A white paper is a persuasive essay, usually 3,000 words or more, written in a rather academic style. It is used by companies to introduce something new, to explain something complex that they sell, or to outline the benefits of something expensive¹.

At the top of the sales funnel, your B2B prospects need to find out everything they can about the benefits of your product or service so they can choose between a range of vendors, including you. This is when a problem/solution white paper — a persuasive essay that uses facts and logic to present a new solution (provided by your product) to a nagging industry problem — will fill the bill..

The second type is a numbered list (e.g., "5 problems you need to address to do X" or "How you can make money using these 7 tips"). In the middle of the sales funnel, this will get attention for you with provocative views; nurture prospects; or attack your competition. It provides tips, questions, answers or interesting points about some issue. You can even include a brief case study inside one of these.

A backgrounder provides a detailed look at the features and benefits of a certain product or service. It is most effective at the bottom of the sales funnel, to assure prospects/new clients that you are the undisputed leader in your field; to support technical evaluations; or to support a product launch.

It's not, however, a brochure: you can't be selling in a white paper; just providing very useful information through hard facts, interviews with industry leaders and unimpeachable logic.

If your publication resonates with your prospects, a good white paper or report can drive new business to your company.