HOW TO WRITE A LEAD-GENERATING

INTRODUCTION FOR YOUR WHITE PAPER

WHAT’S INSIDE

Introduction
Understanding the Introduction 3
-Definition
-Purpose
-Introduction Components

Targeting Your Audience 5

-Identify Your Audience
-Identify Your Audience’s Challenges
-Tailor Your Solutions
-Speak Their Language

Writing the Introduction 8

-Develop an Outline
-Observe Simple Writing Rules
-Edit Your Introduction

Optimizing Your Introduction 10

Resources 11
Index 12
Works Cited 13

By Deshannee’ Johnice
According
to
a
recent
Yankelovich/Harris
 White
papers
are
a
curious
amalgam
of

study,
“More
than
95%
of
executives
 industry
reports,
magazine
articles,
and

maintain
a
high
interest
in
learning
about
 marketing
brochures.

Unlike

and
investing
in
new
products
and
 advertisements
which
simply
tout
a

services
even
in
a
down
economy”
1.

 company’s
wares,
white
papers
convey
a

That’s
good
news
for
you,
business‐to‐ position
on
an
issue,
or
propose
a

business
(B2B)
marketers.

While
other
 solution
to
a
problem,
affecting
a
given

marketers
are
Nighting
for
a
modicum
of
 industry
or
audience
in
order
to

consumers’
attention
and
scraping
for
 persuade
readers
to
purchase
the

double
the
return
on
half
the
marketing
 writer’s
products
or
services.

Under
any

spend,
your
target
audience—executives
 economic
conditions,
white
papers
have

and
business
owners—is
receptive,
and
 three
advantages
over
other
marketing

your
most
effective
marketing
tool—the
 tools:
(1)
Executives
consider
white

white
paper—just
happens
to
be
 papers
more
credible
than

recession‐proof. advertisements
and
promotional

materials,
(2)
white
papers
can
be


1 D.D. Johnice | May 2009

HOW TO WRITE A LEAD-GENERATING WHITE PAPER INTRODUCTION produced
relatively
cheaply,

and
(3)
white
papers
can
 “Lately
I’m
downloading
and

generate
a
truckload
of
 reading
at
least
2‐3
white
papers

a
month.

What
usually
gets
my

qualiNied
sales
leads
on
a
 attention
is
the
Introduction

skateboard‐sized
budget. section.

I
read
the
Nirst
couple
of

paragraphs
and
either
I’m
hooked

In
its
2006
survey
of
executives
 or
I’m
moving
on.

The
really
good

and
decision‐makers,
 white
papers
don’t
try
to
sell
me

marketing
intelligence
Nirm
 something
right
out
of
the
bag.


I’d
rather
read
about
how
the

SiriusDecisions,
found
that
65%
 product
has
been
used
in
similar

of
participants
preferred
white
 companies,
and
about
successful

papers
over
other
marketing
 outcomes.

I
know
at
least
one
of

tactics
at
nearly
every
stage
of
 our
recent
purchases,
a
story‐
the
buying
process2.

The
 telling
workshop,
came
to
be

percentage
is
even
higher
for
IT
 because
of
something
I
read
in
a

white
paper.”
executives,
70%
of
whom
say

they
rely
on
white
papers
to
 Marita Scarfi, Acting-CEO/COO,
Organic, Inc.
make
purchasing
decisions3.


White
papers
edged
out

brochures,
product

demonstrations
and

advertisements
because
they
offer
solutions
not
 This
all
bodes
well
for
you
and
your
white
paper.


sales
pitches.
 But,
there’s
one
thing
working
against
you—your

competitors
are
writing
white
papers
too.

So,

White
papers
not
only
deliver
more
and
better
 how
do
you
make
your
white
paper
stand
out

information
than
other
marketing
tactics,
but
 from
the
pack?

How
do
you
get
potential
clients

they
are
also
more
cost‐effective—costing
little
or
 to
download
or
read
your
white
paper?
nothing
to
produce
and
distribute.

You
can

contract
the
services
of
an
experienced
writer
for
 Write
an
appealing
Introduction.
an
average
of
$107
per
hour4.

You
can
purchase
 In
his
book,
Writing
White
Papers,
Michael

market
research
reports
for
as
little
as
a
few
 Stelzner
likens
the
Introduction
section
to
a
30‐
hundred
dollars.

And,
since
most
white
papers
 second
movie
trailer
for
a
feature
Nilm.

Stelzner

are
published
online,
there
are
no
printing,
 writes,
“a
good
Introduction
gives
away
just

publishing
or
distribution
costs.

You
can
further
 enough
information
to
entice
people
to
go
to
the

reduce
these
costs
by
conducting
your
own
 theater
without
giving
away
the
full
plot
of
the

market
research
and
writing
the
white
paper
 movie”
7.

A
good
Introduction
will
entice

yourself—an
option
you’re
likely
considering
if
 executives
to
download
your
white
paper
and

you’re
reading
this
article.

 provide
you
their
valuable
contact
information.
Preferred
by
executives
and
cheap
to
produce,
 Whether
you
are
writing
your
Nirst
white
paper,

could
white
papers
get
any
better?

Yes.

White
 or
revising
a
less‐than‐successful
one,
you’ll
want

papers
also
generate
more
sales
leads
per
dollar
 to
brave
the
coming
paragraphs.

If
you
do,
you

invested.

Dan
Dershem,
CEO
of
software
 will
learn
the
deNinition
and
purpose
of
an

developer,
LeanLogistics,
credits
his
library
of
 Introduction.

You
will
learn
how
to
target
your

white
papers
with
doubling
his
sales
leads
at
one‐ Introduction
to
your
intended
audience,
how
to

sixth
of
the
cost
of
producing
his
company’s
usual
 write
the
Introduction,
and
how
to
optimize
your

Webinars5.


Similarly,
Hoover’s,
Inc.
attributes
 Introduction
to
increase
the
number
of
qualiNied

one‐third
of
its
sales
leads
and
20%
of
its
 sales
leads
generated.
subscriptions
to
its
white
papers6.

2 D.D. Johnice | May 2009

HOW TO WRITE A LEAD-GENERATING WHITE PAPER INTRODUCTION
Understanding the Introduction Most
white
papers
are
published
online
in
white

paper
databases
that
require
readers
to
provide

After
the
title,
the
Introduction
is
the
Nirst
thing
 contact
information
in
order
to
download
the
full

potential
readers
will
see,
the
only
thing
they
 white
paper.

Interested
readers
see
only
the
text

know
about
your
white
paper
and
the
only
thing
 of
the
Introduction
and
must
use
that
to
decide

standing
between
you
and
sales
leads.

That’s
a
 whether
they
want
to
read
the
full
white
paper

lot
of
pressure
to
place
on
a
few
paragraphs. and
whether
it’s
worth
providing
their
contact

information.

If
your
Introduction
serves
its

Definition intended
purpose,
readers
will
provide
their

contact
information—your
sales
lead.

The
Introduction
is
a
brief
preamble
to
the

information
covered
in
your
white
paper.

Unlike
 You
have
only
a
few
minutes
and
a
few

an
executive
summary,
the
Introduction
is
not
a
 paragraphs
to
fulNill
the
Introduction’s
purpose,

summary
of
the
information
covered
in
your
 so
you
had
better
write
some
compelling
copy.


white
paper.

Instead,
it
is
a
sort
of
advertisement
 The
Introduction
of
a
gaming
white
paper

for
your
white
paper—grabbing
your
audience’s
 published
at
Accenture.com
is
shown
below.
attention,
initiating
a
connection
and
highlighting

your
white
paper’s
most
important
features.
 Today,
games,
gaming
and
gambling
–for

which
we
have
coined
the
term
G3
–
Purpose represent
a
$345bn
global
business,

eclipsing
both
the
movie
and
music

The
Introduction
serves
a
three‐fold
purpose:
(1)
 industries.

As
the
planet’s
premier

capturing
readers’
interest,
(2)
previewing
the
 entertainment
choice,
G3
is
not
only

best
features
of
your
white
paper,
and
(3)
enticing
 growing
but
also
changing
–
rapidly

readers
to
provide
sales
leads. evolving
to
the
imperative
of
a
wired
world


 and
shifting
consumer
tastes.

Ready
or
not,

Capturing
readers’
interest
is
like
getting
them
to
 players
in
the
sector
should
not

notice
you
across
a
crowded
room.

Given
that
 underestimate
G3’s
power
over
their

there
are
millions
of
white
papers
out
there,
 businesses
or
the
enormous
opportunities
it

many
of
them
written
and
published
by
big‐name
 represents.
writers
and
organizations,
that’s
a
tall
order
but

one
that
can
be
made
less
so
if
you
give
up
on
 This
article
describes
recent
developments

attracting
all
readers
and
focus
on
attracting
only
 in
the
G3
space
and
raises
some
of
the
key

those
readers
who
are
most
likely
to
be
 challenges
faced
by
both
incumbent
and

interested
in
the
subject(s)
about
which
you
are
 new
G3
industry
players
as
recounted

writing. through
interviews
with
over
50
senior

executives
selected
from
the
G3
industries

Previewing
the
best
features
of
your
white
paper
 within
the
UK.

It
is
aimed
at
media
majors

is
a
bit
simpler
if
you
remember
Stelzner’s
movie
 and
startups,
access
platform
providers

trailer
analogy.

What
will
it
take
to
get
your
 (web,
iTV
and
mobile),
entertainment
and

target
audience
into
the
theatre?

You
will
need
to
 channel
brands,
selected
games,
gaming

show
your
audience
that
you
understand
their
 and
gambling
product
developers
and

most
pressing
problem
and
that
you
have
a
 service
providers
8.

solution.





 The
Nirst
paragraph
captures
readers’
interest
by

Once
you’ve
peaked
your
audience’s
interest
and
 identifying
a
lucrative
market
opportunity
and

shown
them
the
preview,
you’re
one
step
away
 highlighting
current
market
trends.

It
also
tells

from
your
goal,
landing
sales
leads.

 the
reader
why
they
should
listen—because,


 “ready
or
not”,
something
big
is
happening.




3 D.D. Johnice | May 2009

 The Introduction is an advertisement for
HOW TO WRITE A LEAD-GENERATING WHITE PAPER INTRODUCTION

your white paper.

The
second
paragraph
identiNies
the
target
 economy
sheds
more
than
a
half­million

audience
(“Hey,
media
majors
and
startups,
et
 jobs
per
month
and
adjusts
to
tighter
credit

al”!),
and
shares
the
best
features
of
the
white
 markets
and
slowing
consumer
demand10.

paper,
namely
coverage
of
recent
developments
in

the
reader’s
market
sector,
identiNication
of
key
 In
deNining
the
shared
context,
the
writer
also

challenges
facing
the
reader
and
insights
from
 deNines
the
problem‐‐the
recession
and
its
toll
on

movers
and
shakers
in
the
reader’s
industry.
 employment.

With
two
brief
paragraphs,
Nive
information‐ Problem
packed
sentences,
Accenture’s
Introduction
 You
may
deNine
a
problem
in
your
Introduction
by

convinced
hundreds
of
business
prospects
to
 outlining
the
readers’
circumstances,
writing
a

download
the
30‐page
G3
white
paper.

By
the
 brief
statement
or
asking
a
question.

Whichever

end
of
this
article
you
will
be
able
to
duplicate
 you
select,
ensure
your
readers
understand
the

Accenture’s
success
with
your
own
Introduction. problem
your
product
or
service
solves.

You
can’t

save
this
information
for
the
body
of
the
white

Introduction Components paper
because
readers
will
only
provide
their

contact
information
if
your
Introduction
promises

Your
Introduction
must
contain
three
 to
solve
a
problem
they
care
about.
components:
(1)
a
shared
context,
(2)
a
problem

and
(3)
a
solution9.

The
components
need
not
be
 The
problem
statement
below
is
from
Deloitte’s

in
this
exact
order;
you
may
lead
with
a
problem
 Crossing
the
Green
Divide:

or
use
the
problem
to
establish
a
shared
context.
Most
people
today
believe
their
actions

Shared Context

 contribute
to
our
changing
environment,

To
establish
a
shared
context,
use
a
brief
 and
they
have
started
to
make
changes
at

paragraph,
a
question,
or
a
quote
that
illustrates
 home
to
reduce
the
impact
of
their
actions.


your
understanding
of
your
readers’
 Surprisingly,
most
people
are
not
exhibiting

circumstances
or
challenges—whether
it’s
 similar
behavior
changes
at
work11.


changing
demographics,
dwindling
budgets
or

Ninding
a
new
content
management
system.

 The
problem
here
is
that
people
are
not
taking

their
eco‐friendly
behavior
to
work.

The
writer

Below
is
an
excerpt
from
IBM’s
Getting
Smart
 could
also
have
asked
readers
whether
they
were

About
Your
Workforce.

The
writer
establishes
a
 experiencing
the
disconnect
between
employees’

shared
context
by
describing
the
dire
state
of
the
 green
attitudes
and
their
wasteful
workplace

job
market,
a
situation
likely
familiar
to
his
 behaviors,
thereby
establishing
a
shared
context,

readers. and
introducing
the
problem
for
which
he
will

provide
a
solution.
Employees
continue
to
bear
the
brunt
of
the

worst
economic
recession
in
a
generation.
 Solution
In
the
United
States,
2.55
million
jobs
have
 In
the
context
of
a
white
paper,
the
solution
is

been
lost
since
the
recession
started
in
 your
product.

For
most
B2B
marketers,
the

December
2007,
pushing
the
unemployment
 solution
is
their
opportunity
to
sell
their
product

rate
to
a
16­year
high,
according
to
the
 or
service.

The
solution
component
is
the
sales

Bureau
of
Labor
Statistics.
Most
economists
 opportunity
in
the
Introduction.

But,
it
would
be

are
projecting
further
job
losses
as
the
 a
mistake
to
squander
the
opportunity
by
trying


4 D.D. Johnice | May 2009

HOW TO WRITE A LEAD-GENERATING WHITE PAPER INTRODUCTION to
push
your
products
and
services
on
readers.

 labeling
each
of
the
parts.

Do
this
until
you
are

Instead,
rely
on
the
shared
context
and
problem
 comfortable
with
some
of
the
techniques
other

deNined
in
the
other
components
of
your
 writers
use.

Then,
choose
the
approach
that
is

Introduction
to
“sell”
your
solution. most
appropriate
for
your
product
and
your

audience.


That
is
not
to
say
that
you
cannot
offer
your

product
as
the
solution.

But,
if
you
do,
be
 Targeting Your Audience
objective
and
use
facts
to
support
any

assertions.

This
will
add
credibility
and
 Your
target
audience
is
the
people
with
whom

distinguish
your
solution
from
a
sales
pitch.

 you
must
establish
a
shared
context,
and
whose

problems
your
Introduction
will
promise
to

The
example
below
is
from
Microsoft’s
Roles­ solve.

Generally,
white
papers
target
executives

based
Business
Productivity
white
paper.

The
 whose
organizations
might
beneNit
from
the

writer
uses
a
statistic
to
support
the
assertion
 marketers’
products
or
services.

But,
you’ll
need

that
Microsoft
Dynamics
is
the
solution
to
a
 to
know
much
more
about
your
audience
to

myriad
of
business
productivity
problems.

 target
them
effectively.

You’ll
need
to
know

which
executives
in
which
roles
in
a
given

Industry
analysts
estimate
that
 industry
are
most
likely
to
respond
to
your

information
workers
spend
up
to
30
 Introduction.

This
is
key
to
generating
sales

percent
of
their
working
day
just
looking
 leads.
for
data
they
need.

All
the
time
people

spend
tracking
down
information,
 Executives
in
different
industries
and

managing
and
organizing
documents,
and
 organizations
face
different
challenges.

Too

making
sure
their
teams
have
the
data
 many
marketers
make
the
mistake
of
attempting

they
need,
could
be
much
better
spent
on
 to
sell
a
single
solution
to
everyone’s
problem.


analysis,
collaboration,
insight
and
other
 This
approach
works
for
mass
market
products

work
that
adds
value.

By
automating
and
 like
ofNice
supplies,
but
is
useless
for
marketing

streamlining
^inancial,
customer
 professional
services
and
technology
products,

relationship
and
supply
chain
processes,
 big‐ticket
items
that,
if
purchased,
may
impact

Microsoft
Dynamics
brings
together
 an
executive’s
entire
organization.

For
this

people,
processes
and
technologies,
 reason,
narrowing
your
audience
from
all

increasing
the
productivity
and
 executives
to
only
those
executives
whose

effectiveness
of
the
business,
and
helping
 problems
your
product
or
service
can
solve.


drive
business
success12.


Identify
the
right
audience
and
you’ll
not
only

Note
that
the
writer
in
the
above
example
does
 learn
how
to
get
your
Introduction
in
front
of

not
spell
out
the
solution
in
detail,
but
offers
a
 them,
but
also
how
to
get
them
to
provide
their

preview‐‐just
enough
to
convince
your
audience
 contact
information.

to
provide
sales
leads.

If
you
have
trouble

deciding
what
to
include
in
your
Introduction
 So
who
is
your
target
audience?

and
what
to
save
for
your
white
paper,
write
it

all
down.

Highlight
the
“golden
nuggets”,
those
 Identify Your Audience
bits
of
information
that
your
audience
is
dying

to
know.

Then,
ransom
the
nuggets—their
 You
undoubtedly
have
an
audience
in
mind.


contact
information
for
your
golden
nuggets. They
may
be
your
existing
customers
or
your

clients’
customers.

They
may
be
IT
executives,

As
the
sample
shared
context,
problem
and
 manufacturing
executives
or
retail
executives.


solution
components
illustrate,
there
is
no
one
 But,
what
else
do
you
know
about
them?
way
to
write
an
Introduction.

Read
the

Introductions
of
several
white
papers
and
try


5 D.D. Johnice | May 2009

HOW TO WRITE A LEAD-GENERATING WHITE PAPER INTRODUCTION
CORE AUDIENCE

1. Describe your audience in 3

sentences or less. Include job
titles and industries.
2. What language do they speak (i.e.
technical jargon or finance for
dummies)?
3. What do they do (i.e. manufacture
parts, sell shoes, develop
software)?
4. What is their biggest problem or
challenge (i.e. new technology,
strict regulations or talent
management)?
5. How are they addressing the
problem or challenge now?
6. What’s missing or wrong with their
current solution(s)?
7. What can you offer them?

What do you know about

your audience?
It
is
not
enough
to
know
your
audience’s
job
title

or
industry;
you
must
know
what
they
do
and
the
 Depending
on
your
product
or
service,
your

challenges
they
face
in
doing
it.

You
need
to
know
 audience’s
gender,
age,
interests,
and
the
state
of

whether
the
members
of
your
target
audience
can
 the
industry
in
which
they
work
could
be

make
purchasing
decisions
or
whether
they
can
 important.

Young,
male
application
developers

only
inNluence
those
decisions.

You
need
to
know
 may
respond
differently
to
your
Introduction

whether
you
are
vying
for
the
attention
of
the
 than
older,
female
application
developers.

And,

man
who
will
execute
the
migration
to
your
 executives
in
industries
that
have
been
slow
to

content
management
system
(CMS)
or
the
 adopt
new
technologies
may
be
scared
off
by
an

woman
who
will
manage
the
project.

They
may
 Introduction
that
assumes
their
organizations

have
divergent
interests
that
you
can
use
to
 have
a
higher
level
of
technological
capacity.
differentiate
your
Introduction
from
the

hundreds
of
others
targeting
either
audience.

6 D.D. Johnice | May 2009

HOW TO WRITE A LEAD-GENERATING WHITE PAPER INTRODUCTION
Your audience certainly has more than one
problem, but your product or service can’t solve
them all.
The
more
detailed
your
understanding
of
 Once
you
have
identiNied
your
audience

your
audience,
the
more
likely
you
are
to
 and
the
problem
your
product
or
service

correctly
identify
their
challenges
and
 solves,
you
can
tailor
your
solution.


speak
their
language. Tailoring
your
solution
means
going
from

“Spring4th’s
HLX
application
takes
the

Identify Your Audience’s pain
out
of
performance
evaluations”
to

Challenges “Spring4th’s
HLX
application
reduces
the

number
of
hours
HR
professionals
spend

What
keeps
your
audience
up
at
night?

 managing
annual
performance

Are
they
struggling
to
Nill
key
job
 evaluations”.


vacancies?

Are
they
facing
new

government
regulations?

Are
they
 The
latter
is
more
likely
to
grab
the

grappling
with
the
implications
of
a
 attention
of
HR
professionals
in
search
of

recent
trend?
 a
timesaving
performance
appraisal

application.

If
HR
professionals
are
your

Your
audience
will
certainly
have
more
 target
audience,
and
if
spending
too

than
one
problem,
but
your
product
or
 many
hours
on
performance
evaluations

service
can’t
solve
them
all.

List
3‐5
 is
one
of
their
problems,
your
solution
is

challenges
or
problems
your
audience
is
 going
to
look
like
a
cool
drink
of
water
on

currently
facing.

Determine
which
of
 a
scorching
day.

them
your
product
or
service
best

resolves.

Then,
write
or
revise
the
 The
goal
here
is
to
Nine‐tune
your

problem
in
your
Introduction. solution
such
that
your
audience
knows


 you
understand
their
challenges
and
are

Tailor Your Solutions offering
a
solution
speciNic
to
those

challenges.

Revise
the
solution
in
your


KAYLA SAITO
Proprietor/
Designer, K.
Saito, 27, Los
Angeles, CA

Saito opened her

boutique two
yeasr ago. Sales
are up, but the
lack of quality
information on
overseas textile
manufacturers is
bringing Saito
down.

Can you help?

7 D.D. Johnice | May 2009

 Speak their language
HOW TO WRITE A LEAD-GENERATING WHITE PAPER INTRODUCTION

land their business

Introduction
by
replacing
general
promises
or
 what’s
important
to
them
and
being
able
to
write

beneNits
with
speciNic
ones.

If
you
know
the
 an
Introduction
that
resonates
with
them.
percentage
by
which
errors
were
reduced
after

using
your
product,
or

the
percentage
increase
in
 Speaking
your
audience’s
language
becomes

employee
productivity
after
a
client
employed
 simpler
the
better
you
know
them.

Revisit
your

your
methodology,
state
it
in
your
solution.

 target
audience
description
often
as
you
write

your
Introduction.
Consider
the
Spring4th
HLX
example.

You
would

revise
your
solution
as
follows:
 Writing the Introduction
Draft
#1:


Spring4th’s
HLX
application
 For
many
people
writing
is
akin
to
public

takes
the
pain
out
of
performance
 speaking—it’s
cause
for
twitching
and
sweating.


evaluations. If
you
are
among
those
who
dread
writing
for

public
consumption,
you’ll
Nind
solace
in
the

Draft
#2:
Spring4th’s
HLX
application
 words
of
Joseph
Williams,
author
of
best‐selling

reduces
the
number
of
hours
HR
 writing
guide
Style.

Williams
wrote,
“Even
bad

professionals
spend
managing
annual
 writers
get
read
if
they
motivate
readers
to
make

performance
evaluations. the
effort”
13.


Draft
#3:
Spring4th’s
HLX
application
 To
motivate
readers,
Williams
advises
writing

reduces
the
number
of
hours
HR
 about
topics
in
which
they
are
deeply
interested.


professionals
spend
managing
annual
 You
know
your
audience,
you
understand
their

performance
evaluations
by
35%. problems,
you’ve
got
a
solution
and
you’re

speaking
their
language.

Writing
the

Stick
to
the
facts.

Resist
the
temptation
to
write
 Introduction
will
be
as
simple
as
developing
an

punchy
lines
about
how
your
product
or
service
 outline
and
observing
a
few
“Quick
&
Dirty”

is
the
panacea
for
all
that
ails
your
audience.

The
 writing
rules.
solution
you
propose,
and
the
way
you
describe

it,
will
determine
whether
executives
view
your
 Observe Simple Writing Rules
Introduction
as
the
gateway
to
credible

information
or
as
just
another
ad. Good
writing
is
not
about
squeezing
as
many

polysyllabic
words
as
possible
into
a
paragraph;

Speak Their Language it’s
about
using
words
your
audience
understands

and
crafting
sentences
with
a
subject,
a
verb
and

You
wouldn’t
write
your
Introduction
in
French
if
 an
object.


your
audience
spoke
only
Spanish.

But,
you
 Good
writing
is
about
sentences
that
convey
ideas

might
make
the
mistake
of
using
jargon,
packing
 simply.

It’s
about
paragraphs
that
Nlow,
using

your
Introduction
with
obscure
formulas,
or
 spell‐check,
getting
feedback
and
editing,
editing,

focusing
too
heavily
on
the
concerns
of
the
 editing.
engineer
when
you
are
trying
to
reach
his
boss.


 You
are
writing
for
busy
executives,
not
English

professors.

To
please
executives,
you
need
only

Speaking
your
audience’s
language
is
about
more
 write
about
a
problem
that
plagues
them.

You

than
their
native
tongue;
it’s
about
understanding
 need
not
win
any
writing
awards.

their
perspective
on
an
issue,
understanding


8 D.D. Johnice | May 2009

 You are writing for executives,
HOW TO WRITE A LEAD-GENERATING WHITE PAPER INTRODUCTION

not English professors.

Editing
is
the
best
part
of
writing.

Think
of
it
as

selecting
scenes
to
include
in
a
movie
preview.


You
have
hours
of
footage
and
plenty
of
sexy,

funny
scenes
that
might
grab
your
audience’s

QUICK & DIRTY RULES OF WRITING
attention
and
get
them
excited
about
seeing
your

1. SUBJECT + VERB + OBJECT Nilm,
but
you
also
need
to
save
something
for
the

2. Plan extensively. theatre.

3. Write now. Edit later. 

4. Keep it simple.
Striking
a
balance
between
giving
enough
away

5. G.P.C. (grammar, punctuation and
capitalization) and
saving
enough
for
paying
customers
is
a

6. Don’t send a paragraph to do a sentence’s job. tricky
task.

Have
you
included
enough

7. Don’t be stingy with spell-check. information
in
your
Introduction
to
make
an

8. Check your flow. executive
want
to
pay
the
cost
of
admission
(his

9. Edit. Edit. Edit. contact
information)?

Did
you
give
away
so
much

10. Don’t be afraid to outsource.
information
that
he
doesn’t
need
to
pay
the
price

of
admission?

Once
you
are
satisNied
with
the
scenes
you’ve

Develop an Outline selected,
consider
the
Nlow.

If
you
remove
some

You
may
outline
only
the
Introduction
or
the
 of
the
information
you
initially
included,
does

entire
white
paper.

You
may
need
to
outline
the
 your
Introduction
still
make
sense?

Will
it
make

white
paper’s
content
in
its
entirety
to
decide
 sense
to
your
audience?
which
information
to
include
in
your
Introduction

and
which
to
save
for
the
body
of
the
white
paper. Editing
is
about
slicing
and
splicing,
so
it
is

possible
to
go
too
far
and
end
up
with
a
choppy,

Use
the
Introduction
components—shared
 incoherent
jumble
of
sentences.

Repair
your

context,
problem
statement
and
solution—as
 Introduction
by
reorganizing
your
sentences
and

your
three
main
headings.

Then,
list
key
points
 paragraphs
and
writing
new
transition
sentences.
under
each
component.

Expand
each
of
the
key
 


points
into
a
sentence(s).

Note
any
examples
or
 Next,
use
spell‐check
to
Nind
and
Nix
spelling
and

connections
you
might
use
to
transition
between
 grammatical
errors.

Too
many
misspelled
words

sentences
and
headings. in
the
space
of
a
few
paragraphs
signals
that
your

white
paper
and
the
solution
you
are
marketing

Expand
your
outline
by
treating
each
point
as
it’s
 are
of
poor
quality.
own
topic.

Write
a
few
sentences
on
each
topic.


Write
one
sentence
that
ties
each
point
to
the
 After
you
have
completed
your
initial
edits,
ask

next.

Repeat
for
each
of
your
key
points. friends
or
colleagues
to
read
your
Introduction



 and
provide
feedback.

Skip
the
grammar
and

Give
yourself
two
hours
and
write
as
much
as
you
 spelling
questions;
ask
them
whether
they

can.

Do
not
edit
as
you
write.

Before
you
know
it,
 understand
what
you
have
written,
whether
it

you
will
have
written
your
Introduction. makes
them
want
to
read
your
white
paper,
and

whether
they
would
provide
their
contact

information
for
the
pleasure.

Edit Your Introduction
Make
the
changes
they
suggest.

Then,
repeat
the

process
with
different
peer
editors.

When
you


9 D.D. Johnice | May 2009

HOW TO WRITE A LEAD-GENERATING WHITE PAPER INTRODUCTION

OPTIMIZE YOUR INTRODUCTION

Cater to the desperate.

Market relief, not products.
Sell scalpels not machetes.
Ransom “golden nuggets”.
Pack the facts.
Ditch the sales pitch.
Hitch your Introduction to a star
(i.e. a popular news story or rising
trend).
Feed the search monster (He likes
keywords).
Go where the eyes are (Hint: white
papers are not popular on
MySpace).

Peddling the panacea

destroys your credibility.
are
Ninished
editing,
your
Introduction
should
be
 than
most.

But,
generating
qualiNied
sales
leads,

ready
for
its
public
debut. not
just
contact
information,
will
require

additional
steps.
Optimize Your Introduction
First,
target
the
audience
that
needs
your
services

The
difference
between
obtaining
contact
 most.

Desperate
people
act
quickly
to
alleviate

information
and
generating
qualiNied
sales
leads
 pain.

Convince
your
audience
that
your

is
that
the
former
Nills
your
database
with
the
 Introduction
holds
their
relief.
names
of
executives
who
want
to
read
your
paper
 

but
don’t
want
to
buy
your
product,
while
the
 With
your
target
audience
narrowly
in
sight,

latter
Nills
your
database
with
the
names
of
 focus
on
the
shared
context
component
of
your

executives
who
want
to
read
your
paper
and
are
 Introduction.

Ensure
that
the
shared
context
you

more
likely
to
buy
your
product
or
service. established
creates
a
sense
of
urgency.

Citing

recent
news
headlines
or
new
research
Nindings

If
you
accurately
target
your
audience,
identify
 will
make
your
Introduction
and
white
paper
a

their
challenges,
speak
their
language
and
tailor
 must‐read
for
your
audience.

your
solutions,
your
Introduction
will
be
better
 


10 D.D. Johnice | May 2009

HOW TO WRITE A LEAD-GENERATING WHITE PAPER INTRODUCTION
Hitching
your
Introduction
to
a
popular
news

story
has
the
added
beneNit
of
giving
it
a
lift
in
 RESOURCES
Internet
search
results,
making
it
easier
for
your

audience
to
Nind
and
more
likely
to
be
syndicated
 Sample White Papers
to
other
publications.

 Accenture.com

Next,
ensure
the
problem
is
stated
as
simply
as
 Bitpipe.com
possible,
and
that
you
are
not
trying
to
solve
too
 Deloitte.com
DMNews.com
many
problems
in
a
single
Introduction.
Zdnet.com

With
the
shared
context
and
problem
statement
 Online Writing Help

components
covered,
you
can
turn
your
attention
 The Owl at Purdue Writing Center
to
your
solution.

Peddling
the
panacea
destroys
 Whitepapersource.com
your
credibility
and
scares
off
potential
readers,


so,
where
possible,
use
statistics,
case
studies
or

Books
quotes
to
support
your
solution.

 Writing White Papers by M. Stelzner
The White Paper Marketing Handbook by R. Bly
Hoard
key
details
but
tease
your
readers
with

exciting
promises
or
beneNits
to
come.


Remember
to
ransom
the
“golden
nuggets”.


Finally,
scrub
your
Introduction
of
even
the

faintest
hint
of
a
sales
pitch.

White
papers
are

prized
for
their
credibility,
not
their
promotional

spin.

Yes,
you
are
ultimately
selling
a
product
or

service,
but
you
are
doing
it
indirectly
by
offering

a
solution
to
a
pressing
problem.

11 D.D. Johnice | May 2009

HOW TO WRITE A LEAD-GENERATING WHITE PAPER INTRODUCTION
Index SiriusDecisions,
2
Solution

A 
 as
Introduction
component,
4‐5
Accenture 
 tailoring,
7

 Accenture.com,
3 Spring4th,
7,
8
C Stelzner,
2,
3
Core
audience,
6 Style
(book),
8
Cost‐effectiveness,
2 T
D Target
audience

 identifying,
5
Dan
Dershem,
2

 identifying
challenges
of,
7
Deloitte,
4

 speaking
their
language,
8

G 
 targeting,
5
Golden
nuggets,
5,
11
W
H White
paper
Hoover’s,
2 
 advantages
of,
1‐2
I 
 deNinition
of,
1
IBM,
4 Williams,
Joseph,
8
Introduction Writing
rules

 components
of,
4
 
 observing,
8‐9

 deNinition,
3 Writing
White
Papers
(book),
2

 editing,
9‐10 Y

 optimizing,
10‐11 Yankelovich/Harris
study,
1

 purpose,
3

 writing,
8
IT
executives,
preferences,
2
L
LeanLogistics,
2
M
Microsoft,
5
O
Outline

 developing,
9

 expanding,
9
P
Problem,
as
Introduction
component,
4
Q
Quick
&
Dirty
Writing
Rules,
8
R
Resources,
11
S
Sales
lead,
2
ScarNi,
Marita,
2
Shared
Context,
as
Introduction
component,
4

12 D.D. Johnice | May 2009

 Works Cited
HOW TO WRITE A LEAD-GENERATING WHITE PAPER INTRODUCTION

1. Yankelovich
Partners,
HarrisInteractive.
Business‐to‐Business
Media
Study
[report
on
the

Internet].
Chapel
Hill
(NC):
HarrisInteractive;
2001
[cited
2009
Mar
11];
[436K
bytes].

Available
from:
http://www.americanbusinessmedia.com/images/abm/pdfs/resources/
yankelovich_fullreport.pdf


2. SiriusDecisions.
Marketing
and
demand
creation
in
the
B2B
marketplace:
the
prospect's

view
[internet].
Alpharetta
(GA);
Knowledgestorm;
2006
[cited
2009
Feb
16];
[866,286

bytes].
Available
from:
http://www.knowledgestorm.com/shared/write/collateral/CST/
50513_84768_64432_Webcast.pdf



3. BNET
Editor.
Producing
white
papers
[internet].
2007
Oct
[cited
2009
April
14];
[about
two

screens].
Available
from:
http://www.bnet.com/2410‐13240_23‐168362.html


4. Friedman
J,
Pope
A.
2008
Writer’s
market.
Cincinnati
(OH):
F+W
Publications;
2007;
71.

5. Kwon
B.
Wooing
customers
one
white
paper
at
a
time
[internet].
2007
Mar
1[cited
2009
Mar

30];
[about
one
screen].
Available
from:
http://www.inc.com/magazine/20070301/
salesmarketing‐one‐companys‐budget.html


6. Stelzner
M.
Writing
white
papers:
how
to
capture
readers
and
keep
them
engaged.
Ashland

(OH):
WhitePaperSource
Publishing;
2006;
61.

7. Gault
K.
Case
study:
how
hoover’s
is
using
white
papers
to
nurture
leads
[internet].
2007

Nov
12
[cited
2009
April
21];
[about
three
screens].
Available
from:
http://
www.whitepapersource.com/case‐studies/casestudy‐hoovers/


8. Anderson
J,
Kara
A.
G3
games,
gaming
and
gamblers:
developments
in
interactive

entertainment
[internet].

New
York
(NY):
Accenture;
2001
[cited
2009
Mar
27];
[3.3M

bytes].
Available
from:
http://www.accenture.com/NR/rdonlyres/1EA0FA61‐88ED‐49B3‐
BF9C‐AEA612A47A34/0/g3v3.zip


9. Williams
J.
Style:
lessons
in
clarity
and
grace.
New
York
(NY):
Pearson
Education,
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