What Is a White Paper?

A white paper is an informational document issued by a company or not-for-profit organization to promote or highlight the features of a solution, product, or service that it offers or will introduce. A startup, a large corporation, or 😼a government agency will use white papers differently.

Using a White Paper

Whiteꦓ papers are sales and marketing documents used to entice or persuade potential customers to explore a particular product, service, technology, or methodology. A white paper may communicate an or൲ganization’s philosophy or present research findings related to an industry.

White papers are commonly designed for 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:business-to-business (B2B) marketing purposes between a manufacturer and a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:wholesaler, or between a wholesaler and a retailer. The information presented in white papers is often backed by research and statistics from reliable sou🎃rces and may include charts, graphs, tables, and o🐈ther ways of visualizing data. 

Types

• Backgrounders: Detail the technical features of a new product or service. Designed to simplify complicated technical information, they are used to support a technical evaluation, launch a product, or promote a product or industry leader.
• Numbered lists: Highlight the key takeaways of a new product or service, and are often formatted with headings and bullet points, or with formats like "3 Questions to Ask," or "5 Things You Need to Know."
• Problem/solution papers: Identify specific problems faced by potential customers and suggest a data-driven argument about how a featured product or service provides a solution to generate new sales, educate salespeople on product characteristics, or build industry interest.
  

Writing a White Paper

White papers differ from other marketing𓆉 materials, such as brochures. Brochures and traditional marketing materials might be flashy and obvious, but a white paper is intended to provide factual evidenไce that solves a problem or challenge.

A white paper should provide well-researched information that is not found with a simple Internet search and has a compelling narrative to keep the reader’s attention. The author of a white pꩵaper should:

• Research and fully define the topic
• Create an accurate outline of information
• Write an attention-grabbing introduction
• Format the paper for easy reading
• Revise and proofread
  

Examples

All of the documents listed below and publicly available on Microsoft’s website focus on aspects of the company’s suite of cloud services. In contrast with brochures, these white papers don’t have a clear sales pitch. Instead,ღ they dive into relevant topics, such as cloud security, hybrid clouds, and the economic benef🐻its of adopting cloud computing.

The Bottom Line

White papers may be several pages long and include information backed by research and statistics from reliable sources. They are commonly written in one of three formats: backgrounders, numbered lists, and problem/solution papers.