Target your whitepapers to your specific audiences, such as the C-Suite, Purchasing Departments, Technical Developers

1. THE WHITE PAPER*
WHAT IS IT? A white paper plays a strategic role in the process to teach, inform, or sell to people seeking to
understand a certain product, service, or technology. It is marketing collateral that is a cross
between a technical paper and a glossy brochure.
WHY WRITE ONE? To move forward your process to teach, inform, or sell.
TYPES Technical  Technical briefing
 Buyer’s guide
 Planning and implementation guide (industry and technology trends)
 Application guides
 Case studies or example applications
Business  Business implication discussions
 Strategy discussions
 Industry trend overview
 Issues analyses
 Application guides
Research  Technology guide
 Position paper
 Thought leader
Selection  Business benefits
 Competitive review
 Evaluator’s guide
STANDARDS  The writer’s thorough understanding of the white paper’s goal and objective; what is at
FOR SUCCESS stake; what defines success; the underlying technology, process, and value of the
product or service; how it should be positioned in the marketplace; and the audience and
how it makes decisions
 The writer’s ready access to subject matter experts
 Joint ownership of the project by all participants
 A shared sense of urgency
 An immovable deadline
* based on Gordon and Gordon’s “The State of the White Paper”
business, marketing, and technical communication for people who teach, sell, and inform
rita braun | 2649 west 24th ave, denver, co 80211 | 720.341.6656
www.braunandcompany.com