Five Whitepaper Design Mistakes That Are Costing You Leads

Your whitepapers should position you as an industry expert interested in helping your readers to make an informed decision. But what if authoritative content isn't enough to keep them on the page? Poor design can lead to readers not finding the right messages and leaving. Read on to learn five common whitepaper design mistakes and how to avoid them.

Design Mistake No. 1 is The Slick Sales Brochure. To avoid this, use the brand logo on the cover and the last page, don't use photos as a background behind text, ensure each page has more text than visuals, and don't overuse icons to replace bullets. Design Mistake No. 2 is The Massive Wall of Text. To overcome this, include bullets and lists to help core elements stand out, use headings to develop a clear narrative thread, and pull quotes from the text to highlight important data or key topics.

Design Mistake No. 3 is Long Lines. To make it easier for readers, focus on readability, use optimal line length and height, paragraph spacing, word spacing, and letter spacing. Design Mistake No. 4 is Not Enough Graphics. Include graphical elements to compare and contrast data, illustrate trends and patterns, summarize research, and visualize timelines or process steps. Design Mistake No. 5 is Crowded Visuals. Avoid the temptation to add too many fonts, visuals, callouts, and data points, while only sparingly using bold fonts or color to draw attention to essential information.