A white paper is somewhat different than a PDF report/brochure. With a white paper, the focus is on an industry-related challenge and solution. It is a very generic approach, with no mention of your company’s product or solution until the end of the paper.

With a PDF brochure, you might start with the product, go over the features and benefits, and overall show how your product provides solutions.

The difference then is that a white paper is more about thought-leadership within an industry, whereas a PDF brochure is pure marketing.

But to answer your question, yes you can use the same techniques. As I commented to Jenna, all three of these methods are great for breaking up large sections of text and allowing skimmers to pick out the highlights. You will be more likely to convert the skimmers into readers, which is one step closer to converting them into buyers.

~Graham

I’m trying to piece together some components for an information product I want to create. How much of an impact will writing a white paper make for my product?

Does it matter what type of info product it is? Taking the course at InfoProdCreation.com has put me on track to creating a product but I want to make as much of an impact as possible when promoting it.

Writing a white paper seems much more complicated but it seems like it could do wonders for my product. Couldn’t I use the same techniques in a basic PDF report or eBook?

I won’t mention the product idea out of respect and I don’t know if it would have mattered, but if you can share your opinion I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks.

Fisk Gawsen

I am a long time skimmer and read in a way that I pick up on key phrases and bolded words. I love to get to the point of the story which is why I tend to read articles or posts that have bolded group of words. It almost breaks up the article from being visually dry. And of course the bolded keywords are normally the important part of the actual article. I’m glad you use bolded words which make my reading enjoyable. The best blogs are the ones that are organized and easy to read.

Paul

@Jenna - Glad you like the ideas! I find that they are handy techniques for other writing pieces as well including longer web pages, reports, and even brochures. But they are especially suited to the white paper, I think, because often these days people will skim it first to see if it is worth reading, and then come back if they find value in it. If you can demonstrate that value and even tell the story while they are skimming, you have a better chance of bringing them in.

~Graham

First I want to welcome Graham to his first post here!

I might take issue with Graham’s use of the word “all.”

I would state that you don’t what to satisfy everyone, only those who you intent to target.

My 2 cents!

Mike

Thanks for sharing & have a good one!

I didn’t attend that audio conference, so you have me at a disadvantage there! But I just did a search to see if I could find a written reference to that — and I found one here at Michael’s White Paper Source: http://www.whitepapersource.com/writing/white-paper-design-mistake/

I agree that subheads should be as short as possible. But I’m of the mind that your subheads should be descriptive enough that readers can easily understand the main message.

For example, I’m not sure what “Type Layout” means out of context of the paper. Is that how to decide on a type of layout? Deciding on a Font? Deciding on how to justify, color, and emphasize the type?

On the other hand, I believe most readers will know what “Your Font Choice Impacts Your Message” means. Yes, it is longer, but the “extra” time to read this is minimal. Most importantly, the message behind the subhead (note: not necessarily the words themselves) will likely stay with the reader longer.

That being said, you have to consider your audience. If your paper is written to typographers, then perhaps you can use shorthand like “Type Layout,” “Font Choice,” and “Arial” (within proper context). This is because the key messages are already a part of the reader. In this case you are using the subheads as touchstones to draw images from their minds rather than plant those images.

I guess that is the difference: planting images in the mind of your reader generally requires more words, while drawing them out takes less. And as we have all learned from those memory courses, imagining actions (i.e. using verbs) helps reinforce those images and improves memory.

Bottom line: understanding your audience — as always when it comes to writing white papers — is key in your decision as to which method to use.

~Graham