Crafting a whitepaper for your B2B PR campaign: everything you need to know
Want to establish authority, make a case for your business, and generate rich, evergreen content? Introducing: the whitepaper
Historically, whitepapers were used by government agencies, think tanks, and consultancies to present research findings succinctly.
More recently, they have emerged as a powerful PR tool for brands seeking to demonstrate their understanding of industry issues to a target audience, establish credibility against competitors, and generate leads by presenting their solution to a problem.
Though a well-crafted white paper requires more in-depth research and analysis than a blog post or press release, its potential to transform an organisation’s market positioning and reputation can pay dividends.
What is a whitepaper?
Before we come on to the potential of a whitepaper as a marketing tool, let’s first explore what exactly one is.
For the uninitiated, a whitepaper is an in-depth, investigative document designed to inform readers about a complex issue. It explains why this issue is a problem, and what a solution potentially looks like.
The purpose is to educate readers and present the business as a credible and authoritative industry expert, while alluding to its viewpoints and product solutions without being overly promotional.
How can a whitepaper support my PR strategy?
Most white papers are heavily research-backed documents, chock-full of unique insights, statistics and expert commentary. While length varies depending on the complexity of the topic, they will typically range from 3,000 to 6,000 words - providing a rich bank of evergreen content to support a business’ marketing strategy.
Yes, this means that producing a well-crafted white paper will demand dedicated time and resource, but the short-term investment can help to set organisations apart in the long run. Here are a few reasons why:
ESTABLISHING CREDIBILITY
Expertise and authority are critical for B2B buyers. Compared to short-form content, a whitepaper provides a unique opportunity to provide a broader outlook and prove that you have a deep understanding of the key trends, challenges and opportunities facing your industry. Demonstrating the breadth of your knowledge and expertise can go a long way in convincing prospective clients that you really know your stuff, and have the ability to solve their problems effectively.
PROMOTING A NEW PRODUCT OR SERVICE
In this way, whitepapers can be an incredibly effective way to promote a new product or service, without the hard-sell. Today’s digitally-fatigued consumers are becoming wary and distrustful of blatant sales pitches. Because whitepapers combine fact and opinion — prioritising insights over commercial plugs —they are more effective at nurturing leads and guiding prospects through the decision-making process.
GENERATING QUALITY SALES LEADS
Fancy an opportunity to super-charge your lead generation capabilities? What’s great is that, in most cases, readers will need to input their contact information to download a whitepaper. Beyond the PR opportunities, this provides a valuable data capture opportunity for use further down the marketing and sales funnel.
FUELLING CONTENT STRATEGY
Importantly too, a well-developed whitepaper does far more than sit on your website. A single document can serve as the foundation for blog posts, press releases, webinars, social media campaigns, and interviews, whilst also providing a resource with a valuable call-to-action that will capture the attention of journalists for those sought-after editorial features. This ensures a continuous stream of rich, reusable, owned content for months to come.
How can I create a successful whitepaper?
So, you’re sold on the benefits of a whitepaper, but how do you go about it?
There is a fine line between writing an informative essay, and crafting a compelling piece of content that persuades, inspires, and drives action. For standout success, you’ll need to:
Start with a clear purpose - It may sound obvious, but the first step should be to define your ‘why’. Whether it’s to establish thought leadership, generate leads, sell a specific product, or deliver value to your target audience, this will help to ensure your white paper is focused and impactful.
Do your research - The best whitepapers are the ones that go the extra mile in using data, statistics, research, case studies, and expert opinions to add credibility and depth. Avoid fluff and ensure every claim you make is backed up by data and evidence.
Add real world impact – Case studies are great for building credibility. Where possible, instead of merely presenting theories, include examples of how businesses or individuals have successfully applied them.
Provide a valid call to action - A successful paper doesn’t just investigate a specific problem – it aims to solve it. From the outset, establish a clear call to action (CTA) that guides readers on the next steps. Without this, even the most well-researched content risks being just informative rather than impactful.
Case study: whitepaper as a PR tactic
Acting as the national PR agency for UK door manufacturer, JELD-WEN, Rewired was tasked with overseeing the launch of SecureSet – a breakthrough internal doorset solution designed to help local authorities and social housing providers raise fire safety standards in their properties.
This brief came as JELD-WEN evolved its previous product ranges of residential doors, windows and stairs, and shifted its focus to generating leads within the commercial property market.
The objective was not just to generate widespread coverage and increase awareness among a new customer demographic, but to reinforce JELD-WEN’s credentials as the go-to internal door supplier.
To ensure maximum impact, we worked closely with the business to devise a compelling PR campaign and produce an in-depth whitepaper that explored the UK’s legacy of fire door safety neglect, upcoming regulatory changes, and the steps needed to improve fire safety standards in higher risk buildings. Incorporating analysis, expert commentary and independent research, along with a brief overview of JELD-WEN’s market offering, Fire Safety: Time to Shut the Door on Risk was a deeply thought-provoking investigation into UK fire door safety.
For the initial launch, key findings were packaged into a compelling press release that secured mass exposure across industry media. A proactive post-launch campaign followed, leveraging the paper’s insights for thought leadership articles, expert interviews, and industry commentary.
The campaign resulted in 32 pieces of trade coverage, with an online audience of more than 159,000 readers and a print circulation of 138,000, positioning JELD-WEN as a leading voice in the market.
Testament to its success, Rewired supported JELD-WEN in the development and execution of two further whitepapers - Turning the Key Towards Better Security in partnership with the police initiative, Secure By Design, examining the UK’s crime landscape and the role of door security in protecting social housing tenants, and Lessons in Student Safety, analysing challenges and barriers to improving standards in student housing.
Backed by a targeted communications and thought leadership strategy, this series of whitepapers demonstrated the brand’s continued commitment to supporting resident safety, positioning JELD-WEN as a trusted authority to decision-makers across multiple commercial property sectors.
The bottom line
A well-executed whitepaper is more than a piece of content, but offers a strategic resource that can drive authority, lead generation, and long-term business success.
Whether you’re looking to establish expertise, introduce a new solution, or fuel your content pipeline, perhaps it’s time to turn a new page with your own whitepaper?
Get in touch to find out how Rewired PR can help.