One of many largest strikes a contract author could make to earn extra is to maneuver into better-paying forms of work, like white paper writing jobs.
Once you go from, say, writing $20 weblog posts to writing white papers that may pay $1,500-$10,000, it’s a giant leap.
However simply how do you could that leap? How precisely do you get into writing white papers? The place do you even discover white paper writing jobs? And what are some errors to keep away from alongside the best way?
That’s what we’re about to find. Hold studying.
What’s a White Paper?
A white paper is a cross between {a magazine} article and a company brochure, sharing a corporation’s often-complicated message in an easy-to-understand, formal, and persuasive method.
Most shoppers need to learn the academic journal article a part of the white paper to search out out the options to their issues—however the persuasive brochure a part of the white paper does its job too, and convinces the readers to purchase the product or use the service.
How A lot Can You Make on White Paper Writing Jobs?
The distinctive balancing function of the white paper—to each educate and promote—makes it probably the most highly effective advertising instruments. That is the rationale why shoppers are able to pay $1,500-$10,000 for a six to 14 web page doc.
It’s a good way to earn cash writing!
The large upside of writing white papers is why we did a complete coaching bootcamp on the subject over on the Freelance Writers Den. You may entry this whole four-week bootcamp plus over 300 hours of different trainings by turning into a Den member.
Get White Paper Writing Expertise
If you understand how to put in writing articles or advertising supplies, you must have the ability to discover ways to write white papers with slightly effort and apply.
The very first thing you could do is learn all you may about writing white papers from books, blogs, articles, and so on. That additionally means learning examples so you recognize what’s anticipated (take a look at this instance). An increasing number of firms are posting white papers on-line to construct their authority—obtain a couple of and provides them a learn.
Now begin writing…
After you study the method of writing white papers, you can begin practising your ability on a hypothetical or actual firm. Select a business-to-business firm, as B2B tends to fee extra white papers than B2C. They often have difficult choices and must persuade enterprise homeowners to buy their services or products.
One other thought: create a white paper to promote your writing, about how companies profit from utilizing freelance writers. Publish it in your web site as a free obtain for prospects.
Sharpen your expertise by writing white papers as usually as you may. As soon as you are feeling that you simply’re prepared, begin on the lookout for shoppers.
The place to Discover White Paper Writing Jobs
- Let your present shoppers know what white papers are, how they work and why their enterprise wants one. Present them the samples you’ve created. In case you can persuade them that they want a white paper, you’ll be in your manner
- Search for enterprise homeowners who’re getting articles or brochures written. Clarify what a white paper is and why it’s higher than an everyday article or brochure. Suggest attainable matters that might be acceptable to their enterprise. Hopefully, it is possible for you to to entice them into asking you to put in writing one
- Write one for much less. If it’s your first job, then it doesn’t matter if you happen to cost much less. Perhaps you’ll not earn sufficient for all the trouble you place in, however you’re going to get a pattern that can make it easier to land profitable jobs sooner or later
Upon getting a couple of samples in your portfolio, you may search for higher jobs.
One of the best factor is to promote your providers as a white paper author by means of your web site, chilly calling, and different advertising strategies. Search for firms which can be concerned in fields like know-how (cloud computing, CRM, content material administration, IT healthcare), or finance (insurance coverage, banks, re-insurance).
In fact, you can too search for white paper jobs on websites like LinkedIn.
White Paper Writing Errors to Keep away from
Whilst you’re gaining expertise, there are some essential errors you must attempt to keep away from as you enter this market.
Listed here are some errors Carol Tice, founding father of Make a Dwelling Writing, made on a white paper writing gig:
Mistake 1: Not vetting the shopper
When a writer-friend tells you, “Hey, this can be a likelihood to work with an incredible finish shopper that’s a Fortune 500,” I don’t learn about you, however I are inclined to get stars in my eyes.
It turned out that I’d be working in a roundabout way with this shopper, however with one in all their authorized advertising businesses. The man who headed it was a former workers speechwriter and advertising author at this F500. As soon as once more, I used to be wowed.
“Man, this man should know *precisely* what he’s doing,” I believed.
What I didn’t discover out? He’d only recently stop the corporate and arrange this company…and had no expertise operating an company. He’d by no means had writers working below him earlier than. He hadn’t written white papers both.
That turned out to be one thing he sucked at. In the middle of my undertaking, everybody he had employed as a “staffer” for his little company stop.
He would have his workers minions give assignments to the writers—and guess what? It was like a giant recreation of phone.
Virtually each single factor I used to be instructed, from deadlines to wordcounts, turned out to be improper. A number of frantic rewriting ensued.
Takeaway: If I’d requested round about this man, I might need realized he was a legendary prima donna—and would have hassle delegating writing work.
Mistake 2: No direct shopper contact
Every thing I did on this white paper writing job got here down secondhand. I couldn’t even have instructed you who on the huge firm this company reported to.
I’d obtain phrase trickle-down type, about who to interview about what. Then, after I interviewed them, I’d be instructed I didn’t ask them the fitting issues, or that I wanted a distinct supply. These sorts of miscommunications are an epidemic in businesses that preserve their shoppers near the vest.
In his efforts to maintain us from poaching the shopper work (not even attainable with this firm, since they solely used a couple of authorized businesses), he would parcel out elements of initiatives to totally different individuals. You by no means knew who else is likely to be touching totally different elements of your similar elephant. The end result: chaos.
Takeaway: I ought to have gotten readability off the bat on who I’d be reporting to for this white paper writing job, who was on my undertaking, and who I’d have the ability to entry.
Mistake 3: Skipping the analysis
I principally labored with what I used to be handed, as a substitute of doing my very own analysis to study extra concerning the forms of charity applications I used to be documenting. I might need had higher backup concepts for interviews, or applications to match it (favorably) to, if I’d taken the time.
Greater than as soon as in the midst of the undertaking, I used to be sitting round for days on finish, after which having to do a rush job on an interview, the place I most likely might have extra shortly discovered sources alone and simply requested for approval.
Takeaway: Don’t sit together with your arms folded ready for information out of your shopper—do your personal legwork, so that you’ve got extra to work with.
Mistake 4: A key query omitted
One huge query I actually want I’d requested is, “What’s your writing course of like?”
In any case, I’d by no means written a white paper earlier than. So I didn’t understand that I wanted a couple of key issues:
- Approval of every of my sources from higher-ups
- A signed launch from every of my interview topics
- To let every interview topic learn their copy earlier than turning it in
- To acquire inventory pictures from my topics
Lengthy after a few of my interviews, towards the top of the undertaking, I used to be abruptly requested to “flip in my releases.” To which I replied, “What releases????”
I’d by no means been given a kind or instructed my interviews needed to fill it out…however abruptly, I seemed like a clueless idiot. It had been weeks since a few of my interviews, and it was additional work to dig a few of them again up and get them to log off.
Takeaway: Discover out what *all* the weather are which can be your “deliverables” within the undertaking—and ensure you get them as you go. Don’t go away paperwork to the top.
Mistake 5: Operating in circles
One of many issues that was dangled in entrance of me on this white paper writing job was the thought of international journey. Their program is international, they usually had been together with some tales from different international locations.
When it was strongly hinted that I’d snag one in all these assignments, I turned my life the other way up to expire and get an expedited passport. Which, in fact, turned out to be a complete waste of time. In reality, I by no means left my home, even.
Takeaway: Don’t chase phantoms on a gig. If somebody’s hinting you would possibly must do one thing for the undertaking, get extra particulars and discover out if it’s actual, earlier than losing time.
The excellent news is that the undertaking did finally get completed…and it got here out actual good. I acquired an ideal clip out of the deal. It was undoubtedly price doing, regardless of all the issues.
However I want I’d taken a extra thorough perspective to scoping this out earlier than I dove in. Then, I might need had a smoother highway and ended up getting extra white paper writing gigs for this shopper, as a substitute of getting a relationship that went down in flames.
Because it labored out, it was a very long time earlier than one other white paper writing job alternative got here round.
