How to Write a White Paper Like a Journalist, Part 1: Gather Great Information

This week, we published a new white paper, How to Write a White Paper Like a Journalist. Let’s walk through the first steps in writing a white paper like a pro: gathering great information. 

1. Understand Your Audience

Create content your customers need. Remember: businesses don’t read white papers or make buying decisions. People do. Write for them.

2. Understand the Industry and Its Issues

As you start your research, try to understand the big-picture topics in the industry, including: What pain points are companies trying to relieve?

3. Leverage Outside Expertise

You don’t need to know everything – you just need to know how to find and connect with people who do. Seek out experts. The more reputable the expert, the more compelling your white paper will be.

4. Verify Your Information

Credibility is everything. Learn to be a tireless fact-checker. Don’t automatically consider Wikipedia, blog posts, and social media updates as credible news sources.

To read more, download the full white paper: How to Write a White Paper Like a Journalist.

What are the challenges you face when you’re developing a white paper?

 

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2 Comments

1. Check out this webinar on how to use journalistic techniques on your next white paper | Verb Nerd Industries
   10:45 am on February 6, 2013

   [...] Write a White Paper Like a Journalist Part 1: Gather great information. [...]

   Reply

2. How to Write a Case Study Like a Journalist - Reputation Capital: Premium Content for B2B Inbound Marketing
   8:35 am on March 25, 2013

   [...] — explaining to readers what happened, why and how. For this and for many of the same reasons they’re good at writing white papers, journalists are good at writing case [...]

   Reply