The Long-Form, Text-Heavy White Paper is Dead

Every time I see a long-form, copy-heavy sales document these days, my first reaction is "Why do marketers still think prospects will read this?"

Like many people, my tolerance for reading lengthy text while I'm working is diminishing rapidly.

Part of the reason? We are all becoming more accustomed to "information foraging"* through the short text forms of online and social media content, from Web pages and blog posts to Twitter and Facebook updates. (*Thanks to Web usability expert Jakob Nielsen for this term.) 

Does this mean I think white papers are no longer effective as marketing documents? No, not at all. But they do need to change in length, content, and presentation.

Fellow white paper copywriter Jonathan Kantor also sees these changes and makes some additional excellent points in a post where he lists tips for engaging today's white paper readers.

Among his tips (and my comments):

• Executives simply don't have time to read a lengthy document. At best, they may send it to a subordinate to review and report back on any relevant information. (I would argue that time constraints apply to any prospective buyer.) 

• Standard white paper length has declined to 6-8 pages. (I've seen this with my clients, down from the 8-12 page length that was standard just a few years ago. The good thing is that brevity enforces more focused and concise content, which also appeals to readers.)

• Executive and concluding summaries are essential to convincing readers to explore further in the white paper's main content.

Jonathan also recommends using more visuals and layout techniques to catch the attention of readers who skim the document. But his list of suggested improvements is only a small set of the possibilities. You can find more extensive ideas in Chapter 5 of my book Copywriting That Sells High Tech and in the content ideas for white papers in Chapter 10.  

So, do you agree with my premise that long-form, text-heavy white papers are dead? What kinds of changes are you seeing in the white papers produced by your company or clients? 

Read these related posts:

• Infographics enliven technical content
• What Technical Writers Know That Copywriters Don't

Comments

[Janice King]

Stephanie -- I appreciate the feedback and the additional resources you've shared. Definitely on target.

[Stephanie Tilton]

Hi Janice,
Thanks for sharing the term "information foraging" - it's such an apt description. Along those lines, a study conducted in early 2008 by the University College London found that "…there are signs that new forms of 'reading' are emerging as users 'power browse' horizontally through titles, contents pages and abstracts going for quick wins."

If marketers are wondering whether or not their prospects are willing to read longer papers, they only need to check out the research findings. In February 2009, InformationWeek Business Technology Network produced a report called "How to Maximize the Use of White Papers In Your B2B Marketing and Sales Process." They surveyed professional tech buyers (on both the business and technical side of the house) about their preferences for white paper length. 86% say to keep white papers under 10 pages, and 50% of those want them under 5 pages.

I encourage my clients to aim for a shorter length. If they have enough worthwhile ideas and information to fill more than 8 pages, I suggest producing a series of papers (or articles). There's no sense producing a paper that your audience has told you it doesn't want to read.

Best,
Stephanie