BUSINESS TIPS

White Papers At Amazon

How to write a professional business document the Amazon way, in the form of a six-pager, and why this is so important

I wrote more business documents at Amazon than in my entire career. With an average of one six-page document per week during key peaks (roughly six months per year), for six consecutive years, I think I produced roughly 140/150 white papers. Nevertheless, I can definitely say I am a master of… not really understanding how to write a good one yet! :-D. It’s so damn difficult, and it takes a lot of time. But it’s worth it. I promise you that. Discover why and how by reading this beautiful and useful piece of art(icle).

Dear reader,

With this article on how to write a white paper, the Amazon way, I am sharing some techniques and personal recommendations that could help you create better business documents and make sure your meeting is efficient and on point. I hope you enjoy it.

Note. The ideal complement to this article is: how to write a press release (the Amazon way).

What is a white paper?

A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body’s phylosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision.[1]

According to Wikipedia, there are three main types of business white papers:

• Backgrounder: Describes the technical or business benefits of a certain vendor’s offering; either a product, service, or methodology. This type of white paper is best used to supplement a product launch, argue a business case, or support a technical evaluation at the bottom of the sales funnel