Technical writing: what to know

What the job involves, what changes the price, and what to ask a pro.

What technical writing is

A technical writer produces manuals, guides, procedures and documentation, turning complex information into clear, structured steps for a defined reader. People hire one when a product, process or system needs written instructions that users can follow without calling support.

Signs you need it

  • Your product or internal system has no written instructions, and staff keep asking the same questions.
  • Your existing manual is out of date after a product or software change.
  • New staff take too long to learn a process because steps are missing or out of order.
  • Customers call support about questions a clear guide could answer.
  • Your team knows the process well but cannot write it down in a form a beginner can follow.
  • Your organization needs a document that fits a formal review or quality process.

What the pro does

  • Interviews the subject matter experts and watches the process or product in use, where that is possible.
  • Defines the reader, what they already know, and the task they need to finish.
  • Writes each procedure as numbered steps with one action per step, and adds the warnings and checks the reader needs.
  • Adds screenshots, diagrams or tables where they make the steps easier to follow.
  • Tests the steps with someone who has not seen the process, and fixes the gaps they find.

What changes the price

Every job is different, so we do not publish prices. These are the things that move the quote up or down.

  • Number of procedures and the total length of the documentation.
  • How complex the product or process is, and how many steps each task has.
  • How much access the writer has to subject matter experts and to the product.
  • Number of illustrations, screenshots or diagrams to create or check.
  • Whether the document must be translated or follow a set template.
  • Revision rounds, and whether a test with a real user is included.

What a written quote should spell out

  • Which documents and procedures are included, with their approximate length.
  • How the writer gets information, such as interviews, a product trial or your existing documents.
  • Whether screenshots and diagrams are included, and who makes them.
  • The file format and template the writer delivers in.
  • Revision rounds, and whether a user test of the steps is included.

Questions to ask before you hire

  • Who is the reader of this document, and what do they already know?
  • How will you get the information from our subject matter experts?
  • Will you test the steps with someone who has not used the product?
  • What format will you deliver, and can you update the document when the product changes?
  • How do you write warnings and safety notes into a procedure?
  • Can you show a sample procedure you wrote, with the steps numbered and the reader defined?

Red flags

  • Writes long paragraphs where the reader needs numbered steps.
  • Does not ask who will read the document or what they need to do.
  • Copies text from the product's marketing material into the instructions.
  • Promises that the document will prevent all errors or accidents.
  • Will not check the steps against the actual product or process.

What you can do yourself

You can list the tasks your users most often need help with, write the steps as you do each task, and ask one new person to follow them. Hire a technical writer when the product or process is complex, when several people will use the document, or when the steps have to be correct for safety or compliance reasons.

Licenses and permits

Technical writing is not commonly licensed, so a license is usually not required for this work. Check with your state or local licensing agency about any rules for documents in your industry, and ask the writer for sample procedures in a field like yours as proof of skill.

Technical writing questions

Is a technical writer the same as an engineer?

No. A technical writer turns information from engineers and other experts into instructions a defined reader can use. The writer relies on those experts to confirm the technical content.

What is a procedure?

A procedure is a set of steps for completing one task, such as setting up equipment or resetting an account. Each step should be short and do one thing, and the document should say what the reader needs before they start.

Can a technical writer document a safety-related product?

They can write clear steps, but the content must be confirmed by people who know the product and its safety requirements. Keep that review in the process from the start.

Pro reviewers

Pros who offer technical writing remotely can improve this guide, like Wikipedia. We check every edit before it goes live. Every approved edit is credited in the edit history and on the pro's profile.

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