White Papers
Originally, white papers were government research documents. Some ministry of the British government would commission a study on crime or road safety or the economic impact of whatever. The findings were written up and published in a white paper, which was made publicly available. The idea was that providing the best information possible to the public and to other ministries and policy makers would help everyone make better decisions.
Eventually large corporations got in on the act, using white papers as a way to influence public policy and build credibility (they didn’t call it Thought Leadership back then). They also realized that it was a fantastic business-to-business marketing tool: a ten to thirty page testament to a company’s experience and vision, disguised as a useful report our customers actually want to read.
White papers are a fantastic way for even the smallest of businesses to reach out to their clients and prospects in a useful manner, building trust, loyalty, and Thought Leadership.
While a white paper can be almost anything (not white, not printed on paper, not like anything any one else is doing), there are some common trends in white paper writing you can use as a guide, or jumping off point.
Purpose and Scope
White papers tend to retain some amount of a research slant, providing an analysis of some data set or case study. This is often pushed to the limit (health benefits of the product you’re selling is a lot like sales copy), but the trend is still on the side of useful research information.
The topics tend to be narrow and easily summed up in a title. A white paper exists to address a particular issue or problem. They tend to be short enough to be read in one (moderately long) sitting: 5-15 pages is pretty normal.
Graphics, Layout, and Design
The original white papers were black type-writer text on white paper. The biggest design choice back then was margin size. Today, the sky is the limit.
Text continues to be a major focus of white papers, and the most common visual elements are graphs and charts. Infographics (illustrated presentations of complex data) are becoming a common feature as well. There are not a lot of cartoons or drawn illustrations, but there is a lot of stock photography and iconography.
White continues to be the dominant color, but many other colors are being used as well. The overwhelming trend is towards black text on a light background. Few people are using brown, navy blue, or other dark text options, and fewer still are choosing light text on a dark background. This is, I think, because the creators are hoping that white papers will be printed by the reader, but that’s actually a very rare occurrence.
The majority of white papers have a clean, generically corporate look and feel to them: a tastefully empty cover page with the company’s logo and paper title fashionably off center, two column layout in a safe serif font, stock photos of diverse men and women smiling and wearing suits, regular margins.
Format and Distribution
White papers are almost always free, downloadable PDFs available on the company’s site. They are usually advertised in a sidebar widget on the front page or the blog (often in the top right hand corner). Firms that have several white papers also frequently have a whole page on their site listing and linking to their white papers.
