White Paper Design
Quick tip: Format white papers for the screen, not the page
I’ve seen figures saying 90% of all white papers are viewed on-screen. Yet too many white papers are still formatted like printed books: Long paragraphs of text Skimpy white space Few visual breaks Lots of extra pages at the start Making a white paper like a mini-book is NOT the way to reach busy prospects.…
Read MoreYou asked: Why do clients expect writers to design white papers?
The question “who does design?” comes up often from white paper writers. Even Bob Bly—the copywriter’s copywriter—wonders why clients don’t listen when he says he writes text, but does not provide finished design. In my experience, most B2B companies already have a designer they work with. Of the 300+ white papers I worked on, I…
Read More20 top tips for white paper designers
First time ever designing a white paper? You can make that a smash hit or a total flop. It’s as simple as that. White paper readers don’t demand anything fancy. They just want a document that’s easy to scan, easy to read, and professional. If you give them that, they’ll likely scan it to pick…
Read More11 ways to grab attention with a white paper
What are some tips and tricks for grabbing a reader’s attention with a white paper? I recently answered that question on Quora. There are many things you can do to help get a white paper noticed, ranging from the cover to the structure to how you write the content. Here’s a more detailed answer, expanded…
Read MoreWorst. White. Paper. Ever.
While researching white papers over the past 20 years, I’ve seen a lot of dreck. Analyzing all those poor examples helped me identify what I call the “worst practices” of these documents. And I’m amazed to report—more than six years since I first encountered it—that one white paper is still the worst I’ve ever seen. Click the cover to…
Read MoreWhy you should include video in your next white paper
There is a good reason to include video in your next white paper. Your white paper reader is changing. Today’s decision-makers are pressed for time and attention. Like all of us, they’re distracted by social media, e-mail, workday interruptions, and way too much content coming their way. They also face meetings, reports to write, decisions to make. The result is…
Read MoreWhere to find stock photos for white papers and B2B marketing
At That White Paper Guy, we really like using stock photos, both in white papers and in our social media. When you find realistic-looking stock photos, they can retain readers who would otherwise be put off by a wall of gray text. To help you make your content more interesting, we’ve done some research on the…
Read MoreTips on using stock photos in white papers
Want to use a photo to spice up a white paper? But not sure where to find one, or how to use it? The best source for stock photos remains iStockPhoto.com. This site hosts close to 10 million photos, plus graphics, music and video clips. Most of this content is royalty-free, meaning you can buy a photo and use it…
Read MoreHow to do a white paper makeover and make every page count
I just downloaded a white paper that’s almost two-thirds overhead?! Can you believe it: 7 out of 11 pages are the “wrapper” around the content. Every white paper needs some overhead, just like a sandwich needs two pieces of bread to hold it together. But when this counts for nearly two-thirds of a white paper,…
Read MoreDesigners, here’s how NOT to format a white paper
Nothing undermines a good white paper faster than poor design. If you’re not sure how to design a white paper, or you’ve never done one before, read on. A white paper is neither fish nor fowl, if you’ve heard that expression. A white paper is something between a marketing piece and a scholarly essay.…
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