How to Write a White Paper

chillibreeze writer — Shehnaaz Shereen

Introduction

This article, as the title suggests, will address the two related topics about who is the best person to write a white paper and how to write one.

To begin with, let’s understand what a white paper means. A white paper is written when a company, individual or a group of people want to write a report on their product or research a topic that addresses a major issue in their relevant field. A white paper is designed to attract the attention of a specific target audience. This is different from a marketing advertisement or a brochure, which highlights the features and dimensions of a product with the aim to generate revenue. The goal of a white paper is to communicate specific information to a specific audience.

Companies can publish white papers to showcase how their products can be effectively used in a particular scenario. A leading content management solution provider can publish a white paper discussing how this solution can be used effectively to streamline the content management processes in a pharmaceutical company. This can be followed up by a case study. A research student can publish a white paper highlighting the findings and summarizing the research efforts. A group of social workers can publish a white paper on their findings on the impact of poor sanitation in rural areas.

The best person to write a white paper is the Subject Matter Expert (SME). A SME is the person who has been deeply involved in the project and is knowledgeable about its features and limitations. However, as an SME, you must ensure that the content is also clear and effective.

Guidelines to Writing a White Paper

Here are some tips and guidelines to follow while writing a white paper:

Be clear about the purpose and intent behind the paper. Are you writing this paper so that the product features are highlighted? Are you trying to highlight the ease of use? Are you promoting the technology? Are you emphasizing on the applications of the product? Are you explaining a concept or theory? Your content should match the goal that you have set for your white paper.
Understand your audience clearly. Are you targeting the specific companies or the professional community? Who are the decision makers in the audience?
Gather content for the white paper from the various sources in your organization or group. Prepare a rough outline for the white paper. Typically, any document should contain an introduction and a summary. A white paper is no different. Prepare the introduction, main topic content, examples, diagrams, graphs, tables and summary.
Decide on a layout or the “look and feel” of the white paper. Most companies will have standard templates for documentation. You can use one of these and modify it. A simple layout can consist of a header and footer listing the title, year of publication and page number. Follow some elementary writing style guidelines. For example, this article uses the first person “You” to address the audience. You can look up some standard grammar and writing websites and select one style of writing.
Insert the applicable references, copyright and trademark information. No professional document is complete without this information. You will also avoid legal issues later on.
Once this draft is complete, edit the document for content accuracy. Does it address the internal goals you had set? Is it monotonous in content? How can you improve the document for clarity and precision? Is it concisely written? For example, in the white paper on documenting the impact of poor sanitation in rural areas, you should avoid lengthy descriptions of the rural area itself.
Send the document to your peers or management for a final review. Incorporate the changes you receive judiciously.
Complete the spell check and fix editorial issues. Enlist the services of a professional proofreader or writer, if your budget permits. Most word processing tools have rudimentary grammar checkers and this should suffice.

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—About our writer:

Shehnaaz writes for Chillibreeze.

How to Write a White Paper

Introduction

Guidelines to Writing a White Paper

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