How Do You Write a White Paper?

"Influencers appreciate quality information that can help them with their work. By offering white papers … you give them something they can actually use."

--Jonathan Kranz, Writing Copy for Dummies, p. 265.

When you contract with a writer to develop a white paper, it's a good idea to have an agreement up front about what a white paper is -- in other words, to have a white paper specification. A spec is different from an outline (also a good idea). The outline is a brief representation of the content points to be presented and in what order. The spec defines the white paper form itself -- so it's a sort of "meta outline."


A written spec saves time. Even if you don't agree with the writer's initial spec, it's a good starting point from which to make adjustments before both of you invest a lot of time in the outline and the paper itself. And -- unlike an outline -- you should only need to write a spec once, regardless of how many papers you write since there is virtue in consistency in the types of documents an organization produces.

One of the best reasons to have a spec is that it gives content experts a good answer when they ask, "What is this about?" Contributors are more willing to be interviewed if they understand why they're taking time away from their regular work.

I have placed my white paper spec online here as a PDF. (It's short, just four pages.) Like I said, it is intended to serve as a starting point for you and your writer. Good luck.