How to Write Technical Content Your Customers Understand
If your business sells a technical product or service, you (hopefully!) have a solid understanding of exactly what you offer. But how capable are you of conveying that to your audience?
Just because your technical understanding is high, that doesn’t mean you’re naturally capable of conveying your knowledge to your audience. We’re not all born writers, but if you struggle to write technical content that your audience will understand, you risk losing them in the process.
The good news is that it is possible to make your tech writing more layperson-friendly by following this checklist for every piece of content you produce. Keep reading for everything you should know.
1.Start With the Reader’s Actual Problem
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When you’re writing any piece of technical content, make sure to keep your customer’s intentions at the forefront of your mind. Before anything else, they care about solving a problem, rather than learning how something works internally. So, before you write anything, you should identify what the reader is trying to achieve.
2.Define What The Reader Already Knows
Don’t make the mistake of overestimating what your reader knows, as this will only lead to confusion. This isn’t the time to show off about how technical your product or service is! Aim to write for the least technical person you know, rather than internal teams or experts.
3.Strip Out Internal Language and Jargon
Since you’re writing for someone who doesn’t have technical knowledge, that means the internal language and jargon is out. You might use shorthand for simplicity within your business, but always replace these terms with plain explanations in your writing, so it can be understood by everyone.
4.Explain Outcomes Before Features
Your customers only really care about what will change for them after they’ve used a product. So, in your content, lead with results, then explain how your product will achieve them. This is a simple yet effective way to keep your non-technical readers engaged and interested for longer.
5.Use Examples that Match Real Use Cases
Finally, using real-world examples will help your customers understand how your product or service will work for them. Rather than using abstract scenarios, focus on those that actually reflect user behavior. That way, the reader will be able to relate to your content and more easily imagine using your product themselves.
When To Outsource Your Tech Content
If you’ve read through this entire checklist and think it sounds like too much fuss to implement, or you simply don’t have time to handle your own content creation, it might make more sense to outsource your requirements to a professional tech content writing team, like DevDocs.
Outsourcing your tech content means you can focus on the areas of running your business that you’re really confident in, and, more importantly, that you enjoy. There’s no need to do it all! If you decide that creating content really isn’t your thing, there are plenty of capable teams out there who will do it for you.
