What if you’ve never written a white paper and you really want to develop the skill, where do you start?

That’s the gist of a question I received from a gal that I’ll call Jill (to protect her identity):

How do you get experience? I’d work for free if someone gave me the opportunity to see if I could write white papers.  So far, all I’ve come up with is that I have to buy somebody’s book.

Don’t get me wrong, but reading a book is not going to get me the 5-10 years experience in writing white papers.  (I plan on buying yours, though; you don’t seem to be so long-winded in your advertisements to get people to buy your book.)

Is this whole “white paper thing” something you’re born into- like being the son of the person who starts a business and then bestows it to his prodigy?

Let me answer Jill’s question.

First, nobody is born with white paper writing talent in their blood. I know I wasn’t.

Here are some tips to help you gain experience:

1. Study the pros: Take a look at great white papers.  Analyze them and look at how their are written.  This will help you determine if you can produce similar quality content.

2. Write one: Why not just write one on a topic you are interested in (and that you can show future prospects).  As you said in your message, if you don’t know how, you can get the book.

3. Pitch one: Try and sell an existing customer on the value of a white paper.  Or offer to do a white paper on the cheap just to get some experience under your belt.

4. Repeat steps 1 through 3: Keep studying the pros, writing white papers and pitching them.  The only way to gain experience is to work at it.

Am I missing anything?  I would love to hear from you!

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