Most people assume that white papers are promotional documents written to convince readers to buy their product or service.
Others think they’re the in-depth version of ebooks — same as ebooks are the detailed versions of blog posts.
Except, a white paper isn’t all that. So, what is a white paper exactly?
Briefly, it’s the academic paper of the content world, designed to provide authoritative content on a particular topic backed by facts and evidence.
In this guide, we'll help you learn what a white paper is, its different types and how to write a white paper of your own. We’ve also got white paper templates to help you get off on the right foot.
Let’s get started.
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A white paper is an in-depth, authoritative document explaining or promoting a concept, idea or methodology in a formal, research-backed manner.
Below is an example of a white paper template you can customize:
Since it proposes a new idea or concept as a solution to a problem based on evidence, you can write a whitepaper using the classic copywriting formula: problem, agitate and solve (PAS).
What you need to keep in mind, though, are two things:
Note that the definition also says that a white paper presents a solution in a “formal” way. This means a chatty tone of voice is not appropriate for this type of content. No wonder white papers are known as the academic reports of the content industry.
Similarly, the definition also points out that white papers are “in-depth.”
This means you can’t take an over-the-top or superficial approach with your white paper content. Instead, you go deep into research on the topic to provide a detailed piece.
You can also enlist a subject matter expert’s help to write a white paper.
Or, you can talk to various industry-leading authorities on the topic to present a well-researched paper. In that case, be sure to give credit to the folks you talked to in your references or footnotes.
All the information noted above takes a lot of space. So, if you’re wondering how long should a white paper be, know that 6-8 pages are the minimum they take. Some white papers can even go up to 50 pages if the topic requires.
Want an example before we dig any deeper?
The Sprout Social Index Index™, Edition XVII: Accelerate presenting research on social data is a good example of a lead-generating white paper.
It’s gated content, of course.
But that leaves us with another important takeaway: if you're writing a white paper for lead generation purposes, you need to create a high-converting landing page for your white paper that gets people to share their information and get your content.
Now that you have the answer to what is a white paper, let’s look at its types.
Keep in mind, the goal is always the same: to present a problem and offer a solution — you’ll find it prevalent in different ways in all three types of white papers.
This makes it clear: a white paper isn’t a user manual or a document enlisting your product features and why people should buy your product.
If you want to do that, again, go back to the main idea of a white paper: present your target reader’s problem. Then present a solution that showcases your product features and how it helps backed by research and case studies.
With that, let’s look at the three types of white papers:
These types of white papers come toward the top and middle of the marketing funnel — serving as useful lead magnets to educate your target audience.
Since this type of a white paper works toward spreading awareness, it’s best you understand the problem thoroughly.
To this end, interview customers or target buyers to understand the exact problems they face. This is essential for correctly capturing the readers’ pain points in your content.
After all, it’s only when you can explain the problem correctly that you can connect with your readers. Readers, on the other hand, feel understood and continue reading.
Then, present the solution.
This white paper template from Visme is a great example of a problem/solution white paper that discusses both at length.
Use this white paper template for driving awareness and educating readers in a visually-engaging manner. Make sure you back both the problem and solution with extensive research though.
Since your aim in this type of white paper is to propose and make a winning case for your solution (read: product feature or service), make sure you highlight other industry-leading solutions and their drawbacks too.
This way, readers can understand the solutions they can avail as well as why they should choose what you’re specifically suggesting.
As you share the solution, you can share a case study of another business (similar to the reader) achieving results with your proposed solution. This is the best way to convince readers based on social proof without coming across as overly promotional.
Backgrounders cover technical aspects of your product features for solving business problems.
As this type of white paper goes into product features, it has less to do with awareness and education and more to do with persuading those who are aware of your product.
Meaning: backgrounders are helpful for capturing middle to bottom of the funnel leads — those who are on the verge of buying and want to educate themselves on why they should choose you.
Here's an example of a backgrounder white paper for a travel app:
Recall that white papers aren’t user manuals. This means you won’t sell product features. Instead, you’ll take a convincing approach — sharing a product feature, outlining the problem it solves and how it helps or what makes it different.
As you cover a handful of product features, you’ll make a solid case for why your product or service is the right choice for readers.
Use backgrounders when launching a product and when you want to take steps to establish yourself as the industry authority on the solution you offer.
Finally, listicle white papers present a numbered list of questions, tips or points you make on a topic.
Use them to nurture readers through a long and complex sales cycle by presenting a roundup of points or questions on a topic.
Case in point — this white paper template presents roundup information in a well-formatted and easy-to-read fashion:
To reiterate, white papers provide in-depth content. So don’t expect to make a listicle white paper of extensive tips. Such a ‘101 tips on X topic’ type of content is best suitable for blog posts.
With white papers, you can dive between 3-9 pointers at a time. Why? Because it’s only then that you can cover them thoroughly — making a persuasive case in favor of your main idea.
White papers take a formal and informative tone of voice. But that doesn’t mean they’ve to be boring. Or, hard to read for that matter.
Similarly, white paper readers know that the document presents technical content and they’re ready to read them to educate themselves for making informed decisions.
Again, just because readers expect the paper to be tough to consume doesn’t mean that you make reading challenging for them.
So, what can you do to help? Improve your white paper’s formatting.
Follow these tips to boost your content’s quality by making it readable:
A table of contents (TOC) makes it easy for readers to navigate through the content.
These help with navigation not only when the audience starts reading but also after they’ve read and want to revisit specific sections.
Here’s an example:
Want to make the TOC uber-useful for readers? Make it interactive.
This means when readers click on a particular section, the table should carry them straight to it.
With backgrounders and problem/solution white papers, always include a short summary at the start.
It’s best to keep your summary to a few paragraphs or one page long, depending on how long the document itself is.
Here's an example:
Add an executive summary at the start of your white paper to set readers’ expectations — giving them a taste of what’s to come so they can jump in with the right mindset.
Take on this task when outlining your white paper before writing it.
Subheadings break the text and explain what’s to come in a section — making reading simple.
Simply make sure all your subheadings are direct, to the point and convey benefits to the reader without giving too much info. This is essential to encourage readers to continue consuming your white paper.
While you are at it, make sure each section builds on the other. This is crucial for creating a flow that’s easy to follow.
If you’ve outlined the content beforehand, this shouldn’t be a problem. If not, you’ll want to reorganize the structure for a better narrative.
Also, where you can, use bullet points to deliver your points.
You can leverage them before presenting an argument too. This way, readers will know that the succeeding paragraphs will elaborate on the bullet points.
But bullet points don’t need to be the traditional kind. A visually attractive idea is to use design icons before your text as this white paper template does to introduce product features:
For listicles, you can add design call-out boxes or summary boxes that package what was covered under each point. This is the same as providing chapter takeaways — only more readable.
Here’s an example template using call-out boxes to share the white paper’s highlights at the start:
Once you’ve written your white paper, edit it for brevity. For this, first, review the entire document for identifying fluff and repetition.
Find a sentence not adding enough value to the paper? Erase it. Make every sentence earn its keep. Second, review each sentence for its structure.
If it’s written in passive voice, change it to active voice. This makes content more authoritative and clear and shortens the sentence too.
If there’s an unnecessarily long sentence, rewrite it to make it clearer and easy to consume.
While this is something you should keep in mind as you write your white paper, you can always work on it later on.
But never gloss over it since long paragraphs can be difficult to read.
Shortening paragraphs will not only boost readability but it’ll also make your overall content design breathable and visually engaging.
Visuals, such as images, do more than just break up the text.
In fact, you need visual content in your white paper for several reasons:
This template from Visme, for example, uses not only supplementary visuals such as charts but also design icons throughout the paper to make the white paper enticing to read:
Fail here and you increase the odds of all the formatting you’ve done so far going to waste. Why? Because small-sized, difficult-to-understand fonts repel readers — no matter how good the content or its organization.
This doesn’t mean you need to invest in a paid font. Instead, free fonts such as Verdana, Times New Roman and Arial can help.
Also, stay away from cursive or fancy fonts as they’re difficult to understand. And keep the font size to at least 12 points.
Whitespace, also known as negative space, is the empty space you add to the page. It’s the space you see between lines of text and around the pages that makes the overall content easy to consume.
Not sure how much is enough whitespace? Use a white paper template to create your document.
This way, you wouldn’t need to worry about the right spacing and can focus on the rest of the formatting.
On that note, let’s walk you through the best white paper templates you can use from Visme’s bank.
In this section, you’ll find our handpicked white paper templates to help you create your own document in minutes.
Simply choose the template you like, customize it online in Visme's drag-and-drop editor, and then download it in high-quality or share it online.
This is a visually engaging white paper template design with minimalism in mind.
There’s a simple yet effective TOC and attractive visuals such as a map to share locations where your business serves or where your headquarters are — whatever you find it useful for.
This one is the perfect example of a well-structured white paper template.
Look at how it uses sub-sections, bullet points and visuals to divide text — making it a highly readable template.
This template makes use of visuals and design icons strategically, improving the white paper’s formatting significantly.
For instance, there are design icons used for bullet points and for sharing feature updates. Numbers are also highlighted to grab readers’ attention.
This template is an excellent example of using call-out boxes to package key takeaways.
It also introduces subject matter experts in an engaging manner at the start. If you’ve talked to experts yourself, use this template to spotlight them and boost your content’s credibility.
This template is the best fit for a problem/solution white paper.
The reason: it has a handy chart outlining the drawbacks of other available solutions to make a strong case for its solution. It also has a page for showcasing customer success stories.
This template is great for a roundup or listicle white paper.
It’s also a good pick for white papers sharing multiple solutions, tips or best practices. That's because it uses design icons for the pointers are shared — making them easier to digest.
This property analysis white paper is another clutter-free template to try.
It uses visuals and readable takeaways to improve the white paper’s formatting further. Not to forget, there’s an executive summary page already built into it.
This is another template fit for the problem/solution type of white paper.
What makes it unique and worth using it is that it clearly highlights the reader's problem under a specified heading. And, offers a solution under a particular heading too.
Plus, it highlights quotes from experts — boosting the content’s authority instantly.
This template does an effective job at showcasing the research you’ve done by using numbers-based design icons featuring stats from the study.
Additionally, this template is also packed with supplementary images that help make your message memorable.
Have research insights to share but don’t need design icons to do so? Use this template that leverages a chart to feature research findings.
This is another problem/solution white paper template design — complete with a key takeaways section.
That said, it’s best to use this template if you’re pitching your solution, idea or concept against one another solution.
If you need to introduce and compare your solution or idea against a third solution or concept, feel free to add more pages to the template.
We hope you now have a clear understanding of what is a white paper and the different types of white papers you can leverage.
Always remember: white paper content is references-backed, well-researched technical content covering a topic of your audience’s interest in depth.
And while it’s written using a formal tone, you can make it easy to read with a clutter-free design and thoughtful formatting.
Ready to create your white paper? Head over to Visme's professional document creator and use it to create a breathable, easy-to-read white paper for free.
