Book Review: Writing White Papers: How to capture readers and keep them engaged by Michael A. Stelzner

White papers are a marketing tool that should be found in most business’ toolbox. They’re especially important to service businesses and independent professionals. They educate your audience, reinforce your value and help to position you as an expert.

But, the problem is most people don’t know where to start or end up off base, writing a paper that’s not truly useful to the reader. Plus, if they actually get their white paper written, they don’t know how to effectively use it as a marketing tool that really helps turn prospects into paying clients.

Fortunately, white paper pro, Michael Stelzner’s new book, Writing White Papers: How to capture readers and keep them engaged, will guide you through the process from start to finish. Then he teaches you how to use your enticing essay to pull in the big fish.

To say Stelzner’s book is comprehensive is a lesson in understatement. The author leaves no stone unturned, no task untouched and no technique untaught. Beginning with defining what a white paper is and isn’t, Stelzner walks you through every element needed for a successful white paper. From determining if there’s a need to creating the outline, interviewing techniques to research, all the way through to writing tips, formatting and distribution, every piece of the puzzle comes together.

Writing White Papers isn’t some of that typical theoretic rhetoric. This info comes from a guy who has written over 100 white papers for companies such as Microsoft, Motorola, HP, SAP, FedX, Cardinal Health, Monster and many other big name brands. His paper, How To Write A White Paper: A white paper about white papers, has been read by tens of thousands and is used in the graduate programs of major educational players such as MIT and John Hopkins. Not too shabby. Suffice to say, Michael knows his stuff.

I highly recommend Writing White Papers: How to capture readers and keep them engaged. Frankly, the chapter on research. alone, is worth the price of admission. This is one of those books that comes along every once in a while that’s destined to become a classic. It should occupy a stately place in every serious marketer’s library.