How to Write a White Paper

What exactly is a white paper and how do you write one? A white paper is a document that addresses a situation or problem and attempts to offer a solution. While it originated with governmental documents, it is now almost exclusively used to announce and describe a new technological or medical innovation. It is a very informative mixture of technology-speak and marketing-application-speak; thus it can be a difficult task to find the proper balance between the two. This web page gives you resources and advice on how to write a white paper.

A perfect example of a white paper is when a cell phone manufacturer introduces a new product with new technology. A white paper will be written to describe both the new technology and how the consumer benefits from it in everyday life. Writing a white paper that achieves the correct mixture of technology explanation and real-world application is not easy.

Here are some keys to remember when writing a white paper:

  • Understand the Product. You have to know the product backwards and forwards. You have to understand what it does for people--the benefits it brings to society, and how it does it.
  • Know Your Target Audience. You must write your white paper towards a specific audience--the one whose problems are being solved by the new technology. You must know what problems are being solved.
  • Describe How the Product Solves Problems. Remember: a white paper is part technology, part marketing. Your white paper must clearly explain how the new technology solves the problems of your target audience, and it must do this in a way the target audience can understand.

Here are some great Internet websites on white papers and writing effective white papers: