While it’s tempting to assign the responsibility to write white papers to the members of your staff who know the information the papers will cover, that’s not always the best solution.
Challenges communicating
Even if your team members are skilled writers, they may not be able to articulate the key messages in the most coherent, convincing way. In addition, people who have significant amounts of technical knowledge — such as engineers, attorneys, CPAs, and scientists — often find it difficult to escape the specialized jargon of their professions and write in ways people outside their professions can understand. They may understand every aspect of the subject but can’t explain it to someone who hasn’t attained their level of education.
Too busy to write white papers
If those team members don’t write regularly, it’s probably going to take them more time than you realize to develop your white paper. What’s going to happen to the rest of their workloads while they’re spending hours trying to find the right words and organize them into sentences and paragraphs?
Not as efficient
In most cases, the time your team members would invest to write white papers would probably be better spent handling their primary job functions. Besides, it’s likely that their proverbial plates are already full of important projects and reports. Doing their own writing may not be the most efficient way to empty those plates and meet your important deadlines.
Too much internal bias
Finally, it’s likely that your team has developed a significant amount of knowledge about your company and what it does. They have a deep understanding of your marketplace and how what you offer compares with what your competitors provide, as well as certain biases that reflect your company’s values and beliefs. The problem is that your audience may not have a similar level or knowledge or share your assumptions. An outside writer will be better able to ask the questions that matter most to your audience.
