What types of white papers exist?
White papers come in many different types, with no accepted system for labeling them precisely. Given that limitation, white papers are often divided into three main types: #1. Technical backgrounder focused on technical benefits #2. Business paper focused on business benefits #3. Hybrid paper, some combination of both. Beyond these, there are many flavors of white papers: • Competitive review • Evaluator’s guide • Executive briefing • Market overview • Position paper • Product briefing • Special report • Thought leader. The “modular” or “tips” white paper is another popular flavor, consisting of a set of more-or-less standalone points, usually assembled in a numbered list. For example, “Seven Things Every IT Manager Must Know about Security” or “Six Ways to Build Profits Using CRM.” Any of these flavors can be combined together as well.
