What is a white paper, anyway?

by Gordon Graham, That White Paper Guy
 

Ask any 10 people this question and you'll likely get 12 different answers.

Here is the best short definition I've ever found, after years of looking: a white paper is a persuasive essay.

To expand on that a little, a white paper is a persuasive essay that uses facts and logic to promote a recommended solution to a certain problem.
 

Beyond that, I've heard white papers described as: • A manifesto on how to solve a particular problem • A "bait-piece" • A "buzz-piece" • The glue that holds a marketing campaign together • An information widget to promote a company • A way to freeze-dry your ideas • A document that is all things to all people.

Clearly none of these exotic definitions quite do the trick.

Instead, I like to think about the "classic white paper" that has evolved over the past decade or so.

The content of a "classic" white paper provides useful information for readers seeking to understand an issue, solve a problem, or do their jobs better.

This can include explaining a certain product, service, technology or methodology.

The form of a "classic" white paper is somewhere between a technical manual and a glossy brochure...

somewhere between a dry-as-dust academic paper and a magazine article in Scientific American.

So there you have it, in a nutshell:

A "classic" white paper is a persuasive essay, sponsored by a certain organization to provide helpful information about overcoming a certain problem, and formatted to look something like a magazine article.

To repost this article on your Web site, just e-mail a request to Gordon@ThatWhitePaperGuy.com.