Does anyone get excited about reading a whitepaper anymore? With all of the millions of presentations, videos, documents, and webinars, it astounds me that organizations are still creating drab, technical pieces and calling them whitepapers. We’re all for content creation here at Stryve, but whitepapers need a makeover. Here are 5 simple ways to make your technical content more exciting, and to get people reading again.[/intro]
Tip #1: Don’t call it a whitepaper
Throw that term out the window. It sounds like something you’re forced to read in college/university. A whitepaper sounds boring. Even with an exciting title, adding in the term whitepaper can immediately diminish the title. Other terms you could use are ‘perspective piece’, ‘research report’, or ‘POV’.
Tip #2: Make an exciting cover
Too many technical pieces have boring covers. You need something that’s exciting and will get your reader primed to download. In this era of content marketing, it’s vital to do everything possible to get attention, and a killer cover is a fantastic way to do so.
Tip #3: Don’t make it about your company/services
It’s not a content piece if it’s just rehashing your services. Too many companies confuse solution briefs with good content. Check out iProspect.com’s whitepapers. Yes, I know they use the term whitepapers, but the content is great and focused on value-oriented content that their customers will find valuable.
Tip #4: Cut the jargon
Too much content is littered with technical jargon that can make your eyes glaze over and have the reader nodding off. We need to stop writing like robots and start writing like real human beings. Whitepapers are notorious for using this type of technical jargon that turns writing into mumbo-jumbo.
Tip #5: Pictures, pictures, pictures
Pictures, diagrams, and charts… oh my! Nothing makes me want to read content less than a full page of double-spaced type. Get a designer to drop in some compelling images, charts, and diagrams. Your content will look more exciting, and the reader may actually find it more exciting to read.
