As a writer, you must be looking for a specialized niche to write in. While your hobbies are an easy way to find such a niche, your employment (or former employment) might be another option. Writing about what you know will make it easy for you to produce articles about any theme within your area of prior knowledge. There is a third option: White Papers are a highly lucrative niche market for writers. What are White Papers?
White Papers are reports containing information aimed at a small and selective target audience. There are several types of reports distinguished by their final purpose. All of them are created in the same way, though. Once you know the content and the target audience, you are ready to begin.
The client needing a White Paper written will supply the information that needs converting from specialized language usage to everyday English; e.g. from judicial jargon to the vernacular. They will also define the audience it is intended to reach. Information sounds general, but it is highly specialized information. The audience on the other hand is not at all or only vaguely familiar with the more technical aspects of the project covered by the report.
The client hires a writer to break the highly technical information down into something that the audience can understand. The report's information can be technical or scientific in content. At any rate, it holds information that needs specially developed skill sets or a prior knowledge base to be fully understood. The writer works with the client to make the information accessible for the audience.
The need for White Papers has different reasons and accordingly different audiences. It might be an in-house report on a special project. This can mean a report needs to be shared between two departments within the same company; or it can be a company report intended for dissemination to the employees in general. It can also be the breakdown and explanation of a project from a company department to the management. Think about a large pharmaceutical company where drugs departments, vaccine research departments and the financial management all must know what is happening.
Another use for White Papers can be found in investor relations. When a business is looking for investors, it needs to explain in simple terms what it does and how the money will be used as well as how the investment will benefit the investor. Investors will need follow up reports, especially if it is a large and long term project. As an investor in any of Elon Musk's ventures I would want information over all the years they take to take flight.
A third example of White Papers comes from public sources like universities or research institutes. We are all familiar with those. There is a breakthrough in science or technology that is relayed by press conference or press information. If these news would be broadcast in specialized terms, all journalists could do would be reprinting the text. Breaking down the text into plain English allows journalists to bring it to the news in a way most people will understand it. Scientific papers might also be aimed at committees and discussion groups; each target group would need a different break down depending on its members.
White Papers can take different forms and content can vary. Background papers take a look at the features and benefits of a particular product or service. They come as glorified lists of facts of the product or service and any expected benefits. The target audience is generally business to business and within that group usually sales personnel. They generally run about eight pages and are highly promotional. You'd also have to accept that most of the content is suspiciously close to blatant lies; think of medication use promotion and side effect suppression.
Problem solution papers are aimed at an interested audience. These papers in essay form are persuasively written using facts and logic to present a new solution to an old problem. White Papers in this category are generally targeting upper level management as well as journalists, bloggers and industry analysts. These papers tend to run about 12 pages. They are commonly used to boost company awareness, positive reputation, and share price cosmetics.
Finally, there is the list of questions, answers or discussion topics about a particular issue. The target audience of this type of White Paper is anyone interested in the specific issue being discussed. These papers are normally about six pages long; they are used to generate interest and attention for the issue under discussion. When writing such texts, your wording needs to be astute and provocative. The form chosen can be quite informal as long as it generates the intended interest. Think of Greenpeace or other NGO that want to get into the news to refill their coffers with donations.
To get customers is almost foolproof. Pick any business, company or product. Almost all of them need White Papers. This is one of the easiest areas to locate and approach clients because essentially every business needs them and only few writers write them. You'll have to start somewhere and sometime; sometime should be now, wouldn't you agree? White Papers are the ultimate niche market with an expertise in not being an expert for what you write about.
The first papers you deliver won't generate a jackpot feeling. But if you write a White Paper that helps a company generate millions in investment capital you can be sure that your next client can be tapped for a higher fee. Make your papers some of the best writing you have ever created and higher asking prices will be accepted without much hesitation.
White papers are generally business to business and in that world word of mouth moves quickly. You need to be able to focus, get the job done and be ready to tackle the next one with as much concentration as the last one. The beauty of it all is that you will be making enough money to do just that without having to juggle a dozen projects just to pay the bills.
Your last satisfied customer will be your reference for your next one. Writing White Papers will supply you with a secure client list that is almost self-expanding. The pay is good and gives free time to pursue other projects. You write White Papers for the money, not the love of writing or the subject project. You are required to keep silent about what you are writing and you do sell your soul as to morals and ethics.
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