Why the Smartest White Papers Lead with Insight, Not Sales Pitches

IN THIS ARTICLE, YOU’LL LEARN:

The advantage white papers have over other content formats
How to tactically choose the topic and title of your white paper
Step-by-step instructions to plan, write and distribute your white paper
Innovative strategies to promote and repurpose your white paper
Why you should focus on value for the reader, not self-promotion

“White papers are probably the most important tool for those marketing to businesses.”

— US research institute, Marketing Sherpa

The most effective white papers …

… position you as the expert, ‘selling’ your insight, which in turn, naturally and implicitly, ‘sells’ you. Unlike case studies, brochures and blogs, which often directly promote a business, clever white papers take a subtle approach. They help the target reader solve a problem, understand an issue, or make a decision. Your company may be mentioned, yes, but typically in passing or at the conclusion, *after* providing value to the reader.

A well-crafted white paper will showcase your company's thought leadership without being a salespitch – which, of course, is what it (discreetly) is. But to do this effectively, everything hinges on your crafting an evidence-based piece of work that’s so impeccably professional, persuasive and polished that your reader will remain oblivious to its underlying marketing genius. (And unaware that it is a gentle gateway into your sales funnel…).

The deep-dive format

White papers outshine the brevity of all their content counterparts. They’re effective for conveying information on anything that’s complex or that needs to be explained (which can be said of most B2B products and services!). They employ facts, share input from industry experts, and use logic to provide valuable and educational content. It’s the journalistic objectivity they promise that makes white papers such an effective promotional format.

**Influencers of decision-making**

If your white paper can logically lead the reader to conclude that your company has the knowledge, expertise or technology to help them, it can help in informing decisions (towards you). This is especially true in the B2B field, where offerings are often tailored to specific industry segments and clients typically need detailed technical or specialised information before making a purchasing decision.
Infographic: shows results from Learning from Leaders study conducted by FT Longitude (part of the Financial Times Group), that surveyed over 1,000 senior executives (CFO [Chief Financial Officer], CIO [Chief Information Officer] and CEO [Chief Executive Officer] across a range of industries.

“When I was a [B2B] marketing executive, my team needed only one or two white papers a year. Nothing could touch a white paper for generating a strong return on the effort we invested in it.”

— Gordon Graham, the acclaimed 'White Paper Guy,' expert in business and technology communication.

ROI in repurposing potential

It's a smart strategy to squeeze every drop of insight from your white paper …

The versatility of white papers is brilliant, enabling you to amplify their impact and lifespan.
A solid white paper is nothing short of a content goldmine.
First, it can be sent directly to prospects; featured on your website as a lead magnet to gather email addresses, or used as an attraction asset in targeted paid advertising campaigns.
Second, it can be 'sliced and diced' into multiple content formats - think blog posts, webinars, and infographics – all of which are perfect for sparking social media conversations.

Educate, engage and excel

The best white papers are masterclasses wrapped in PDFs. By educating prospects on complex issues, they can position your business as the authoritative voice in your industry. With every graph and bullet point, your white paper can echo your deep knowledge, turning readers into students eager to learn from you: the expert who knows their subject inside out.

This educational approach is more than just smart – it's strategic too. When decision-makers are looking for solutions, they turn to sources they can trust.

“The most effective type of content B2B marketers use for content marketing purposes is white papers, over and above case studies and social media posts. ”

— Content Marketing Institute

Pillars of extended marketing campaigns

Smart marketing directors use white papers as the cornerstone of comprehensive marketing initiatives. And that brings me to another technique I'm seeing more. That’s companies branding their white papers as a series and building a whole 'library', to keep people coming back for more …

Tip: Most readers are likely to distrust a white paper that displays its sponsor’s logo prominently. But, generally, when a white paper features merely a discreet logo, it signals content that's likely to be valuable, engaging and substantial.

So how can you plan and increase your next white paper's lead-generation potential? Follow these 12 tips:

1. Roadmap Your White Paper

Planning is crucial and should start with a needs assessment by identifying your *target reader* and your *goal* (do you want to educate, sell, inform or differentiate?). Begin with a rough topic idea and the end in mind. Figure out what problems you’ll solve for the audience, their current level of knowledge, your call to action, and a working title. *Definitely consider involving the writer in this brainstorming to ensure they understand your strategy.*

2. Use The Strategic Goal To Decide The Format

Determine the stage of the sales funnel you are targeting. Is it to generate leads or nurture prospects? This will lead you to the most compelling format. Typically, you have three formats to choose from but these can be combined and for more help on this, see the image above.
**Problem/Solution:** This is a persuasive essay that leads with an industry challenge you know your reader faces and then presents solutions (which may be your service or product, but presented generically, and which cleverly done, positions yours as the best choice). *Targets top-of-the funnel readers early in purchasing process.*
**Backgrounder:** A detailed but cleverly positioned educational look at the features/benefits of products/services. *Useful for product positioning and buyers near the bottom of the funnel.*
**Numbered List:** A set of tips, questions, answers or points about an issue or a solution. Can be provocative in topic. *Versatile for winning attention and nurturing leads in the middle of the funnel.*

3. Identify The Right Writer

A good writer can help you work out the most appropriate type of content and subject matter that will resonate with your audience. You need a writer who can deliver both factual journalistic accuracy *and* compelling copy. You’ll also need subject matter experts and reviewers.

4. Decide How Promotional To Be

This is a balancing act. I’ve seen good white papers from both ends of the spectrum and in between. It really depends on what part of the sales funnel you're speaking to — be it awareness, consideration, or decision.
Take the **awareness** stage, for example. You might only want 2% of the content to be promotional, which could just mean having your logo on the cover and a brief intro about your company at the end, with quotes from your in-house experts.
When you move into the **consideration** or **decision** stages, you might up the promo content to 10%. This usually involves listing your product among the possible solutions and subtly introducing its advantages.
There are rare times when going all out with 100% promotional content makes sense, if you have a unique take on what you do or you're introducing a brand-new technology. But even in this case, it needs to be framed within the bigger industry context.

5. Ask The Writer To Prepare An Outline and Timeline

You’ll need a one-page bulleted summary of the direction, proposed sections and sub-sections. This provides a roadmap and indicates to the writer what research and interviews are needed. Ensure all involved will be on track with their roles and timings. Also agree how references will be formatted - footnotes, endnotes or in-text citations.

6. Make The White Paper A Page Turner

Make the cover design attractive. Use dramatic colours, icons and layout. Readers will judge the content by the cover design. Invest in this - it will pay off in downloads. Inside, use text enhancements for visual breaks - bullets, headings, pull quotes, infographics, sidebars and white space. Keep sentences and paragraphs short.

7. Craft A Title With A Hook To Lure The Reader In

The title is critical to get the click. Keep it short, use active verbs, make the promise clear and use emotional language. Robert Bly, writing guru, says: “Whether prospects eagerly send for your withe paper or pass it by is determined by the title.” Consider using the target audience in the title, ie. HR professionals or pharma CFOs.

8. Publish, Promote and Re-purpose

Have your promotional plan ready before publishing. Make a high-converting landing page explaining the white paper's value. Promote through your website, email lists, social media, PR, advertising and industry media. Then leverage the hard work by repurposing into blog posts, infographics, slide decks, webinars, videos, podcasts and more. Your white paper can be adapted into material to suit a packed Rolodex of prospects at all stages of the sales cycle. The possibilities are limited only by the creativity and budget of your marketing team.

How to choose the topic and title of your white paper?

While every B2B white paper has its own subtle or less subtle promotional agenda, the prime goals of white papers are to build trust and establish authority – which is why I recommend being tactical when you start thinking about what your white paper should cover.

‘Show, don’t tell’ is a good move.

Planning your white paper to serve a dual purpose – to educate the audience in a topic you know they want to learn about and subtly positioning your company as a solution provider (in a non-salesy way) – is a clever strategy.

Just like products can be woven …

… into the storyline of a film (i.e. the James Bond series, which discreetly promotes high-performance cars like Aston Martin without directly focusing on them), a cleverly titled white paper can (indirectly) integrate your company's expertise or services into valuable content.
*Aston Martin DB5 used for the film GoldenEye Credit:* *Murgatroyd49* *- Own work*

Would you like some examples?

White paper title: Smart Strategies for Biomanufacturers to Speed Products to Market
Company creating the white paper? A construction firm specialising in building facilities for the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors.
Why it’s tactical: By discussing the challenges facing its sophisticated biopharma audience, the paper subtly showcases the firm's understanding of the sector, beyond just construction. This approach builds credibility and helps establishes the firm as a thought leader in the biomanufacturing space.
White paper title: Climate-Adaptive Architecture in Urban Landscapes
Company creating the white paper? An architectural and engineering consultancy firm with a focus on sustainable and resilient building practices.
Why it’s tactical: This paper discusses the importance of climate-adaptive design in urban planning. It showcases the firm's expertise in sustainable architecture, positioning them as a forward-thinking thought leader, without directly marketing their services.
White paper title: Precision Medicine and AI: Transforming Patient Care in Oncology
Company creating the white paper: A healthcare technology company that develops AI-driven diagnostic tools.
Why it’s tactical: This title taps into the cutting-edge field of AI in precision medicine, particularly in cancer care, reflecting the company's involvement in healthcare innovation. The paper could explore the impact of AI on patient outcomes, subtly highlighting their AI solutions' contributions to advancing oncology care, without appearing as a sales pitch.