Apr
28
I wrote about the headline being one of the biggest mistakes people make in white papers. I continue that thought here.
Many of the authors who write white papers are also doing other things. Their titles range from Marketing Managers, Engineering Managers, Product Managers, and even Sales Managers. Sadly, these people are writing out of necessity. They aren’t professional writers, but no one else in the organization has the time to author a paper. So, the manager writes it.
Since the author of the white paper isn’t a writer, the headline is overlooked. And, the headline is the most important element of the paper. Why?
Because the headline gets the reader to start reading the first sentence.
There are several resources to help with writing headlines. Many of them are from the great copywriters of the world. Don’t let this discourage you. Anyone who writes a white paper – product managers, marketing managers, engineers, or FAEs – should invest time into reading the great books from copywriters. They have a lot to teach you about creating desire, flow, and salesmenship.
Here are some I would recommend:
Advertising Secrets of the Written Word, Joseph Sugarman
Claude Hopkins, Scientific Advertising
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