This in particular, I don't think is a white paper... however, that's not to say that shorter lengths can't be just as successful in conveying a purpose and achieving the intended goal. This particular one just wasn't up to par, is all.

Right on Terri! I dropped by your web site and saw my favorite opera on the front page A.I.D.A. The only differentiation is that I use AIDA as a framework for whitepapers rather than to use the whitepaper only in the interest category.

Have any of you used reference urls to special client webpages in the body of your whitepapers to build the engagement process. It would be interesting to open FACs or a video to build the case and bring the premise to life. Just my brain running on OT;-) as I have yet to implement such a concept.

Owen

A white paper’s quality cannot be based solely on number of pages. A paper may have the typical number of pages, 8-12, but still not serve the true purpose of a white paper.

A white paper must educate and motivate the reader enough to take the next step. That next step may be to initiate a sales call or build a business case to present to the executives. The paper must clearly articulate the business problem, including any quantifiable data or statistics. Then the paper must guide and convince the user that this method, and ultimately vendor solution, is the proper answer to the problem.

As we’ve seen, this usually takes 8-12 pages to do. Hard to imagine only two pages – but maybe we should challenge ourselves to see how tight we really can write. This may become more and more important with shorter reading attention spans! Food for thought.

This document is more of a summary than a white paper. Very little education of the reader takes place here.

I agree; some customers doprefer short information but while others tend to prefer long one

I agree that one component of a white paper is to inform the reader, another is to get the readers attention, develop interest and desire to learn more which leads to the action phase that makes our clients smile. That is the "tell/show me more" when customers are induced to take action. Of course this doesnt hold true for government or educational submissions which include significantly more detail and typically more pages. I write for business and non-profit clients who are interested in engaging new existing and former customers, volunteers and donors. An interesting methodology is to write the interest stimulator paper as well as a follow on piece [or a series of follow on pieces] that require the reader to act and become engaged with our client.

As to length, isn't it important to focus on the type of reader that the client is targeting. Some want it cut, dried and simple, while other readers want wikipedia length tomes and full details. I tend to write by focusing on what my audience wants to read.

Owen

Mike,

This is NOT white paper. A key part of a good white paper is its ability to educate the reader in detail about a particular topic. At some point we have to accept the fact that to do so requires the dedicate of a particular page length to this task.

The example that you have provided is an article with a front cover that is masquerading as a white paper. If this practice is acceptable, then ANYTHING can be called a white paper, which is what happens when you have a lack of standards in the marketplace.

Jonathan

Hi Mike - I chimed in on this subject when you raised it previously. Originally I said the same thing as Toby - that quality matters most. But after reading some of your posts, I deferred to your expertise and conceded that a short piece probably doesn't offer enough valuable information.

The problem is that there are documents out there, like this one, that need a name. They are useful marketing tools and have a valid place in the market. Perhaps they're a special report. Perhaps there's another name (I don't think it's an article...if so, it's a total snooze).

I'm less wedded to form as I am the depth. This document didn't have enough detail in it, and what's there isn't presented in an interesting way. Failure to have those qualities is what kills it - and a longer document has a better chance to meet those standards.

I found the whitepaper/article quite technical. I wasn't inspired to continue reading. However, if it had captured my interest and directed me to action, I don't think I would doubt it's a whitepaper. I would actually prefer that whitepapers were less lengthy.

My commentary focuses on writing for profit. Although the government and the universities focus on solution based papers that deliver answers. Corporations tend to focus on bottom line profit. With respect to white papers this means attracting new customers, retaining existing customers and reviving former customers by creating reasons to buy their products or services.

In my way of thinking, using the K.I.S.S. [keep it simple stupid] analogy, we should focus our content on what they like. That usually tends to be material that delivers results at the bank. If we deliver what clients want, they will more readily pay for the white papers that they perceive to be bottom line revenue generators. I agree with Mike that the sample content isn't what I would consider to be a white paper but for different reasons.

Owen

Seems like a lot of consultant-speak that says crunching and comparing data from multiple sources gives you a better idea of what's going on. But it doesn't appear to help the reader make a decision. So is it a white paper? It's on white paper, otherwise...

Miguel,

IMHO - In My Humble Opinion.

t.

I see that you caught my subtle point Mike! But on to your points [educate, make the case etc.] [ valuable content is critical] [I have never seen a two page document accomplish this]. Good copy is essential, great copy is better. As to your comment on length, I see a challenge in your comment [I have never seen...] If you were asked to produce a great two page whitepaper for a sophisticated client with $100,000 to spend what would you do, pass or accept the challenge???

Owen

Hey Owen;

Interesting that you called it an article.

To your original post. Remember a white paper is NOT an ad (like your SuperBowl analogy).

It is meant to educate, make the case, etc.

I think valuable content is critical. And I have never seen a two page document accomplish this.

Mike

I did read the piece before writing my commentary and thus offered my comment rather than my criticism in real world terms! It took me an hour to finish [kidding] which included a nap about half way through.

As you may remember, I work with the disability population and am highly knowledgeable in the healthcare industry. To my way of thinking the article did not stimulate me to enter the tell me more phase, so I didn't visit the client further.

Regards,
Owen

Owen - You didn't answer my question. Take a look at the above paper and tell me if you think it is a white paper. - Mike

I think of a whitepaper like a well developed elevator pitch. The goal is to stimulate reader action [tell me more] and the whitepaper outline formula is A.I.D.A. [not the opera] Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. In order to sell whitepaper authoring we need to produce whitepapers that sell the clients desired result. If that can be done in two pages or one or even in a paragraph or two its money on our bottom line. After all folk pay millions for 30 or 60 seconds of fame on a Superbowl ad! What say you, Mike??

Ciao,
Owen

Toby - IMHO ??? - Mike

IMHO the length of the paper is far less important than the quality of the content. In this case, again IMHO, this work doesn't qualify as a white paper because it lacks form and depth.

It reads more like a magazine article that's been repurposed rather than a white paper. It's perfectly legitimate to do that, but you run the risk of alienating your readers, and in this case your prospective customer.

t.

I'm still thinking that short writing as long as they are pretty useful in adressing the problem and leading to solution, we can consider them as white paper. But reading your example, I must admit that this writing have some potential point that would be good if the writer could make longer and clearer explanation.