How to write a white paper

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If you're getting ready to write a white paper , buckle up. You want to dedicate a significant amount of time to writing a well-explained document that shows how your company is a thought leader in your industry. While it's definitely more labor intensive to write one, like anything else, if you break it down into steps, it won't be as complicated.

Step 1: Choose your topic
Choosing the topic of your white paper starts with the action you want the reader to take after reading it. In Facebook's case, it would have liked its readers to feel more motivated to shift some of their advertising budgets from TV advertising to social media advertising .

Note: Let’s be clear here: your white paper should not manipulate people into thinking something that isn’t true. To make it great, it uses statistics and plenty of research to prove its case. If Facebook had written one like the one we mentioned, it would have shown how many hours people spend on social media per week compared to watching TV. That would have shown that Facebook is a great platform for advertising, not manipulating readers into thinking something that isn’t true.

Step 2: Research
With your topic in hand, it’s time to find relevant statistics and content so you can compliance directors email list write it up. Open up a Google Drive document or your favorite note-taking app and start pulling together statistics and case studies that prove your point. Make sure to save the links so you can link to those sources in your document (remember, you want the white paper to be tested and based on real data, not made up or pulled out of thin air).

Step 3: Write!
Okay, time to start writing. Remember, it's supposed to be very detailed, so it needs to be long. Aim for at least 10 pages (or more depending on your industry). You should also add graphs, charts, and images, so keep these things in mind as you write and aim for a certain page count.

Step 4: Make it eye-catching
The final step in writing your white paper is to make it eye-catching with the charts, tables, and images we mentioned earlier. These “extras” are meant to support the point you’re making, as well as make it easier to understand. You’ll also want to add a table of contents to help the reader easily read your white paper .

Look, writing a white paper isn't that complicated, right?

If your clients would be interested in one, follow these 4 steps to write one so you can use it as a lead magnet, to showcase your thought leadership, or internally for your sales and marketing teams.

Tell us: Have you written any white papers for your company? What is the goal of your white papers? Can you give us any other tips for writing high-quality, eye-catching white papers?