You don’t create health supplements by throwing ingredients together. Instead, you carefully measure, blend, and formulate everything into a helpful potion.
When it comes to marketing, however, many companies just throw ideas together. (And that’s why scores of white papers never see the light of day.)
You know life goes a lot smoother with a plan. So every time I write a white paper, I first create a plan.
A white paper plan does 3 things:
- It gives focus and structure to your paper.
- It shows where the document fits into your sales cycles.
- It gets buy-in from stakeholders.
Without a plan, you often start writing, and something goes awry. With a plan, all three of the above things are decided before you begin writing.
Which increases your chance of a smash-hit lead generation tool.
A white paper plan is a strategic document.
Usually, this plan is several pages long. It spells out the details for creating your white paper*.
It keeps you on track – which is super important. A white paper is usually 8-12 pages long. It typically takes 6-8 weeks to complete. And the actual writing requires the least amount of time.
Choosing an audience segment, developing an idea, and working with stakeholders take the biggest chunk of time.
A white paper plan is a formula that includes:
- Your business goals
- Your target audience(s)
- Your topic
- How your paper will fit into your sales cycle
- Suggested keywords
- List of all Reviewers
- Available Research
- Further research needed (and likely sources)
- Who is responsible for design and graphics
- Your desired timelines
- Your budget
- Several title suggestions
- A call to action at the end
- A high-level overview of the content
A white paper plan gives you peace of mind.
Discussing everything in advance—and getting a general agreement from everyone involved —creates a successful formula for your white paper.
It lets you breathe a sigh of relief when writing a white paper because you’ve already got structure and buy-in.
You might not realize it, but the most successful white papers always start with a plan.
Get your formula for success:
You can create a white paper plan by yourself.
However, this takes time away from other priorities.
Or you can hire me to create one.
As you can see, this plan is not just a short paragraph. It is a multi-page document that forms the underlying structure of your white paper – which takes time and agreement to discover.
If you hire me to write your White Paper Plan, I’ll take the lead in gathering everything. Then, I’ll get the plan written – usually within a week – and email you the completed document.
When you consider all the benefits, the cost is well worth having me draft a plan.
The cost to create a white paper plan is only $500.
Consider the benefits of having a White Paper Plan:
- Your white paper will no longer be a fuzzy idea. Instead, you’ll have a clear direction.
- All the stakeholders will have given their support.
- You’ll know where this document fits into your sales cycle.
- Your paper will be created according to best practices.
- Your white paper will generate better leads.
With your plan, you can easily create your white paper in-house.
Or you can hire another marketing firm.
Or you can hire me to write the paper. The choice is yours.
(Just to let you know, if you hire me to write your white paper, I’ll take the cost of the written plan off my fee!)
Any way you choose, you’ll find the entire process easier because you’ve got a white paper formula in place.
- *If your white paper is only a few short pages, it’s still essential to have a plan, just shorter and less detailed. When I create short white papers, the plan is included.
Contact me and get your White Paper Plan.