White paper subheads offer a powerful way to increase readership of your white papers and build understanding of the subject matter you wish to convey.

White paper subheads support navigation

One of the realities of today’s information overload is that people don’t want to spend extra time combing through information that isn’t important to them. When they read a white paper or an article, they want to zero in on the specific areas that cover things they need to know. Using subheads on the different sections of your white paper can guide them to the information that’s most important or valuable to them. While they may not read every word of your white paper, they’ll devote more attention to the sections they perceive will provide the greatest value.

White paper subheads reinforce key ideas

A well-written subhead summarizes the information that follows or supports the key messages you plan to promote. That’s particularly effective for delivering those key messages to people who don’t take the time to read everything under the subhead, and people tend to do more skimming than reading these days.

For example, perhaps you’re crafting a subhead over a three-paragraph section that explains why your veeblefetzer’s cross-cutting technology is more efficiency than the competition’s spiral-cutting system. If your subhead says something like “Cross-cutting offers superior efficiency,” the reader comes away with that message even if they don’t read another word. In fact, if you write subheads thoughtfully, someone who reads only the subheads should end up with the same conclusion as someone who reads the entire document.

White paper subheads help you, too

White paper subheads serve as an outline of sorts, helping you develop an effective structure for your white paper and making sure you’re addressing all of the areas that need to be discussed. In fact, starting your paper by writing subheads that describe the key messages you plan to convey can be a very smart approach.

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