![The template open in Strokes: a banner picture of a lighthouse on a rocky headland at dawn, boats heading into harbour, above the title “[Title]: [subtitle]”.](/_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2Fhero-light.bbbd7c4c.webp&w=3840&q=75)
![The template open in Strokes: a banner picture of a lighthouse on a rocky headland at dawn, boats heading into harbour, above the title “[Title]: [subtitle]”.](/_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2Fhero-dark.db73357e.webp&w=3840&q=75)
When to use it
- Making the case for a new approach to an industry problem before a prospect ever talks to sales
- Explaining a technical product or method to buyers who must justify the purchase to their own bosses
- Position papers for trade associations, nonprofits and public bodies
- Turning your own research or customer data into a document people cite and pass on
How to use this template
- Pick one reader and one problem
A white paper argues one case to one kind of reader. Fill in the line under the title first: "Written for finance leads at distributors with 50 to 500 staff" gives every later section a test to pass. If you cannot name the reader, the paper will drift toward a brochure about your company.
- Collect the evidence before you draft
Fill in the Sources list and the Evidence table before you write a paragraph. Problem/solution papers fail on proof far more often than on prose. A claim with no source either goes, or stays labeled as your own estimate with a line on how you reached it.
- Write the middle, then the summary
Draft the problem, the usual fixes, the better approach and the evidence, in that order. Write the executive summary last, as an inverted pyramid: the conclusion in the first sentence, the support after it. Many readers will never get further.
- Lay it out and publish as a PDF
Most white papers circulate as a PDF, so they need a cover, page numbers, captions on every chart and the date on the first page. Any word processor will do. In Strokes, page view gives you margins and page numbers, and the same file exports to PDF and Word.
How long each section should be
Gordon Graham, author of White Papers For Dummies (2013), sets the floor at about five pages and 2,500 words, with a main body of six to eight pages before the cover, contents, conclusion and sources are added. Technical papers written for engineers run much longer. The budget below fits a paper of about ten pages; scale it to the argument, not the other way around.
| Section | Length | Its job |
|---|---|---|
| SectionCover and title | Length1 page | Its jobNames the problem and the reader |
| SectionExecutive summary | Length½ to 1 page | Its jobThe whole argument, for readers who stop here |
| SectionThe problem | Length1 to 2 pages | Its jobMakes the reader say: yes, that is us |
| SectionWhy the usual fixes fall short | Length½ to 1 page | Its jobClears room for something new |
| SectionA better approach | Length2 to 3 pages | Its jobThe method first, then where your offer fits |
| SectionEvidence | Length1 to 2 pages | Its jobProof, with every figure sourced |
| SectionGetting started and conclusion | Length1 page | Its jobOne clear next step |
| SectionAbout and sources | Length1 page | Its jobCredentials and references |
Three kinds of white paper
Graham sorts business white papers into three types. This template is the problem/solution kind: the hardest to write, and the one used to draw in prospects early, at the top of the sales funnel. The other two are quick adaptations of it.
| Type | What it does | How to adapt this template |
|---|---|---|
| TypeBackgrounder | What it doesExplains how a product or service works | How to adapt this templateReplace the problem sections with How it works and Features and benefits; keep Evidence |
| TypeNumbered list | What it doesA set of tips, questions or warnings on one issue | How to adapt this templateSwap the middle for five to ten numbered points, each with its support |
| TypeProblem/solution | What it doesRecommends a new approach to a known problem | How to adapt this templateUse it as it is |
Graham's advice is not to fold a backgrounder into a problem/solution paper: pages of product detail undercut the argument that came before them. A numbered list blends well with either.
What good looks like
The executive summary carries the most weight, so here is one written for a fictional company. Notice that the product does not appear until the last paragraph, and the numbers come with their circumstances.
Mid-size distributors are closing their books later every quarter, and most of the delay sits in one task: matching supplier invoices to purchase orders and delivery receipts by hand. One invoice that is short a line, or priced from last year's contract, can wait in an inbox for a week.
This paper argues for exception-first matching: software clears the invoices where all three documents agree, and people see only the ones that do not, with the mismatch already marked. It sets out the three rules that make the approach work, the controls auditors expect to see, and how to pilot it on one supplier group in a month.
In a twelve-week pilot at Halvorsen Supply, about one invoice in five still needed a person, and the month-end close moved from the ninth working day to the sixth. The evidence section sets out how those figures were measured.
A white paper persuades mostly through logos: data, reasoning and cases. Its credibility comes from the sources and a sober tone, which is why the same facts written as a sales brochure convince fewer people.
Reads like a white paper
- Opens with the reader's problem
- Explains the method before the product
- Every figure has a numbered source and a year
- Names the product once or twice, late
- Ends with one next step
Reads like a brochure
- Opens with the company's history
- Industry-leading, best-in-class, next-generation
- Round numbers with no source
- The product name in every heading
A single customer story belongs in a case study; the white paper can cite it in the Evidence section. For a longer walk through research, drafting and review, read how to write a white paper.
Before you publish
If you need only the first page for a board or an executive, the executive summary template covers that on its own.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a white paper be?
Long enough to make the case with evidence, which usually means 2,500 to 5,000 words. Gordon Graham, author of White Papers For Dummies, puts the minimum at about five pages and 2,500 words. Technical papers for engineers can run much longer.
What is the difference between a white paper and a case study?
A case study tells one customer's story: the situation, what they did and what changed. A white paper argues for an approach to a problem a whole industry shares, and can cite several case studies as evidence.
Should a white paper be gated behind a form?
Gate it if collecting leads is the main goal, and accept that fewer people will read it. Leave it open if you want it shared, cited and found in search. A middle path is an open summary page with the full PDF behind a short form.
Why is it called a white paper?
The name comes from British government reports of the early twentieth century; the Churchill White Paper of 1922 is an early example. Governments still publish white papers to set out policy. Businesses took up the name for long persuasive documents from the 1990s on.
