A mainstay of B2B marketing, the white paper explores – in-depth – a problem or opportunity facing your target audience. The best white papers marry genuine insight with clear, compelling writing. And that’s where we come in.
White papers are the most effective content format for prospects who are mid-way through their buying journey. (That’s according to B2B marketers themselves.)
Writing that content presents three main challenges: getting the right information from your subject matter expert, making it clear and compelling for the target audience, and structuring the document in a way that’s logical and easy to grasp.
On this page, we’ll share some of how we help B2B technology brands worldwide to overcome those challenges. You can skip to the section that interests you most or, if you prefer, simply talk to us about writing your next white paper.
We typically see our clients use white papers to drive demand among prospects in the middle of the sales and marketing funnel.
In this “consideration” stage, your reader already understands they have a challenge to solve, or an opportunity to seize. Creating a white paper lets you educate them further, and ultimately introduce your solution, safe in the knowledge that they’ll now understand why its features are important. And why it’s better than the competition.
Because white papers speak to an audience that’s already engaged with an issue – and because they provide genuinely useful information – you can afford to go into the subject in depth. It also makes this a popular content format for gating.
Our in-house team of B2B technology writers have years of experience interviewing subject matter experts (SMEs), and turning their knowledge into compelling, readable content for a business audience. That’s no small thing; as a marketer, you need to know your stakeholders’ time has been used well, and that your white paper will stand out from other examples in your market.
Importantly, your Radix account manager will oversee the whole process for you – saving you time by scheduling the work, arranging interviews, and updating you on progress so your white paper’s copy arrives exactly when you expect it.
(If you’d like to know more, you can meet our writers and account managers here.)
Our exact process is driven by your own circumstances and needs. Usually, however, a white paper project looks something like this:
Once you’re happy with the copy, our part is done. You’re then ready to get your white paper designed, and start using it in the world to generate demand, demonstrate your expertise, and capture and nurture those all-important leads.
We wouldn’t recommend it. And here’s why.
For your SME to create an effective white paper, they need to understand your marketing objectives, your target audience, and the challenges (both technical and business) your customers face. They probably need to be able to explain the value of your solutions in language your target audience can understand. And they certainly need to be an excellent writer, capable of structuring a clear, persuasive narrative, and joining the dots with authoritative detail.
There is a tiny chance your SME can do everything listed above. And if they can, they’re probably in such demand that they’ll never have the time.
We do, sometimes, take first drafts written by SMEs and edit them into beautiful, customer-ready white papers. (A good example is the 4D Data Centres white paper featured further down this page.)
Usually, however, this isn’t the ideal approach. Because unless your SME understands how to turn their expertise into a clear, logical argument that resonates with your target audience, there’s every chance it’ll take us longer to unpick, restructure, and rewrite their draft than it would for us to start with a blank page, and get everything right first time.
The primary purpose of a white paper isn’t to grab attention or to entertain – it’s to educate. Even the handful of B2B tech brands that flirt with playfulness or irreverence tend to rein in those aspects of their voice when it comes to creating a white paper. Your reader has committed their time, and you need to deliver value.
But that doesn’t mean your white paper needs to be written in corporate grey, thick with opaque jargon and ten-sentence paragraphs.
A great white paper speaks to the reader like a great teacher. Even when the paper is conveying complex ideas, its language – and its message – remains clear.
If your content can achieve that, you’ll likely stand out in a market where many B2B white papers use quasi-academic vocabulary as a substitute for real insight. We’ll help by representing your reader in the process, and considering the right level of readability at every stage.
A great white paper may include any or all of the following:
The right content will strike a balance between easy, scannable reading, and demonstrating that the insights it contains are serious and well founded. Often, we’ll be able to spin off sections of the narrative into standalone content pieces you can use to promote the main asset.
A white paper needs enough technical content to resonate with your target audience. But that level varies greatly; some white papers exist to educate the C-suite about industry trends and business challenges. Others need to educate network engineers about the finer points of impairment emulation.
At Radix, we write both kinds of white paper, and plenty more besides. If the topic of your white paper does look too technical for our team, we’ll always let you know – but you might be surprised by how deep our writers can dive.
Of course. The proof of the pudding is in the eating (or, in this case, reading). Each of the following examples includes some of the strengths we’ve discussed so far.
Client: Adatis
Input sources: Initial client brief; SME interview; Radix research
Process: This specialist data analytics consultancy asked Radix to write a white paper that would help demonstrate its expertise in the insurance sector. This project is a great example of the white paper as a mid-funnel content piece. It demonstrates the client’s familiarity with industry trends and challenges, before educating the reader about the role data can play in helping insurers adapt and thrive. It’s also a great example of our standard white paper writing process. We took an initial brief, followed it up with an SME interview and bolstered all this input with our own research.
Client: The Smart Cube
Input sources: Initial client brief and background; Radix research
Process: When The Smart Cube asked us to write this white paper, it had already assembled a wealth of input, from previously published content to industry-specific research, customer case studies and white paper examples. As a result, we were able to get to work without an SME interview, synthesising all this material into a first draft that – aside the inclusion of some extra messaging – was signed-off without any major changes.
Client: 4D Data Centres
Input sources: Initial client brief and background; SME first draft; Radix research
Process: 4D Data Centres wanted to help high net worth, but non-technical individuals to understand the basics of cryptocurrency mining – and why colocation is ideal for mining operations. Its technical director drafted a white paper on the subject, which we then copy edited in line with our own internal content quality checklist. If you’re even slightly interested in the practicalities of cryptocurrency mining, or the origins of blockchain, it’s an excellent read.
(If you’d like more examples, please do contact our team. We’ve written hundreds of white papers for B2B technology brands, and the chances are we’ll be able to show you something relevant to your needs.)
Excellent question. It’s easy to confuse a white paper with an ebook format, not least because some white papers are designed in more of an ebook style – and vice versa.
Here’s the short answer. Most ebooks are deployed slightly earlier in the B2B tech marketing funnel, where they need to grab attention and generate awareness. As such, ebooks tend to be lighter on detail, and heavier on bold design choices, with interactive elements like embedded videos or reader polls. By contrast, a white paper can dive into more detail, because by this stage the audience already knows why they should read.
(The long answer involves Nick Nolte, Gary Busey, and Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.)
We write B2B ebooks too, so we’re happy to work on either format for you. The important part is which will appeal most to your audience at this stage of their decision-making process.
Ultimately you need a writer who you can trust to ask your SME the right questions, and create content your audience will find useful and authoritative. In our experience, that tends to mean a good white paper copywriter will have:
At Radix, we’ve plenty of writers who fit this bill. And just as importantly, we have an expert team of account managers delivering a highly responsive, professional service. That means:
If you’re looking to create a B2B white paper, we’d love to talk in depth about what you need, and how Radix can support you. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
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