White papers are a cornerstone content type for thought leadership content to technical audiences. According to a 2019 engineering.com study, 41% of senior leadership would request an RFP based solely on thought leadership. Although the study shows that white papers comprise only about 20% of decision makers’ content consumption, they faithfully turn to this form when needing to be educated about a decision.

There’s good news on the horizon for content writers and marketers alike: The content marketing industry is booming, with an anticipated growth of 14.3% by 2026, according to an analysis by Research Dive.