Whitepaper Outline

Structure authoritative whitepapers that establish thought leadership, educate decision-makers, and generate high-quality leads. Combines research rigor with persuasive narrative.

Usage

Provide your topic, thesis, target audience, and business goal. The skill produces:

• Title Page: Compelling title, subtitle, and visual direction
• Executive Summary: One-page overview for time-pressed executives
• Problem Context: Industry background and why this topic matters now
• Analysis Framework: How you'll examine the problem (methodology, data sources)
• Key Findings: 3-5 insights supported by data and examples
• Recommendations: Actionable guidance based on the analysis
• About Section: Company positioning and CTA
• Research Plan: Sources, data, and expert inputs to include

Examples

1. Industry Report: "Outline a whitepaper on 'The State of AI in Customer Service, 2026.' Include survey data framework, vendor landscape, and adoption benchmarks."

1. Problem/Solution: "Structure a whitepaper on why traditional cybersecurity approaches fail against modern threats. Subtly position our zero-trust platform as the solution."

1. Thought Leadership: "Outline 'The Future of Work: How Async-First Companies Outperform.' Research-driven, targeted at CHROs and COOs at companies with 500+ employees."

1. Technical Deep-Dive: "Structure a technical whitepaper on event-driven architecture patterns. Audience: enterprise architects evaluating our platform."

Guidelines

• Whitepapers educate first and sell second — if it reads like a brochure, it won't get downloaded
• Back every claim with data, research, or expert citations — credibility is the entire point
• Keep it to 8-15 pages including visuals — longer whitepapers have lower completion rates
• Include original data or research when possible — it makes your whitepaper uniquely valuable and quotable
• Design for skimming: executive summary, callout boxes, charts, and bold key findings
• Gate the download with a lead form, but offer a summary or excerpt ungated for SEO
• Repurpose the whitepaper into 5-10 blog posts, social content, and a webinar for maximum ROI