggle to discern what’s important.

Good design makes bold choices and prioritizes important information.

Have a look at what's trending

Bold fonts and color schemes are in. If you look at the hippest tech companies right now, you’ll see lots of pastels and color gradients. Of course, all that might change tomorrow. But still, a great way to get inspiration when you're just starting is to take a look at what design trends are currently popular.

U2's frontman, Bono, sings "every artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief." And he's right. Good designers are always drawing inspiration from other designers. The best way to create a successful design is to spend a lot of time looking at what others are doing successfully. Use Evernote , or a bookmarking service to save white papers and other exceptional designs that you encounter for future reference.

Don’t know where to start looking? Dribbble and Behance are two networks where great designers share their latest work. They consistently have material that’s on the cutting edge of what’s trending.

Design for your audience

While trends may inspire you, it's more important to align your design with your audience and your subject matter.

• Will you be addressing suit-and-tie financial executives or blue-collar management at construction firms?
• Are you writing about changes to privacy regulations in the tech industry, or about the effects of farming on biodiversity?

Your design should support and strengthen your topic. The colors and typography should be consistent with what you're writing about, the tone you've chosen, and the audience you've defined. Writing a white paper for a funeral parlor? Hot-pink headlines might be a bad choice. Taking color psychology into account can help you achieve the look and feel you're after.

Brush up on the basics

No prior knowledge of design? No problem.

If you don’t have a designer working with you in-house, you can still teach yourself the basics of design and check work against those principles. A big part of the battle is knowing the search terms that will get you the knowledge you need. Luckily, good primers on basic graphic design are abundant.

After doing a bit of reading, start creating. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. If you create a white paper and don’t like the design, try to pinpoint what it is about the design that needs improvement. After the reading you’ve done, you’ll have the tools to critique your own work and the work of others. This is the best way to improve and create well designed white papers.

Choosing the right tools

At Foleon, we pride ourselves on providing a tool that makes creating responsive digital white papers easy, even for those with no prior graphic design experience.

Choosing a tool like this, which takes the guesswork out of design, will shorten the time it takes for you to produce great white papers. There is a vast ecosystem of tools out there, each of which is geared toward a different purpose and skillset. The right one will enable you as both a designer and a writer.

See how you can scale engaging content creation .

6. Gating your white papers

For most companies, lead generation and growing lists of contacts for the sales and marketing teams are important activities. Attracting visitors to your site and offering them something of value in exchange for their contact information is a proven method for filling the top of your funnel.

But for this type of inbound marketing to work, two things are needed: exceptional content that visitors are eager to acquire, and a method for gating (or walling off) that content behind a form.

Many brands skip the first part and move straight to the second. They quickly produce something mediocre and put it behind a form. This might work in the short term for generating lists, but keep in mind that users expect more from content they “pay” for. The quality of your gated content serves as an indicator of the quality of your brand will affect your ability to turn prospects into customers down the road.

So how do white papers fit into your b2b content marketing funnel ? They may act either as lead generation tools themselves or can be used to direct readers to other parts of a website that captures lead information.

What is gated content?

Walling expert content off behind a form designed to capture personal details is one of the most common techniques for generating leads. Gated content is any content that a reader cannot access until after they input some personal information, such as their name and email address. White papers and eBooks are two of the most common types of content used for this purpose.

Typically, a company will create a landing page that includes a description — and perhaps a preview — of what information readers can expect to find inside. The landing page will include a form for visitors to enter their personal information and thus gain access. After entering the required information, visitors are either presented with a download button or receive the gated content in their inbox.

There are plenty of variations on this formula, but the basic technique of providing “free” content and asking readers to “pay” by providing their personal information has been very important part of content marketing for a long time.

To gate or not to gate

While gating your best content is great for lead generation, there are some drawbacks as well. Walling off your white paper will mean it gets read by fewer people as not everyone is willing to give away their contact details.

An open-access white paper will be read by a wider audience. If it’s in-depth and authoritative, it may also do well organically and improve your search rankings. Gating it behind a form, however, will prevent search engines from indexing it.

It’s important to consider what the primary goal of your white paper is: disseminating information and gaining brand awareness or generating leads. If the latter is more important, then gating is a great option.

Semi-gating

Another variation on gated content — and one that’s growing in popularity — is semi-gating . This can give you the best of both worlds by allowing your white paper to reach a wider audience while still retaining the ability to generate leads.

Semi-gating gives readers a taste of your white paper without requiring them to give up any info. You can, for example, make the first few pages of your white paper open access, and then make visitors fill in a form to read more. This works well because digital content is so abundant and brands must offer more for free or risk visitors turning elsewhere.

Allow your white paper to reach a wider audience while still retaining the ability to generate leads.

Offering more content for free also builds trust and brand loyalty among your readers. Let them know your white papers are valuable and helpful, and they’ll be more interested in giving you their personal information. You’re also more likely to gain qualified leads if readers have a chance to sample your white paper before converting.

Of course, semi-gating doesn’t mean giving away your entire white paper. Typically, there’s at least one section of the white paper that is exclusive to those who go through the gating process. Semi-gating can help reach a wider audience, build trust and loyalty, increase lead quality, and still help you capture the contact information you need.

There’s a concept in marketing and design known as friction . Friction is anything that causes the sales process to slow down. It’s like a roadblock that makes it less likely prospects will convert, sign up, download, or purchase. It can be caused by a multitude of things including poor design, confusing navigation, subpar copy, too many form fields, and more.

Your ability to generate leads with a gated white paper will largely depend on how much friction is involved. Asking for more information than you really need is one common and unnecessary source of friction that can lead to losing potential readers.

The entire field of conversion rate optimization is geared toward removing friction — or making user interactions easier. CRO specialists make forms simpler, navigation more intuitive, and design CTAs that are more likely to be clicked. Optimizing your landing page for conversions is a vital part of any lead generation campaign.

But the reality is, asking for personal information will always be an obstacle for a large number of people. So the key here is to make the process easy and noninvasive as possible.

An excellent way to do this is by reducing the number of form fields to the bare minimum and using mid-gating to ensure your ask is timely and yields immediate value for the reader: "Fill out this form to get access to the rest of this white paper, we've saved the best for last!".

Create white papers and eBooks that integrate with your favorite CRM or marketing automation platform. Get started

7. White paper distribution

So, after following the tips in this guide, you create an engaging, informative white paper that inspires readers to take action and deepen their relationship with your company. You mid-gate (or semi-gate) it to capture readers’ information and gain valuable insight into the interests and demographics of your consumer base.

Now, you publish it on your website, sit back, and wait for your Pulitzer.

Only, the traffic never comes… Where did you go wrong? You didn't think about your white paper distribution strategy . 

The importance of distribution

The internet isn’t the same as it once was. Thanks to the massive amount of content produced every day for and an ever-growing number of channels, it’s a lot harder to get noticed. Unless you’re Gabriel García Márquez back from the dead, simply writing something and posting it online doesn’t guarantee readership.

To get eyes on your white paper, you need to be smart not only about writing and design but distribution as well. Some content marketing thought leaders go so far as to claim that you should spend 20% of your time on content creation and 80% on promotion.

Distribution is all about identifying traction channels where your ideal customers consume content and making your white paper highly visible on those channels. Depending on the audience you defined in the beginning, some will be more relevant for you than others.

Social promotion

If you’re at all familiar with marketing, advertising, or online media, chances are you’re aware of how important social media is to visibility. People from all walks of life, and from all over the world, are on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Ensuring that you share your content regularly on these platforms will give you a solid base of promotion on which to build.

But it's not enough to simply write a post and tweet it into the void. Try to find communities like Facebook and LinkedIn groups where your target audience is likely to congregate. Search for relevant hashtags on Twitter and Instagram . Find subreddits relevant to your industry.

Once you’ve found your audience, it’s much easier to connect with them. If you contribute to these spaces regularly, you’ll have an easier time keeping their attention and distributing your white paper.

Influencers and earned media

Public relations isn’t what it once was; influencer marketing has taken its place as the way to get noticed by the masses.

These days, influencers — people with large, engaged followings on social media and newsletters — are better equipped to amplify your content than traditional journalists. They play a growing role in shaping public opinion and even in setting business trends . Shares from an influencer can even help you land spots in major publications the way press releases used to.

Social media is the best place to find influencers in your vertical. When you investigate the best communities in which to promote your white paper, look for the content that people are already referencing and sharing. Eventually, you’ll start to get a picture of who’s putting out content that’s getting widespread traction. These are the people whose voices can amplify your brand.

Start by interacting with them. Begin a conversation, comment on their pieces with regularity, and give them feedback on their work. There are great tools, like Voila Norbert and ContactOut , to help you quickly track down email addresses.

After building enough rapport, try offering to collaborate on future white papers or other types of content. This process can take some time because your goal here is to build a relationship.

Eventually, you can ask an influencer to share your white paper. You might even consider quoting them in the white paper itself — anything that gives them an incentive to share your work is helpful.

Pro tip: Try to find an expert in your white paper related subject and interview them. It will add value to your white paper and you'll increase the chance that the expert shares your content with his or her extensive network.

Email marketing

The jungle of online content may thicken daily, but there are a few places you can still get readers’ attention. Email distribution has stood the test of time in this regard. It provides greater ROI than social , and it shows no signs of weakening.

If the purpose of your white paper is lead generation, email marketing will not be applicable. But for boosting sales, building trust, and establishing your brand as a trustworthy source of information, it's important not to neglect your existing contact base.

Although email may not have the appealing viral possibilities associated with social media, it does have other advantages. Namely, anyone who subscribed to your email list chose to be there. This means you can expect a higher level of engagement from this audience than those who come in via other channels. Capitalize on their loyalty and engagement by encouraging contacts to share your white paper with their networks and thus multiply your distribution efforts.

This was discussed in the previous section, but it's worth mentioning again here: another big advantage of Foleon's gating features is that when your existing contacts share your white paper with their contacts, those people will be confronted with a login form that will allow you to capture their info and expand your email list further.

Going beyond the basics

The techniques discussed above are essential items in your white paper distribution toolbox. However, they’re not the only ones. The best way to distribute your white paper depends largely on your target audience and the industry to which your content speaks.

Take some time to critically evaluate and research how knowledge is shared in your industry. Every industry will be slightly different. Reaching people in these places is the best guarantee of effective distribution.

8. Handling your white paper leads

As we've discussed, white papers can serve a variety of objectives. They’re commonly used for thought leadership and to disseminate important research, relevant to a specific industry.

When it comes to content marketing, however, the most common use for white papers over the last several years has become lead generation. In chapter 6, we discussed how to bring readers to your white paper and capture their information.

Once you've properly gated your white paper and set up a solid distribution strategy, it's time to think about how you'll handle the leads that come in. If not properly tracked and nurtured, leads will quickly become cold and won't lead to increased sales for your company. So how do you follow up with leads and maximize the opportunity you’ve created with your white paper?

How to track your white paper leads

The buyer’s journey outlines the steps a person goes through, from becoming aware of a problem they have, to learning about different solutions to that problem, to eventually purchasing a product or service (hopefully yours) that solves their problem.

To maximize the chances your new leads become paying customers, you must take the abstract concept of a buyer’s journey and map it to your specific content ecosystem. The actions your prospects take on your website can be indicative of what stage of the journey they're in.

For example, you may see someone read a blog post on your site, then come back a day later to get your white paper, and then finally sign up for a free trial or an email list. After that, they might decide to make a purchase. As patterns begin to emerge around the journey your customers take, you'll learn what actions on your part can help them to advance.

There are many tools available to help you analyze this journey for yourself. Google Analytics is probably the most widely used. It lets you track and compile data regarding user behavior on your website. You can define goals and generate reports that will show you steps users tend to take before completing those goals.

Targeting stages of the buyer’s journey

As it becomes more clear what actions visitors take before purchasing, you'll better understand where to use your white paper in the buyer's journey.

The question you should seek to answer is, where does it provide the most value to your potential customers? Do you see greater success when accessing your gated white paper is a prospect's first interaction with your company? Or is it perhaps more effective to use it as an offer once visitors have returned a second (or third) time to your site?

You can see that white papers don't exist in isolation but act as a member of an ecosystem. The related blog posts, landing pages, emails, social messages, and follow up sequences must all be carefully orchestrated and properly timed.

This process takes practice. It takes trial and error, and you must be a keen observer of trends . However, that effort will pay off.

...white papers don't exist in isolation but act as a member of a content ecosystem.

Following up with your leads

Depending on where in the buyer's journey you use your white paper, the way you'll want to follow up with leads will be different.

• If, for example, your white paper targets the awareness stage and the leads you gather are relatively unfamiliar with your company, it might be smart to enroll them in an email sequence that highlights other pieces of content on your site such as blog posts that are relevant to the topic they showed interest in.
• If your white paper is for people in the consideration stage, and leads are already familiar with what you have to offer, you might consider following up by sending them special offers or exclusive deals — again, closely related to the topic of interest.
• If you're taking a highly targeted approach to distribution and using your white paper to generate hot leads that you think are already close to making a purchasing decision, the best way to follow up might be for a sales representative to reach out directly by phone.

This is what it means to nurture leads. By proactively keeping in touch with leads and offering them more relevant content, you maximize the likelihood of them becoming a customer.

9. Choosing the right white paper template

In 2021, Hubspot reported that 82% of marketers actively invest in content marketing. Thus, the need to create interactive content experiences that stand out amongst your competitors has never been more critical in your content marketing strategy as the volume of published white papers grows yearly. 

For this reason, the visual representation of your white paper has become increasingly crucial for retaining your audience's interest. In addition to the value your white paper content provides your audience, the single most significant factor at your disposal to maintain content engagement is how your white paper is visually presented. 

For whitepapers, the white paper template you opt for to present your content can significantly influence the success of your publication. The template is more than just a matter of aesthetics; it represents a strategic decision that affects user engagement, experience, and even how your brand is perceived.

Below are some factors you should carefully weigh when choosing your white paper template .

Target audience and content

The two biggest influences that will determine the selection of your white paper template are your target audience and the purpose of your content. 

For example, if you create an annual report that provides Financial Services information or a research piece exploring trends in Software & IT salaries, you’ll want to use a template that easily represents data-rich elements such as tables and eye-catching statistics. In contrast, visually-oriented templates containing hi-res imagery or videos are better suited for online catalogs or digital magazines . 

Think about your target audience's needs and how your template's layout can optimize your content's engagement. 

Creative control with flexible features 

You’ll get the most value out of your interactive white paper with a content creation platform that allows you to harness professionally designed white paper templates that are easy to use and fully customizable with a drag-and-drop interface. This will allow everyone in your team to create content quickly with no coding experience required. 

Custom templates set your white paper up for success by providing a starting foundation to help guide the layout and structure of your content. Custom features allow you to design your white paper any way you like by quickly changing blocks, fonts, and colors according to your brand guidelines with the added ability to add or remove sections. 

Mobile experience and device responsiveness

As of September 2023, over 55% of website traffic is from mobile devices. Therefore, it is essential that your white paper is responsive across all devices. 

Most content creation platforms have integrated tools that automatically adapt your content to different screen sizes. However, to ensure the best possible user experience, you should always test your white paper on multiple devices as part of your content creation process before publishing.

Finally, website speed is one of the most significant factors influencing user experience and playing a pivotal role in organic rankings. According to section.io , 32.3% of visitors bounce from a webpage if it takes more than 7 seconds to load. Ensuring that your content creation platform and hosting services are optimized for website performance is critical in maximizing your readership when choosing your white paper template.

10. Final thoughts

Be prepared to write a lot more content.

By this point, you should have all the ingredients you need to make your white paper a rousing success. However, you’ll notice by now the reality that your white paper fits into a larger ecosystem of marketing actions and content.

In today’s business world, producing quality content is one of the best ways to get your target market's attention. But not everyone will be ready for the same piece of content at the same time.

From white papers to blog posts, to podcasts, the type of content that will drive conversions for your business is something you'll discover over time. What’s certain is that one type won't satisfy all your audience's needs. Because of that, you should be prepared to fill the rest of your buyer’s journey with other appropriate content.

This means lots of writing. There’s no way around that. It means coming up with content ideas, creating them, distributing them, and measuring their success — then rinsing and repeating. After this primer, you should be fully equipped for success writing not only white papers but whatever content you choose along your journey.  

Foleon Guide

Marketing power plays.

Whether you're in content, comms, or demand gen, here are some novel tactics from Foleon’s Marketing team.

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Blog Marketing

How to Write a White Paper [Tips & Templates]

By Chau Nguyen , Jun 28, 2023

So, you need to write a white paper.

And not just write it, you need to make it interesting too — especially if your goal is to establish thought leadership or generate leads.

Because here’s the thing: the average human attention span is less than that of a goldfish, so just plopping tons of data and text onto a page and calling it a day won’t work.

If your white paper lacks engagement, your readers may choose to leave. Even if they genuinely require the information, they may encounter difficulties due to excessive text. Moreover, retaining the painstakingly assembled information may become a challenge for them. Utilizing Venngage’s white paper maker can help overcome these obstacles.

In this article, I’ll break down how to write the best white paper for your business, design tips included. (Spoiler: visuals will help you get more engagement!) I’ll also include  white paper templates  you can edit and make your own.

Let’s get started!

Click to jump ahead:

How to structure a white paper, how to write your white paper, how to create a white paper outline, tips for designing an engaging white paper, faqs about white paper writing.

Most white papers follow a standard format that includes a:

Introduction

• Proposed solution

You may be wondering why there isn’t a problem statement section. After all, a white paper is supposed to dissect and provide solutions to a problem, yes?

Well, you can include the problem statement in the intro — intros explain what a white paper is about. This section is the perfect place to make a case for your white paper.

But of course, there’s no rigid format you should follow to a T. If it works better with your content, feel free to make your Problem Statement a separate section.

Now, let’s look at what you should write in each section with examples:

The title page is straightforward: it includes the title of your white paper and the name of the organization that produced it (or the author’s name).

This government white paper discusses the problem of illegal tobacco trade and proposes several approaches to address it: 

Just so you know, some of our templates are free to use and some require a small monthly fee.  Sign up  is always free, as is access to Venngage’s online drag-and-drop editor.

You can also include a sub-headline under the title to further explain what it’s about: 

The introduction should explain the purpose of the white paper and why the reader should care. It should be interesting (and informative) enough to hook the reader right away and keep them reading.

As mentioned, the introduction also contains your problem statement. In other words, it should provide an overview of the problem you’re trying to address. You don’t need to include too much information here, as that’s the role of the Background section.

Here’s an example:

The author introduces an overview of the problem — phishing scams — which is backed with visualized data that allows readers to grasp its impact at a glance:

Related :  How to Visualize Data In Your White Papers

Here’s where you provide background information about the problem you’re discussing. This section tends to be research- and data-heavy.

Let’s revisit our “Approaches to Battling the Illegal Tobacco Trade” white paper. Here’s what the Background section looks like:

The author provides a table that lists the countries where illegal tobacco trading is present, from the least problematic (less than 10% of the industry) to the most (40% and above).

The author also includes some background information on illicit tobacco products, all backed by data:

“Cigarettes account for over 90% by value of tobacco product sales. They are also the most illicitly traded form. Numerous bodies of research indicate that the illicit cigarette trades represents approximately 10%–12% of the total cigarette market — although this varies by country.”

And why illegal tobacco trade is problematic:

“Each year this translates to a loss of government revenues from US$40 to US$50 billion.”

Now, onto the proposed solution.

This could be a product, a service or a course of action. 

This government white paper addresses the sugar consumption crisis among children and proposes a policy to ban the sale of added-sugar products in schools:

Let’s look at another example. This technology white paper proposes a product as a solution: new technology that helps prevent falls in tilted chairs:

No matter what solution you propose, it should be well-supported with evidence. In the white paper above, the author presents elements that make their new technology the solution to fall prevention: 

The conclusion should summarize the main points of the paper and provide recommendations for next steps:

You can also add a call to action here, like “contact the author for more information”. Or if you’re writing a white paper to gather more leads, you can add some information about your business too: 

Note : white papers are academic in nature, so you should use reliable sources to back up your argument and include citations/references as needed.

Return to Table of Contents

Before making your white paper engaging, you first need to make it informative and credible. After all, it’s an important document to establish you as a thought leader in your industry.

Here are some guidelines to ensure the quality of your white paper:

Research your audience and topic well

Think about who will be reading your white paper. Are they actually experiencing the problem you’re trying to solve? Will your solution work for them? How much information will they need to be persuaded?

White papers are authoritative in nature, so people expect them to come with meaningful data from credible sources. Make sure you research your audience and your topic well to know how much data you need to make your case.

If your data comes from primary research, you can include your methodology as well for transparency and credibility:

Once you’ve nailed your research and solution, time to deliver all that information the best way you can. The language you use here must be the same as your audience’s: think of all the words and phrases they use often and try to incorporate them into your white paper writing.

You should also consider how people will read your paper — on desktop, on tablet or on mobile.

Mobile accounts for about 50% of global website traffic , reaching nearly 60% in Q2 2022. 

Unless you have enough resources to create a responsive white paper ( like this one! ), you should make sure your document is legible on mobile. This means breaking up your paragraphs into smaller chunks of text and adding plenty of visuals so it’s easier on the eye:

I’ll touch on more tips to make your white paper engaging in the next section, so stay tuned!

Make sure people can scan your content

And to do that, you should break up your text with headings and subheadings. This helps keep your white paper organized and allows your reader to scan through the information easily.

You should also add a Table of Contents after the title page to help readers navigate your paper. Or in this case, the Table of Contents sits right on the first page:

Keep it succinct and to the point

There’s no standard length for this type of content, but a good rule of thumb is to write a white paper that’s around six pages. This should be enough space to do justice to your research and data, without overwhelming your readers.

Plus, it’s always good to be mindful of your audience’s time when creating any type of content.

As white papers ‌provide expertise or a solution to a problem, your audience should be willing to devote a good amount of time and attention to your content… but don’t push your luck!

No matter how interested a reader is in a topic, they’ll drop off eventually if you ramble instead of getting to the point. 

You can follow these ten useful pointers when creating your white paper outline:

• Define your purpose : Clearly identify the objective of your white paper. Determine what problem you’re addressing or what information you’re providing to your audience.
• Research and gather information : Conduct thorough research on the topic to gather relevant data, statistics, case studies, or expert opinions. This will help you support your key points and strengthen your arguments.
• Develop an introduction : Begin your white paper with a compelling introduction that grabs the reader’s attention and provides an overview of the topic. Clearly state the problem or opportunity you’re addressing and briefly outline your proposed solution.
• Organize main sections and subtopics : Identify the main sections that will structure your white paper. These sections should correspond to the key aspects or steps of your proposed solution. Break each section into subtopics that will be discussed in more detail.
• Provide supporting evidence : Within each section, present evidence, examples, and data to support your claims and validate your solution. Use clear and concise language to convey your points effectively.
• Include visuals and graphics : Visual elements such as charts, graphs, diagrams, or infographics can enhance the readability and understanding of your white paper. Incorporate relevant visuals where appropriate to illustrate complex concepts or data.
• Craft a conclusion : Summarize the main points discussed in the white paper and reiterate the proposed solution. Emphasize the benefits or value that readers can gain from implementing your recommendations.
• Add an executive summary : Write a concise executive summary at the beginning of your white paper, providing a brief overview of the entire document. This allows readers to quickly grasp the key points and decide if they want to read the full paper.
• Review and revise : After completing the initial draft, review and revise your white paper for clarity, coherence, and overall effectiveness. Ensure that the information flows logically, the language is concise and engaging, and there are no grammatical or spelling errors.
• Format and finalize : Format your white paper to make it visually appealing and reader-friendly. Use appropriate headings, subheadings, fonts, and spacing. Consider adding a table of contents for easy navigation. Finally, proofread your document one last time before publishing or sharing it.

Let’s say you’re looking for a white paper on sugar consumption in children. Would you read this:

Needless to say, applying visuals and data visualizations to your white paper makes a big difference. And you don’t need to be a professional designer to do so. Let’s look at some tips for creating an engaging white paper design:

1. Use a white paper template

If you don’t have the design skills to organize your draft into a well-designed document full of visuals, using a template is the way to go.

Venngage offers dozens of  white paper templates  you can edit for your business:

To get started, simply  sign up for a free account , search for a white paper template and edit away.

To make it even easier for you, we’ve made a video walking you through editing a white paper template in Venngage. Check it out here:

2. Add data visualizations to your white papers

If you’ve got yourself some good data, don’t bury it under heaps of text. 

While everyone on your team is busy creating boring Word documents, you can be the creative genius that uses charts and pictograms to craft a visually engaging white paper.

The type of charts you use will depend on the type of data you’re visualizing. We have  a guide to picking what types of charts to use  that can help you there. 

You could use a line graph to show revenue  growth over time . Or you could use  pie charts  to show parts of a whole, like in this policy white paper example:

Pro tip: with our  online graph maker,  you can create better charts and graphs than the standard Excel charts. A plain old bar graph won’t do much to inspire anyone, but a creative chart that tells a story can. 

Pictograms  are also a creative and effective way to visualize statistical data. Take a look at the white paper example below. Pictograms act as visual aids to showcase key statistics and changes in the IT sector:

Don’t be afraid to mix it up. They say variety is the spice of life — and this saying applies to white papers, too! This business white paper design, for example, combines both bar graphs and pie charts:

For more tips on visualizing data for your white paper, check out our post:  How to Visualize Data In Your White Papers

3. Emphasize key points and takeaways with tables and text boxes

Visualizing information or data doesn’t mean just using graphs. When writing a white paper, you can also section off important pieces of information using tables and boxes.

In the white paper template below, the designers used a table to organize key points and takeaways from each main section:

Here’s another example of a white paper layout that uses a table to highlight some key statistics:

Breaking up lengths of text with boxes will help make your white paper easier to read, like in this example:

Which brings us to our next point…

4. Break up chunks of text with visuals

Visuals are perfect for illustrating ideas and emphasizing points.

Don’t be afraid to break up your text with visuals and create some breathing room in your white paper. You can even dedicate a whole page to pictures. Images give the eyes a rest and help reinforce information.

Take this white paper example — it dedicates a whole page to an evocative quote and photo:

Visual headers are also a great way to break up expanses of text while still having the visuals serve a purpose. You can create your own illustrations using icons — this can make for some fun and quirky headers, like in this workplace tech white paper:

5. Allow for plenty of white space on your pages

Speaking of giving your text some room to breathe, make sure you don’t crowd your pages with too much text or images.

Adding white space (or negative space) can help ensure your design isn’t too cluttered. 

Check out how this example uses plenty of white space on nearly every page. The result? An organized and modern white paper design:

6. Use a consistent design that reflects your white paper topic

When you’re designing a multi-page document like a white paper or a report, your pages should have a cohesive look and feel.

(Note: by using a consistent design for your white paper, you’ll achieve  unity  — one of the 13 basic  design principles .)

First, think of the themes reflected in your white paper. Is your white paper about social media engagement? Then using illustrations of birds (“tweeting”) or speech bubbles could work.

A white paper topic focused on establishing a sprint process could use race track visuals instead.

The hiring strategy white paper below uses greenery as the main design theme. Plants reflect the concept of growth associated with recruitment:

7. Incorporate your branding into your white paper design

To improve brand recognition, you need to have  consistent branding  across all marketing collateral. This not only helps your  marketing efforts  but also helps you maintain consistency in your internal and external comms.

Be sure to incorporate your  logo , brand color palettes and fonts into your white paper design.

For business users, Venngage’s  My Brand Kit  makes it easy to save your logos, brand color palettes and brand fonts for later. Then, you can easily apply them to your designs with one click. 

For example, you could change the colors of this white paper template… 

…to this: 

Try thinking of creative ways to incorporate your  branding . 

This white paper design, for instance, extends the use of its signature color beyond standard headers and icons. It actually applies a transparent color overlay to the images, adding a punch of color and reinforcing its brand palette in an unexpected way:

We have plenty more white paper design tips in our post on the top 20+ white paper examples you can use for your business. Check it out here: 20+ Page-Turning White Paper Examples [Design Guide + White Paper Templates]

What is a white paper?

A white paper is a well-researched, in-depth report that discusses a problem and proposes a solution to that problem. Here’s an example:

Typically backed up with lots of data and persuasive, factual evidence, quality white papers address complex concepts or problems, making them essential for any content marketing strategy.

For more information on the origin of white papers (including why they’re called “white papers” in the first place!), read our post:  What is a White Paper? 15 White Paper Examples to Get Started .

What is the purpose of a white paper?

White papers often have original research to back them up, and take a strong stance on what needs to be done to solve a problem.

In other words, white papers advocate for the best solution to a particular problem, making them authoritative by nature. Which makes sense given that they’re often used by the government, like in this example:

But as more and more businesses ‌use white papers, their purpose has changed a little. 

They’re still an authoritative source of information, but rather than just to inform or educate, white papers can also influence an audience’s decision-making process.

This marketing white paper, for example, aims to persuade businesses to market themselves effectively in order to attract talent:

Companies can also use white papers to show that their product or service can best solve their customers’ problems. Of course, they still need to back their claims with research and evidence.

A cyber security company could use this white paper to showcase their expertise and offerings in order to drum up more business.

Make sure your white paper is not only informative but also engaging!

Remember how the average human attention span has dropped to below that of a goldfish?

Even when a reader is interested in the topic of your white paper and plans to devote a good chunk of their time reading it, they may still bounce if your content is too dense (read: walls of text).

So make sure you think of your audience when you write your white paper and follow our design tips to keep them engaged.

And remember, you can create a professional, well-designed white paper using one of Venngage’s white paper templates. It’s free to get started!

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What Is a White Paper?

Purpose of a white paper, how to write a white paper.

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What Is a White Paper? Types, Purpose, and How To Write One

Adam Hayes, Ph.D., CFA, is a financial writer with 15+ years Wall Street experience as a derivatives trader. Besides his extensive derivative trading expertise, Adam is an expert in economics and behavioral finance. Adam received his master's in economics from The New School for Social Research and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in sociology. He is a CFA charterholder as well as holding FINRA Series 7, 55 & 63 licenses. He currently researches and teaches economic sociology and the social studies of finance at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

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A white paper is an informational document issued by a company or not-for-profit organization to promote or highlight the features of a solution, product, or service that it offers or plans to offer.

White papers are also used as a method of presenting government policies and legislation and gauging public opinion.

Key Takeaways

• A white paper promotes a certain product, service, or methodology to influence current and prospective customer or investor decisions.
• Three main types of white papers include backgrounders, numbered lists, and problem/solution white papers.
• A white paper provides persuasive and factual evidence that a particular offering is a superior product or method of solving a problem.
• White papers are commonly designed for business-to-business marketing purposes between a manufacturer and a wholesaler, or between a wholesaler and a retailer. 

White papers are sales and marketing documents used to entice or persuade potential customers to learn more about a particular product, service, technology, or methodology.

White papers are commonly designed for business-to-business (B2B) marketing purposes between a manufacturer and a wholesaler, or between a wholesaler and a retailer. It can provide an in-depth report or guide about a specific product or topic and is meant to educate its readers.

The facts presented in white papers are often backed by research and statistics from reliable sources and can include charts, graphs, tables, and other ways of visualizing data. A white paper can communicate an organization’s philosophy or present research findings related to an industry.

Types of White Papers

A startup , large corporation, or government agency will use white papers differently. There are three main types of white papers, including backgrounders, numbered lists, and problem/solution white papers.

Backgrounders detail the technical features of a new product or service. Designed to simplify complicated technical information, they are used to:

•Support a technical evaluation

•Launch a product

•Promote a product or industry leader

Numbered lists highlight the key takeaways of a new product or service, and are often formatted with headings and bullet points such as the following familiar format:

•3 Questions to Ask

•5 Things You Need to Know

Problem/solution papers identify specific problems faced by potential customers and suggest a data-driven argument about how a featured product or service provides a solution to:

•Generate new sales

•Educate salespeople on product characteristics

•Build industry interest.

White papers differ from other marketing materials, such as brochures. Brochures and traditional marketing materials might be flashy and obvious, but a white paper is intended to provide persuasive and factual evidence that solves a problem or challenge.

White papers are commonly at least 2,500 words in length and written in an academic style.

A white paper should provide well-researched information that is not found with a simple internet search and have a compelling narrative to keep the reader's attention. The author of a white paper should:

• Research and fully define the topic.

• Create an accurate outline of information.

• Write an attention-grabbing introduction.

• Format the paper for easy reading.

• Revise and proofread.

What Is an Example of a White Paper?

All of these documents, publicly available on Microsoft’s website, focus on aspects of the company's suite of cloud services. In contrast with brochures, these white papers don’t have a clear sales pitch. Instead, they dive into relevant topics, such as cloud security, hybrid clouds, and the economic benefits of adopting cloud computing.

• An AI-First Infrastructure and Toolchain for Any Scale
• Moving your Mission Critical Mainframe Data to Azure
• Mesh and hub-and-spoke networks on Azure
• Backup and recovery overview for Azure users
• Backup and recovery overview for users new to Azure

How Have New Industries Used White Papers?

Cryptocurrencies have also been known to publish white papers during initial coin offerings (ICOs) and frequently issued white papers to entice users and "investors" to their projects.

Bitcoin famously launched a few months after the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto issued its famous white paper online in October 2008.

Why Is It Called a White Paper?

White Papers may have developed from the use of “Blue Papers” in 19th century Britain, where a Parliamentary report cover was blue. When a topic for the government was less serious, the blue cover was discarded and published with white covers. These reports were called White Papers. In the United States, the use of government white papers often means a background report or guidance on a specific issue.

A white paper is an informational document issued by a company, government agency, or not-for-profit organization to promote the features of a solution, product, or service that it offers or plans to offer. The facts presented in white papers are often backed by research and statistics from reliable sources and commonly written in one of three formats that include backgrounders, numbered lists, and problem/solution papers.

Copy Engineer. " The 3 Types of White Papers and When to Use Each One ."

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White Papers: The $1,000 Per Page Writing Project

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Writing white papers is a hidden gem of an opportunity for freelance copywriters.

There’s a reason white paper writers get paid more to write a couple of seven-page documents than most authors earn from a 300-page book …

White papers are used in nearly all industries and by all sorts of companies, especially those that sell business-to-business (B2B).

They’re in high demand because they play an important role in companies’ marketing campaigns. And businesses are willing to pay a premium for these specialized projects.

In this article, you’ll discover how these authoritative reports — written to provide readers with a detailed understanding of how a specific product, technology, or method solves a big need — are one of the top lead-generation tools for companies.

We’ll cover what a white paper is, secrets for writing effective white papers, and how to get started as a white paper writer.

What Is a White Paper?

A white paper is a type of persuasive essay that uses facts and logic to promote a better way to solve a specific and somewhat nagging business problem that impacts a lot of companies.

White papers are meant to be informative and enlightening — they are NOT written as a sales pitch.

And the length of a white paper is typically between five and 10 pages.

They’re most commonly used as part of a larger marketing campaign that includes copy and content.

For example, Conair is a business that provides project management services and solutions to the plastics processing industry. They offer clients manufacturing equipment and parts, plus technical support, as well as help solve issues their clients are experiencing with general production.

To better connect and engage with potential prospects, Conair provides various resources on a wide range of topics related to the plastics processing industry, including articles, brochures, case studies, webinars, videos, and — you guessed it — white papers.

This is Conair’s page listing their white papers:

If the manager of a plastics processing plant was searching online for information on any one of these topics, they might find this listing and then read one of these white papers.

If the white paper is helpful and well written, the manager might decide to watch one of their webinars, sign up for Conair’s email list, or even schedule a call with one of their consultants.

That manager may eventually become a Conair customer.

In this way, white papers are a big aid in marketing a company’s products or services without doing any direct, hard selling.

As a freelance writer, you can specialize in writing white papers as a stand-alone project. Or you can choose to include writing white papers as part of your existing freelance writing services.

Either way, white papers are a vital and in-demand part of many companies’ marketing campaigns.

Who Publishes White Papers?

Any company that offers a product or service that is a bit more challenging to sell or requires more in-depth information uses white papers as part of their marketing efforts.

These are some of the factors that make a product or service more difficult to sell:

• It’s new and hard to research because little information is available about it.
• It’s complicated and needs explanation.
• It’s expensive , and the buyer needs to justify the cost of buying it.
• It's a major change for the buyer's organization … such as adjusting their entire operations by switching to new software

White papers are ideal for complex sales that typically involve a team of people deciding what product to buy, not just one or two decision-makers.

For example, if a medical clinic wants to buy a new software system to keep patient records, a team will most likely be assigned to decide which one to buy. The reason a team is put together is that the purchase decision affects many aspects of how the clinic operates, such as how they process billing or record patient notes.

The purchasing team will most likely consist of an accountant, administrative staff, health care staff, computer technical support, and potentially other staff who can share their expertise on the best software option for the clinic.

They’ll look at many different software systems that are available and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each one.

And this is why they need information about those systems. Lots of information … which is where white papers come in.

White papers are specifically designed to answer all the questions that people may have about a product or service. Whether it’s an accountant looking at justifying the cost or an eventual user trying to figure out how it will work, a white paper can provide all the information they’ll need to make an informed choice.

Why Companies Need White Papers

As we’ve touched on already, white papers are only one part of a company’s overall marketing efforts.

But white papers can serve many purposes:

1. Influence Decision-Makers

An important purpose of a white paper is to influence the people who will ultimately decide whether to buy a company’s products or services.

As white papers are often used to promote specific products, each white paper is also meant for a specific target market.

For white papers, the types of decision-makers that businesses want to target are as follows:

a) Business Buyers (B2B)

These are buyers within the business-to-business (B2B) industry, which includes any businesses that sell their products or services directly to other businesses.

A few examples of B2B businesses are

• software companies that develop B2B applications, such as human resource management software;
• forklift manufacturers who sell their equipment to warehouses and other businesses; and
• companies that provide in-house training for employees, such as for workplace safety or leadership skills.

Because B2B purchases all occur “behind the scenes,” many writers don’t know that this industry even exists.

But the B2B industry is huge. In fact, it’s estimated that the B2B industry makes up 30 to 50 percent of the entire economy of the United States.

And by far, B2B businesses produce the majority of white papers. Approximately 85 percent of all white papers are produced by B2B companies. And these are written to target specific business buyers within each company’s industry.

b) Policymakers (B2G, NGO2G)

Policymakers include people who work at any level of government, from federal to local. They can be decision-makers for large, national projects or smaller, local initiatives.

Either way, policymakers are another target market for certain businesses. In general, two main types of businesses typically sell to policymakers.

The first type is companies that sell business-to-government (B2G) . These would be any private businesses that specialize in selling products or services directly to any level of government.

The second type of businesses are non-governmental organizations (NGOs) . These are organizations that operate independently from government but may receive government funding in some form.

This industry is sometimes called non-governmental-organization-to-government (NGO2G) .

Businesses in the B2G and NGO2G industries are the second most common to use white papers as part of their marketing assets—although it’s estimated they make up only around 10 percent of the white paper market, which is significantly less than the B2B industry.

c) Consumers (B2C)

Companies that sell business-to-consumer (B2C) are the least likely to use white papers, making up around 5 percent of the white paper market.

One reason for this is that many regular consumer products and services are fairly easy to sell. Products that are sold directly to consumers — like clothing, kitchen supplies, or computer repair services — don’t need a lot of explanation or cost justification.

But some B2C companies use white papers for more complex products or services. And they’ll need freelance writers to create them.

2. Generate Leads

This is another important purpose for writing white papers.

All types of businesses need an ongoing supply of new leads that can potentially become customers. And publishing white papers is a great strategy for lead generation.

Many companies will offer a white paper as a lead magnet, where a website visitor will give their email address in exchange for the white paper. This helps the company grow their email list and potential customer base.

3. Support a Product Launch

A white paper can be a useful part of a product launch.

If it’s a new product, there’s likely not a lot of information available about it yet. So a well-researched white paper can provide all the details that a potential buyer might want to know about the product or service.

This will give a new product more credibility and perceived value.

4. Stand Out from Competitors

Including white papers in a company’s marketing campaigns will also make them stand out from the competition.

Imagine if you were the manager of a new golf course trying to choose an irrigation system to install. And of the installation companies you approach, one provides you with lots of helpful white papers about irrigation systems, and the other ones don’t.

It’s clear which one you’d choose. A company that’s made the effort to create white papers and other useful resources for their customers is clearly one worth doing business with.

5. Re-engage Prospects

The products and services that white papers tend to be used with often have a fairly long sales cycle or customer journey.

They aren’t bought on a whim — customers typically take their time weighing their options and making the final decision to buy or not.

And white papers can be a good way to keep a prospect engaged on that journey.

We’ve put together what we call our Copywriting Content Continuum to show the different types of content used at each stage of a customer’s journey:

White papers might attract a new prospect to the company’s website. They could also be sent out to a company’s existing email list to keep them engaged. Or a sales representative could share a white paper with a prospect who’s getting closer to buying.

A white paper can help support the buyer’s journey at nearly any stage.

6. Support a Detailed Evaluation

As we mentioned previously, a purchasing team is often assigned to buy big-ticket items for a company or organization.

And as the team evaluates each product or service on their list, white papers provide detailed information about each one. This allows the team to effectively compare their options and make an informed decision.

What White Papers Look Like

White papers can consist of a variety of different features, depending on the white paper’s topic and target audience.

But successful white papers typically include the following five elements.

Element 1: Minimum 2,500 Words of Text

A white paper is meant to provide a detailed explanation of a topic. To do this well, a white paper is usually at least 2,500 words, usually more.

White papers can be considerably longer if needed. But anything less than 2,500 words likely won’t be able to cover a topic in enough detail to be considered a white paper.

Element 2: Informative Content

The main point of a white paper is to provide informative, factual, and — above all — highly useful and enlightening content.

White papers are not opinion pieces. They need to be something that your target audience can easily use or apply, with information that helps your prospect understand an issue, make a decision, or solve a problem.

Element 3: Sources with Footnotes

Like essays or formal research papers, white papers include footnotes, also known as endnotes, that list all the sources and references you used to write the white paper.

In fact, white papers are one of the few pieces of content used in marketing that have detailed footnotes. And this is another reason they’re such a highly valued and respected form of writing.

Element 4: Call to Action at the End

Although white papers are not sales pieces, you do want to include a call to action at the end.

The call to action is typically short and can add value to the white paper. For example, you can ask the reader to fill out a survey to see how their company rates compared with others in their field. And then you would provide the survey link.

You could also ask for the reader’s email to send them further information or to schedule a call with a customer service representative.

It doesn’t have to be pushy, but it’s good practice to let your reader know what steps they can take next if they’re interested (because they will be when the white paper provides a great way to solve a frustrating problem.)

Element 5: PDF in Portrait Format

White papers are almost always formatted as a PDF document in portrait format.

This is one of the easiest formats to download and read, so it makes your white paper accessible to most readers. It also gives it a very professional appearance.

4 Secrets to Writing White Papers

White papers can be written on a huge range of topics for many different audiences. And because of this, each white paper will naturally be a unique creation.

But consistently using the following principles will always make your white paper the best it can be.

Secret 1: Think Like a Lawyer

Your goal as a white paper writer is to gather a mountain of evidence to support the argument you’re presenting in the white paper.

Here is some of the evidence you’ll want to gather:

• Graphs showing trends over time
• Expert opinions
• Research studies
• Firsthand accounts and quotes

Data elements like these will help you develop and support a good case for whatever you’re presenting in your white paper.

Make sure you use only credible sources and keep your white paper factual. You want to build a clear, logical case that any reasonable person would be able to understand and get behind.

Secret 2: Argue Like Aristotle

Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher who lived more than 2,300 years ago. He was the first person ever known to write about the elements of persuasion.

He identified the following ways to build an irrefutable case or argument:

• If you have proof use it.
• If you have no proof use logic.
• If you have no proof and no logic appeal to values.

For example, if you have proof, you could make a statement like, “87 percent of all chief financial officers surveyed agree that this is the best cloud solution available on the market.”

That’s an impressive statistic that clearly supports your argument.

On the other hand, if you don’t have any clear proof to back up a point, you can simply present a logical argument that most people would agree with. For example, “To reduce the amount of plastic waste in the world, we need to reduce the amount of plastic that we use.”

And in the absence of proof or logic, you can appeal to your reader’s emotions and values, or the sense of what’s right. For instance, saying that action should be taken “for the children” or “to help reduce the suffering of others” makes sense and can’t really be argued against.

As you’re crafting your white paper, keep asking yourself where a reader might get lost, or where they might poke a hole in your argument. You need to make sure your case is clearly explained and supported throughout the white paper.

It’s also important to point out why the white paper is relevant to the reader. What’s in it for them? And what practical things can they get out of the paper?

Secret 3: Write Like a Journalist

White papers need to be direct and to the point. Your readers are typically busy businesspeople, and 90 percent of all white papers are read on a screen.

So, a white paper should be easy to read and comprehend as quickly as possible. If it’s too long-winded, your reader will likely click away and move on to other things.

Here are a few suggestions for streamlining your copy:

• Use short words, sentences, and paragraphs.
• Include smooth transitions between ideas.
• Weave your sources in gracefully throughout.
• Use a clear, unadorned writing style.

Remember that a white paper is not leisure reading. It’s best to provide the information you need to provide, then let your reader get on with their day.

Secret 4: Don’t Make a Sales Pitch!

As we mentioned before, white papers are meant to provide useful information to your target audience.

A white paper is one part of a larger marketing campaign, but it’s not the part that directly sells a product to a potential customer. That’s typically in later stages of the content continuum.

Your readers have downloaded your white paper to get the information you’re offering. They want trustworthy advice on a practical topic … The last thing they want is a sales pitch.

In fact, you could hurt your final sales if your white paper is done poorly and puts off potential customers. So keep your white paper useful, and avoid any blatantly sales-y language.

Why White Papers Are Awesome and Pay SO WELL

White papers are fun and interesting projects.

As a freelance writer, you have many reasons to consider specializing in writing white papers.

Reason 1: Fascinating Topics

Countless industries use white papers, and they’re written on nearly any topic you can imagine.

If you enjoy diving deep into a topic and learning new things, there’s a good chance you’d enjoy writing white papers.

Take these examples of white papers published by the Rodale Institute , a nonprofit organization that focuses on advancing organic agriculture through research and education:

As you can see, this single organization publishes white papers on a wide range of topics. The papers all relate to the Rodale Institute’s main focus — organic agriculture — but each one is unique.

This also shows that you don’t need an extensive background in any particular subject to be able to write a white paper about it. Even if you wrote for the Rodale Institute, it’s unlikely you would be knowledgeable about all the different white paper topics they need to create.

That’s where research comes in. For example, Gordon Graham (That White Paper Guy) has been writing white papers for over 25 years — he even wrote the book White Papers for Dummies . And Gordon has written over 300 white papers on a variety of different topics.

Many of those topics were fairly new to him. But he knows the process for writing high-quality white papers, so he could take those projects on with confidence. Like Gordon, you can research nearly any topic and craft a solid white paper based on the principles we described above.

Reason 2: Lots of Clients

A lot of different companies use white papers, particularly in the B2B industry. In fact, approximately 71 percent of B2B businesses use white papers in their content marketing.

And as we touched on previously, the B2B industry makes up 30 to 50 percent of the entire US economy. That represents a massive number of potential clients.

Another opportunity for white paper writers lies with marketing agencies that provide services to B2B companies. Marketing agencies often have in-house writers who handle writing regular content, like blog posts or emails. But white papers are more specialized and challenging to write.

Agencies will often contract out white paper projects to freelancers who have more experience writing them. Freelancers may charge them a hefty fee, but the agency will have a much-higher-quality white paper in the end.

If you’re interested in finding work with agencies, check out our free webinar How to Land Freelance Writing Projects with Agencies and Other Firms .

Reason 3: Little Competition

Not many writers specialize in writing white papers, compared with most other areas of copywriting.

And this is an immediate advantage for those who do.

You’ll set yourself apart from other writers by promoting yourself as a white paper writer. If a company is looking for someone to write a white paper, you’ll be the clear choice over a more general copywriter.

Reason 4: No Hype, No Selling

If writing direct sales copy doesn’t appeal to you, writing white papers is a great — and high-paying — alternative.

As long as you understand how white papers fit into a company’s overall marketing strategy, you don’t need to know the details of the actual sales process or how to write direct sales materials.

Reason 5: Good Money

White papers are very specific, detailed projects. This naturally makes them more valuable to companies compared with everyday content.

But how much can you actually make writing white papers?

Gordon Graham recently heard from someone at IBM that they expect to pay writers $1,000 per page for a white paper. Now, IBM is a larger company, but white papers typically command high fees regardless of the client.

In our Copywriting Pricing Guide , we’ve found the average fee for writing white papers is between $2,000 and $10,000, depending on the project and your experience level. Considering that an average white paper is approximately 2,500 to 3,000 words long, you can see how lucrative this opportunity can be.

How to Get Started Writing White Papers

You might be surprised by how easy it is to get started writing white papers.

If you’re already an established writer, you can add white papers to your existing services. Or if you’re a new writer, you can specialize in writing white papers from day one.

Either way, the following steps will help you get set up as a professional white paper writer.

1. Learn All You Can

Start by reading lots of different white papers to get a feel for the types of content they include and how they’re written.

Take a look at job postings on various online job sites — such as LinkedIn or Indeed — to see what types of companies are looking for white paper writers and what they want in a candidate.

You can focus on one industry you might want to write for, such as B2B companies in the manufacturing, accounting, or pet services industries. Or you can research a variety of industries.

Visit our AWAI Article Archives , type the words "white paper" into our search bar, and voila — you'll find articles on the subject.

Another great option for learning the foundations is to take a formal course, such as AWAI's How to Become a Professional White Paper Writer . It walks you through the entire process of writing effective white papers along with insider tips of finding white paper clients.

Whichever approach you choose, it’s also important to learn and practice the skill of writing white papers. You can do this on your own or as part of a critique group with other writers.

2. Promote Your Services

Once you understand the essentials of white papers, it’s time to start promoting your services.

And a word of advice — you don’t need to be an expert in white papers before you start looking for paid assignments. A basic understanding is all you need at first. You can learn all the finer points through experience.

A helpful first step is to decide whether you want to specialize in writing for a certain niche or industry. In general, choosing a niche as a writer will help you stand out from the competition.

When it comes to writing white papers, this isn’t as big of a deal because there’s already so little competition. But if you have a strong interest or professional background in a certain field, you may want to choose a niche as a white paper writer.

For example, white paper writer Christina Haviland has a background as a life scientist, so she decided to specialize in writing white papers for biotechnology and other science-based companies, as you can see in her LinkedIn profile below:

Whether or not you specialize in a certain niche, make sure you clearly state that you’re a white paper writer in all your promotional material, like Christina has done in her LinkedIn byline above.

Include a similar byline on your writer’s website, business card, email signature line, or anywhere else people will see it.

Tell everyone you know that you’re a white paper writer. Even if they don’t own a business or need a writer, they may know someone who does.

Also consider joining one or more business groups, either in person or online. You’ll likely have the most success finding potential white paper clients through B2B-related groups. Check if there are any B2B associations in your local area, or join online B2B groups through platforms such as LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is used fairly extensively in the B2B industry, which makes it a great place to connect with potential clients. For more ideas on finding clients through LinkedIn, watch our free webinar LinkedIn Now: Best Practices for Getting Great Writing Clients .

3. Remember the Lack of Competition

The majority of B2B marketers don’t know anyone who specializes in writing white papers … We hear this all the time from our members and business associates.

This is because so few writers choose to specialize in white papers. And why is that? Mostly because writers don’t even know about this opportunity!

If you promote yourself as a white paper writer and start finding clients, your future as a well-paid writer is nearly guaranteed.

Once a business knows you and the quality of your work, they’ll keep coming back to you for their next white paper projects. They might refer you to other companies as well.

And don’t think that white papers are always stand-alone projects. Many companies publish white papers on an ongoing basis, such as one per month or four per year. This means you can have consistent, repeating work from one client, without needing to constantly search for new clients.

Final Thoughts

Writing white papers may be THE highest-paying writing project on a per-page basis.

And hardly any writers know about them …

White papers are used by a huge range of businesses, and companies struggle to find skilled white paper writers. If you prefer writing more fact-based, objective copy, white papers may be perfect for you.

If you’re interested in learning about writing white papers in more depth, you may want to consider taking our AWAI Verified™ program White Paper Mastery & Certification . Over four weeks, four white paper mentors will personally takes you through all the steps necessary to write outstanding white papers and start finding paying clients. Plus you'll take a test and turn in a white paper assignment for a real client … for professional feedback. Your first polished white paper sample!

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Article: Freelance Writing Opportunities for All Stages of the Customer Journey

Article: 4 Abundant Marketing Buckets of Opportunity for Freelance Writers

AWAI Article Archives

How to Become a Professional White Paper Writer

White papers are the most overlooked projects in the writing world, despite paying upward of $8,000! These formulaic reports are needed by hundreds of thousands of companies in every industry, with 91% of them calling white papers “one of the two most influential marketing tools” in their arsenal. Learn to write them and earn a “professional-level” income as a writer right out of the gate. » Learn More

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