Apr
28
This post will discuss the Top Ten Mistakes in Writing White Papers. Items #7 and #8 are today.
Mistake #7 – Not re-using the content
The process of writing a white paper takes several hours of research and editing, not including the actual writing process. Why would you take all that time and then just it one time? Leverage your effort into other areas.
To get more return out of your time invested, re-use the content in different forms. Psychologists have long recognized that different people have different styles of learning. Why not take your invested time and use it to create multiple areas?
Here is a short list of follow-on items that could be quickly built using data from a white paper:
- Special sections on your website
- Niche sites on the web
- Specialized landing pages
- Presentations for trade shows and conferences
- Training classes for customers
- Datasheets
Mistake #8 – Not respecting the writing process
The ‘writing’ part of a white paper is only one component in the creation process. Yes, there is a process. Often, the shortest section of the process is the actual writing. At a grossly oversimplified level, the process is :
Research -> Planning -> Writing -> Editing
Very few people realize the greatest writers are the same ones who are the most disciplined. It takes more than a simple, “I’m going to write a white paper today.’ kind of attitude.
The mythological stories of a writer hunched over an oak desk furiously are nice to imagine. We are somehow drawn the outpouring of energy and inspiration that flows from the mind to the pen. What we don’t imagine is the intense sessions of research and editing that precede and follow the vigorous writing.
Shortcutting these steps will ultimately be detrimental to the paper and it will show in the content. The best white papers are the ones written with a process
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