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Writing White Papers

Technology made large
populations possible;
large populations now make
technology indispensable
Joseph Wood Krutch
American 1893-1970

• Seven stages of writing assignments

• Writing under deadline

• The five-paragraph essay
• Essays for a literature class
• Expository essays
• Persuasive essays
• Position papers
• Writing white papers  ◄
• Presenting your positive image/brand

White papers

• Introduce your product or technology as innovative
• Demonstrate knowledge of client technology and its challenges
• Emphasize the uniqueness and advantages of your solution
• Influence customer purchasing decisions
• Form the foundation for a marketing strategy and technical documentation
  However, in this document, success is demonstrated in the force of your solution, not the hype around your product

Audience:

• Define characteristics of the audience you are writing for
  Highlight their concerns and problems
• Consider their time and method of reading such papers
  Provide an engaging though succinct initial overview/summary/abstract
  Conclude with
  • reviewing your solution
  • how it addresses the client's problem
  • a follow up procedure

Format:

• Review successful papers for models of development
• Consider the venue for publishing
  Web site based presentations are written differently than paper published documents
• Keep the narrative positive, in active voice, and non-technical:
  Technical treatments are best left to the documentation
  Marketing language is best left to subsequent strategies

Begin with a
Well developed overview/executive summary/abstract

• Must capture your target audience's attention
• Content:  A critical one-paragraph summary
  Provide material that gives them a good reason to read further,
  keeping in mind that busy executives may jump to the end paragraphs/conclusion

State the Problem
Two-to-three paragraphs demonstrating your knowledge of 
your clients' challenges and industry trends
Avoid hidden assumptions and agendas
Avoid technical complexity, acronyms, etc.
Define that which cannot be avoided and must be understood
Identify the main objectives of the paper

Describe your product
Incorporate design decisions; industry standards, testing and reliability; best practices and ease of use
Liberally illustrate with simple and well-labeled diagrams and illustrations (Rely on a graphic designer!)

Address how your product resolves the problem; tie the two together
Demonstrate with evidence
Illustrate with case studies and expert testimonials

Entice with

• benefits and returns on investment (ROI)
• future applications, developments, and timelines

Conclude:  with confidence and credibility
Refer to the abstract and summarize your main advantages

Conduct an independent review of the paper before publishing

Publish
Seek out the most appropriate venues of your clients

 

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