Writing White Papers: How to Capture Readers and Keep Them Engaged

by Michael A. Stelzner

Insightful tips to master white paper writing and marketing The white paper is a crossbreed of a magazine article and a brochure. White paper guru Michael Stelzner reveals his secrets for creating compelling white papers that attract readers in droves. The first of its kind, Writing White Papers provides critical how-to details for every step of any white paper project—from performing the needs assessment to attracting prospects with creative marketing tactics. With this book, you will learn to: * Create outlines that work * Master interviewing techniques * Focus content on your readers * Inject persuasion into your paper * Quickly find research data * Write the core parts for any white paper * Craft compelling titles * Apply proven marketing techniques Whether you have been tasked to write a white paper for your company, are a freelance writer wanting to grow your practice or a student seeking to master the art of writing white papers, this book will be your priceless guide.

Genres: Writing, Business, Nonfiction, School

214 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2006

Reviews

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not terribly impressed with the structure or content of this book. This was a book meant for marketing a service, not to educate. The author, Stelzner, is undoubtedly a great writer of White Papers. So he wrote this book with the intentions of selling his skill to any companies looking for someone to author a white paper. The problem is that he used to writing content that is only 5-12 pages long. He wrote a very good white paper on how to write white papers, then he fleshed it out with nonsense to make a book to sell his services. Unfortunately, it is the only book on the market on this topic, so the Bellevue College students were stuck with it.

I am being too harsh. I did learn basically what a white paper is and the best way to write one, with the help of the technical communications course. So, I guess it served its purpose.

[Fred Fanning · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides the basic information anyone needs to start writing white papers. I found the book enjoyable and educational.

[SLello · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book will be helpful for my class this fall.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't the most scintillating read, but it answered some important questions for me, such as:
What is a white paper?
Have I ever written one?
What format conventions do they use?
Do I want to write one?

Solid introduction to white papers and a good "how-to" reference.

[Tamela Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent guidelines for writing a white paper. Well written, lots of good examples.

[Steve Goodyear · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an okay introduction, but it felt like it only skimmed topics—I had the sense all the way through like a topic could've been expanded on or had some more substance to it.

[Jelle Annaars · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crystal clear, incredibly helpful and just as relevant eight years after publication.

[Lori Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read book on marketing tools for the knowledge worker, manager, executive, or entrepreneur.