White Papers

A white paper is a persuasive, in-depth report that explains a specific topic, product or service. White papers fall in the sweet spot between technical writing and pure marketing – they’re backed by serious, solid research, but they also use plain English to tell a story that ideally will persuade readers to adopt a certain position.

Examples of white papers include a software company describing how a new product solves a problem for customers or a non-profit advocating for a particular position they support or a tech company. White papers use logic, facts and research as the basis for a compelling presentation that influences people in the direction you want them to go.

Other characteristics of white papers include:

  • Generally 5-10 pages of narrative text plus illustrations, charts, graphics, etc. (they can be as little as two pages or as long as 50 or more pages, but most are the in the 5-10 page range)
  • Include a title page, table of contents, executive summary
  • Usually a PDF in portrait orientation
  • More in-depth than a blog post or e-book.

White papers can be used anywhere in a marketing cycle, from bringing in leads to closing sales. A great white paper writer will help you build authority and generate leads.

My journalism, science, education and business backgrounds combined with my ability to dig deep into research and tell a compelling story in plain English make me an ideal white paper writer.

Samples:

Renewable Natural Gas: The Fuel of the Future

The Difference in High Achievers (ghost-written)

The Value of Coaching (ghost-written)

Case Studies

Case studies are powerful stories directly from your customers about how your product, service or position solved their problem.

A good case study will paint a vivid picture of the challenge your customer faced, along with a detailed description of how your product or service helped them solve that problem and the results they generated.

The idea of a case study is to provide an easy way for potential clients to visualize themselves using your product or service. This means your case study writer must be able to tell a compelling story (and be able to draw the story out of the subjects with deft interviewing skills).

Case studies are generally 1-2 pages long.

Samples:

Financial Advisor Achieves Success

How a Rate Case Works for a Gas Pipeline Company

MAOP Verification (engineering and government regulations of natural gas pipelines)