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Whitepapers + case studies (PDF-first resources)

Whitepapers and case studies are PDF-first: the PDF is the primary content shown to readers using PDF.js.

In Ghost, each resource is still a post, but the post body is used only to store one PDF link (which the theme reads and then hides).

Storage + URL requirements (your CDN)​

PDF.js needs a URL it can fetch from the browser.

  • Use HTTPS
  • Direct PDF URL (should end in .pdf)
  • CORS: allow your site origin (e.g. https://mannyroy.com) to fetch the PDF
  • No auth required (this is soft gated, see below)

Soft gating expectations​

Whitepaper pages are gated by Ghost Members, but the PDF URL itself is still a URL. Keep it “well hidden”:

  • Use unguessable filenames (random suffixes)
  • Don’t link PDFs anywhere public
  • Avoid predictable paths like /whitepapers/foo.pdf

Add a whitepaper​

1) Upload the PDF to your storage/CDN​

  • Upload the PDF and copy the final public URL (e.g. https://assets.yoursite.com/resources/whitepapers/...pdf)
  • Prefer a long, unguessable filename.

2) Create a new post in Ghost​

  • Title: the whitepaper title
  • Tag: whitepaper
  • Visibility: Members (members-only)
  • Custom excerpt: short, public summary (optional but recommended; it displays above the viewer)

3) Add the PDF URL (the only required body content)​

In the editor body, add one link to the PDF URL using any of:

  • Bookmark card
  • Button card
  • Normal link

The theme will:

  • hide the post body
  • detect the first .pdf link
  • render the PDF using PDF.js (members only)

4) Publish​

Sanity check after publishing:

  • Signed out: you should see the email gate (no PDF viewer)
  • Signed in (member): you should see the PDF viewer
  • In Admin → Members: new signups from this gate get a label like whitepaper:<post-slug>

Add a case study​

1) Upload the PDF to your storage/CDN​

Same requirements as whitepapers.

2) Create a new post in Ghost​

  • Title: the case study title
  • Tag: case-study
  • Visibility: Public
  • Custom excerpt: short summary (optional but recommended)

3) Add the PDF URL (the only required body content)​

Add one link/card to the PDF URL in the post body. The theme will hide it and render the PDF viewer.

4) Publish​

Sanity check after publishing:

  • Signed out: you should still see the PDF viewer (case studies are public)

Common troubleshooting​

  • PDF viewer is blank
    • Confirm the stored link is a direct .pdf URL (not a share page)
    • Check CORS on your CDN/storage allows your site origin
  • Works for you, fails for others
    • Confirm the PDF URL is reachable publicly (soft gating means no auth prompts)
  • Viewer shows, but PDF download is blocked
    • Ensure the CDN serves the PDF with Content-Type: application/pdf