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How to Write and

Format a White
Paper: The De nitive
Guide

by Mary Cullen on Wed, Feb 7, 2018

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You’re ready to compile and share your
 Phone: 609-683-8100

company’s deep knowledge of your

industry. A white paper seems like the
perfect format. It’s a useful product to
highlight your company’s expertise and a
valuable tool in marketing.

But, how do you transform your

knowledge into a white paper?

White papers are similar but distinct

from business reports. In order to write
a successful one, you need to
understand the di erence and include
key elements. This article will help you
decide if a white paper is right for you,
and if yes, how to prepare and produce
one.

What is a White
Paper?
A white paper is an authoritative
document intended to fully inform the
reader on a particular topic. It combines
expert knowledge and research into a
document that argues for a speci c
solution or recommendation.

The white paper allows the reader to

understand an issue, solve a problem, or
make a decision.
 Phone: 609-683-8100

White papers are data-centric, text-heavy

business documents. Due to the large
amount of data and research, white
papers are deep reads and tend to have
a formal tone.

Use and Value

Businesses write white papers both to
record expertise and to market
themselves.

White papers are generally written for an

audience outside of the business.
Therefore, they are a tool to attract
readers to the company by o ering top-
quality, industry knowledge. However, a
white paper is a not a sales pitch. It sells
the company by highlighting the internal
expertise and valuable
recommendations, not by bidding for
business.

Example:

Sales Pitch: 8 Ways ABC Marketing will

save money in your social media budget

White paper: Social Media Advertising:

Matching marketing needs and
platforms  Phone: 609-683-8100

How to select a
white paper topic
Choosing the right topic is essential to
having your white paper read. There are
three major factors:

1. Audience

As with any business writing, the

audience is your rst consideration. The
white paper must be written with a
target reader in mind. The audience may
be long-time customers familiar with the
industry or new prospective buyers who
are entirely new to the eld.

Re ect on the reader’s pain points or

major questions. Within these topics,
look for ones that have not been fully
investigated or the available information
is out-of-date.

2. Expertise
Your white paper should match and
highlight your company’s expertise.

The document should provide a

complete investigation including external
research and internal knowledge. The
 Phone: 609-683-8100

business’s own know-how informs the

content that is included and how it is
compiled.

3. Problem-Based and
Solution-Focused

White papers should identify and

address a particular problem. The
problem should be relevant and timely
in your eld. The document may focus
on issues such as common dilemmas,
new trends, changing techniques,
industry comparison, etc.

The white paper must have a proposed

solution or recommendation to answer
the problem. This solution is based on a
thorough examination of the problem
and potential solutions.

White Paper
Preparation
Research

The selected topic must be

comprehensively researched. Pull
information from online references,
industry resources, and internal
documents. White papers are data-
focused, so Phone: 609-683-8100
they should be supported by
signi cant research. There’s no hard and
fast rule on citations but you need to cite
any information that is not public
knowledge and that you didn’t know
before beginning your research.
However, understand that the reader’s
con dence is likely to increase with an
increasing number of cited references.

Of course, all resources must come from

authoritative sites. In order to write a
valuable document, all research
materials must be from credible, reliable
sources.

Read Other White Papers

Are there white papers covering your

topic or area already? Read them to
determine the knowledge gaps and the
opportunities to build on existing
content. This review will also ensure that
your white paper is novel instead of
redundant.

Use a Mind-Map

It can be overwhelming to keep track of

the many sources, ideas, and content
involved in preparing a white paper. A
helpful organizational tool is the mind-
map. A mind-map allows the writer to
 Phone: 609-683-8100

catalog and connect the many di erent

pieces into one visual overview.

We suggest using the free tool FreeMind

to organize your content. It’s simple to
use and free.

White Paper
Format
White papers generally follow a standard
document format. The content order
may seem similar to other business
reports, but there is one major
di erence:

A white paper places the conclusion at

the end.

Many business communications, such as

technical reports or proposals, place the
main conclusion at the beginning of the
document. This order responds to the
desires of the reader and their
preference in receiving the information.

In a white paper, the content and

research informs the reader and
increases their understanding of the
problem throughout the document. The
 nal section Phone: 609-683-8100
provides the ‘Ta-da!’
moment where the reader now receives
the solution which is supported by the
evidence in the document.

The reader’s journey and preferences in

a white paper and business report di er.
The major ndings follow suit.

If you’re unsure of these distinctions or

are looking to improve your business
writing skills, consider enrolling in our
Technical Report Writing Course.

And no matter the journey, the

document must be easy to understand
and include informative headings for
easy navigation.

Choose an Accurate Title

A good title is essential. It should clearly

indicate what the reader will learn from
the white paper. It should also be
enticing.

Example:

Bland: White paper on Law 123.4

Referencing Environmental Impact
Assessments.
Enticing: The Rules are Changing: White
 Phone: 609-683-8100

Paper on the Environmental Impact

Assessment Legislation Proposals in
2018

The phrase ‘white paper’ does not

necessarily need to be in the title at all.
Some audiences are seeking that
authoritative indicator. Other readers
may be scared o from valuable content
because of the term. As always, think of
what your audience would prefer.

Abstract

The abstract o ers the reader a brief

overview of white paper’s main points. It
allows the reader to ensure they have
found a document relevant to their
needs. After reading, the reader should
be able to know if they are ‘in the right
place.’

Problem Statement

The problem statement speci es the

issue the white paper will address. The
problem needs to be de ned and placed
into a context to ensure it’s understood
by the reader.

Background
This section Phone: 609-683-8100
provides the background
information required for the audience to
grasp the problem and, ultimately, the
solution. The content may be detailed
and technical or broad and high-level.
The content depends on the reader and
the problem.

If original research is completed for the

white paper, the methods should be
communicated.

Solution

The ‘ta-da’ moment of the white paper.

Based on the preceding information, the

solution is now presented. It is
developed and argued for using the
gathered evidence and the expertise of
the author and their company.

Conclusion

This section summarizes the white

paper’s major ndings.
Recommendations based on the solution
are provided.

References

All sources used to develop the white

paper must be collected and cited in this
section. It adds validity to the document.
 Phone: 609-683-8100

It also gives the reader content for

further research. Depending on your
industry, follow MLA or APA citation
formats.

Final Thoughts
Writing a good white paper is not a
simple task. However, the investment of
time and skill can produce a valuable
document that shares your company’s
knowledge, contributing to overall
education and progress in your industry.
And, a good white paper increases
business opportunities.

About The Author

Mary Cullen
Mary founded
Instructional Solutions
in 1998, and is an
internationally recognized
business writing trainer and
executive writing coach with two
decad... read more
  Phone: 609-683-8100
12 Comments

Arpita Saxena
4/13/2018, 12:45:26 AM

It was so amazing to read this

content. White paper indeed is a
collateral that requires deep R&D. To
draft the initial layout, the blog is up
to the mark. Thanks for sharing this
info. :)

Reply to Arpita Saxena

Sam Taylor
4/16/2018, 2:28:34 PM

Thanks, Arpita! We're so glad you

found this information helpful and
relevant to your experiences
writing White Papers.

Reply to Sam Taylor

Aniuska Aguilar
10/4/2018, 11:51:45 AM

This article answered all my

questions on how to write a White
Paper, excellence in every way. Thank
you very much! Amazing content

Reply to Aniuska Aguilar

  Phone: 609-683-8100

samson
11/25/2018, 8:58:21 AM

Choosing the audience can make or

break your whitepaper. However,
identifying the typical audience is not
easy. Your article covered a lot of
other important elements, keep it up!

Reply to samson

Jessica Barna
1/25/2019, 6:53:26 PM

Nice! Thank you for this. I've known

about white papers for a long time
and have known I need to create
one... but it's hard to get started. This
his helpful information!

Reply to Jessica Barna

Swapnil Humane
1/28/2019, 5:06:26 AM

This is really an great article to

understand the whys and hows of
white paper writting.

Reply to Swapnil Humane

  Phone: 609-683-8100
MJDT
2/4/2019, 2:38:17 PM

So very helpful, Mary. Thank you for

such an easy-to-understand, well-
written piece to educate. My white
papers will be much better. Credit to
you, Mary Cullen. Recognized and
appreciated.

Reply to MJDT

Mike M
2/11/2019, 8:19:04 AM

I am in the oil as gas industry. Would

it be better to use APA or Chicago
manual of style? Many of our white
papers are engineering and process
safety related.

Reply to Mike M

Sam Taylor
2/12/2019, 12:43:54 PM

Mike,

Typically, the engineering industry

uses APA citation format so we
would recommend APA. Chicago
would not be wrong, since it's
used by the physical sciences. A
 publication would not reject a
 Phone: 609-683-8100

White Paper that is formatted with

Chicago, so neither is wrong but
APA best ts.

Hope that helps!

Reply to Sam Taylor

Keith Crawford
3/16/2019, 6:36:58 AM

Hi Mary, Thank you for these valuable

tips on white papers, I plan to
specialize in white papers for
pharmaceutical and insurance clients.
Are there any special instructions
needed for these industries? Thanks
in advance, Keith

Reply to Keith Crawford

Magdy Michael
3/16/2019, 12:52:35 PM

APA is the guidelines for white paper

in technical oriented industry. White
paper should not be built around a
sales pitch or product promotion.
White paper is a guide on the author
ndings and the application with
 reference Phone: 609-683-8100
to the used references in
building the white paper.

Reply to Magdy Michael

Graham Todd
4/10/2019, 3:26:03 PM

Thanks for sharing. Really useful as I

usually write blog content so good to
get a framework.

Reply to Graham Todd

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