What exactly is a white paper and how do you write one? A whitepaper 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 backward 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. 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.