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Writing White Papers About Ideas?

By Michael Stelzner

Today we hear a lot about white papers.

They tend to focus on a product or a service offered by a company.

However, can white papers be written about ideas, whether philosophical or practical?

This is the essence of a question that Patricia from Nashville sent me.

She asked:

I work in a Metro government program, whose focus is on obesity prevention. We try to do this by encouraging exercise and making healthy food choices. My goal for developing a white paper is to present this issue… My questions are basic… Any helpful hints or recommendations as I embark on this task?

The good news Patricia is this: White papers are excellent educational tools and ideas such as obesity prevention are perfect topics for white papers.

Here are a couple of pointers:

  • If you are writing to consumers, try not to call them white papers, rather call them reports or guides.
  • Make sure they provide educational value to your intended readers.
  • Understand the pain points of your readers and speak to them in the piece.
  • Get a book on white papers to help you. Try searching “white papers” on Amazon or check out a free resource, such as this.

Anyone else have any pointers for Patricia when it comes to writing papers about ideas?

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 4th, 2007 at 5:12 am and is filed under Writing White Papers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

  • Hi Julie - Thanks for your comment.

    So tell us about Research Resource? - Mike
  • In your particular area, you need a new and fresh "angle" on your issue. We are bombarded with information in the media, and I would say that, while you can do a basic paper on the advantages of eating healthy, most people do know they should, why and how. What would be more interesting to people is understanding why they continue to act contrary to what they know is "healthy eating", the idea that "food is love" and how to fight it, that kind of thing. If you merely rehash common knowledge, you aren't really contributing. A white paper does not merely inform, it advises of current understanding of the subject developed through solid research, and then brings together the facts to make a point. I'll bet there's a million white papers out there on healthy eating - make yours different, use a multi-disciplinary approach if possible, and you'll educate people and speak to their needs directly. Julie Larson, www.research-resource.com
  • Hey Lance;

    Thanks for ringing in.

    I would add that those papers that are essentially gloried brochures are not really white papers.

    Mike
  • Lance Winslow
    Well we write white papers all the time about ideas, philosophy, concepts at our Online Think Tank which is not affiliated with any political group, academia or business model. So, if we can do it and folks enjoy reading what we write, why not? If companies can make white papers which are often glorified "chest pumped up" brochures on steroids, why not I ask?
  • Whitney - Thanks for your kind words.

    Guide does work nicely, I agree.

    Mike
  • (Buying Michael's book, Patricia, is an investment you won't regret making.)

    In my travels, I've noticed that if I want to attract Average Joe Neighbor or Average Jane Neighbor, calling something a "report" is almost as sure to make their eyes glaze over (before they even read the document) as using "white paper".

    "Guide" works very well.
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