What is Technical Writing? (+ Skills the Best Technical Writers Master)

When I started my career in content marketing, I quickly realized that not all writing is created equal.

There’s a massive difference between crafting a compelling social media post and writing clear instructions for software users. That difference is technical writing, and it’s one of the most underrated skills a copywriter can have.

Technical writing takes complex information and makes it accessible, usable, and clear for your audience. Whether you’re documenting software features, creating user manuals, writing API documentation, or explaining how to use a product, technical writing serves a specific purpose: to help people understand and use something effectively.

I’ve worked with countless businesses that struggle with their business documentation and internal content. Their product is excellent, but the instructions confuse users. Their software is intuitive, but the help articles don’t answer the right questions. A great technical writer would solve this problem.

In this article, I’m diving into the nitty gritty of technical writing, what it is, and the key skills the best technical writers have mastered.

Understanding What is Technical Writing

Technical writing is the practice of creating clear, concise documentation that helps users understand and use a product, service, or process. 

It’s not creative writing and it’s not marketing copy. It’s focused, purposeful communication designed to solve a specific problem for a specific audience.

When I think about what is technical writing, I think about clarity, accuracy, and usefulness. 

A technical writer’s job is to take information (often complex, jargon-filled information) and present it in a way that anyone can understand. This might mean creating step-by-step guides, writing reference documentation, developing troubleshooting articles, or producing training materials.

The key distinction here is that technical writing serves a functional purpose. 

Technical writing is not trying to persuade you to buy something or entertain you. It’s trying to help you accomplish a task. Whether that task is installing software, understanding a medical procedure, or assembling furniture, technical writing exists to make that task easier.

What is the Goal of Technical Writing?

The primary goal is simple: to communicate information in a way that enables users to accomplish their objectives efficiently and without confusion.

But there’s more to it than that. What is the goal of technical writing when you dig deeper? It’s about reducing support costs. When your documentation is clear and comprehensive, fewer users need to contact your support team with questions. That saves money and improves customer satisfaction simultaneously.

Clear instructions about how to use a product safely protect both the user and your company. If something goes wrong and a user claims they didn’t understand the instructions, having clear, well-written documentation is your best defense.

Finally, good documentation means your support team can resolve issues faster. Your sales team can answer product questions more effectively. Your customer success team can onboard new users more smoothly. 

Technical writing creates efficiency across your entire organization, reducing costs and empowering your users to solve their own problems.

Real-World Examples of Technical Writing

To really understand what is technical writing, let’s look at some concrete examples. These will show you how technical writing appears in different contexts and industries.

Software Documentation 

When you open the help section of any software application, you’re reading technical writing. 

This includes user guides that explain how to use features, troubleshooting articles that help you solve problems, and FAQs that answer common questions. 

I’ve reviewed countless software documentation projects, and the best ones make complex features feel simple and accessible.

API Documentation

Technical writing for developers. 

If you’ve ever integrated a third-party service into your application, you’ve relied on API documentation. This type of technical writing is incredibly precise because even small errors or ambiguities can break code. 

API documentation includes endpoint descriptions, parameter explanations, code examples, and error handling guidance. It’s technical writing at its most demanding.

User Manuals

These are the instructions that come with physical products, everything from appliances to medical devices to industrial equipment. 

A well-written user manual explains how to set up the product, how to use its features, how to maintain it, and how to troubleshoot common problems. 

User manuals also typically include safety information, which is critical for legal and ethical reasons.

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

These technical pieces of documentation explain how employees should perform specific tasks or processes. SOPs ensure consistency, reduce errors, and make it easier to train new team members. 

I’ve worked with companies that had terrible SOPs (or no SOPs at all) and it created chaos. Once they invested in clear, well-written procedures, their operations improved dramatically.

Technical Specifications

Tech specs are detailed documents that describe the technical features and requirements of a product or system. These are often used during product development, sales processes, or when communicating with technical teams. 

Specifications need to be precise and comprehensive because decisions are made based on this information.

Help Articles and Knowledge Bases

These are shorter, focused pieces that answer specific questions or explain specific features. A knowledge base is usually made up of multiple short help articles, like in our internal knowledge base above. There, our team can find help articles on working at Empowered English, our clients, and using the tools we rely on every day.  

A good knowledge base can dramatically reduce support tickets because users can find answers themselves – and they can be both internal and external. 

How Technical Writing Differs from Other Writing

This is where things get interesting! 

Technical writing shares some similarities with other writing styles, but it’s fundamentally different in important ways. Let me break this down with a comparison.

The key difference is purpose. 

• Technical writing exists to solve a specific problem for a specific user. 
• Creative writing exists to create an emotional or imaginative experience. 
• Marketing copy exists to persuade. 
• Journalistic writing exists to report facts. 

Each has its own rules, conventions, and success metrics.

As someone who works in content marketing, I appreciate all these writing styles. But I also recognize that they require different skills and mindsets. 

A great novelist might struggle with technical writing because it requires a completely different approach. The flowery language that makes a novel beautiful would make technical documentation confusing. While the persuasive techniques that work in marketing copy would make technical writing less clear and more biased.

Technical writing also differs in how it’s structured. 

While creative writing might follow a character’s journey or emotional arc, technical writing follows a logical structure designed for usability. It uses headings, subheadings, lists, and formatting specifically to help users find information quickly. 

It uses consistent terminology so users don’t get confused by different words meaning the same thing. It anticipates user questions and addresses them proactively.

Key Skills Every Technical Writer Needs

If you’re considering a career in technical writing or you’re hiring someone to handle your documentation, understanding what is technical writing means understanding the skills required. 

Technical writing isn’t just about being a good writer. It requires a specific skill set to succeed. 

Subject Matter Expertise 

A technical writer needs to understand the product, service, or process they’re documenting. 

This doesn’t mean they need to be an expert from day one, but they need to be able to learn quickly and ask intelligent questions. 

I’ve seen technical writers fail because they didn’t take the time to really understand what they were documenting.

Clarity and Conciseness

Technical writers need to explain complex concepts in simple terms without oversimplifying to the point of inaccuracy. 

This is harder than it sounds. It’s easy to write a lot. It’s hard to write clearly and concisely.

Organization and Structure

Technical writers need to think carefully about how users will approach the documentation. 

• What questions will they ask first? 
• What information do they need before they can understand the next concept? 
• How should information be organized for maximum usability? 

This requires strategic thinking, not just good writing.

Attention to Detail

A small error in technical documentation can cause big problems. 

If you tell someone to click the wrong button or enter the wrong command, they’ll waste time troubleshooting. 

Technical writers need to verify everything and catch errors that other people miss.

Empathy for Users

The best technical writers put themselves in the user’s shoes. 

They think about what the user knows, what they don’t know, what they might assume incorrectly, and what they’ll need to accomplish their goal. This empathy drives better documentation.

Technical Proficiency

API documentation requires understanding of programming concepts. Software documentation requires familiarity with the software. Medical documentation requires understanding of medical terminology and regulations. 

Technical writers don’t need to be programmers or engineers, but they need enough technical knowledge to understand what they’re documenting.

Technical Writing & Your Bottom Line

Whether you’re a software company, a manufacturing business, a healthcare provider, or any other type of organization, technical writing affects your bottom line. 

Poor technical writing creates frustrated customers. When users can’t figure out how to use your product because the documentation is confusing or incomplete, they get frustrated. They might give up and switch to a competitor, increasing your churn rate. They might leave negative reviews. They might demand refunds or even sue. 

Good technical writing prevents this, by providing the support that your customers need to use your product to solve their problems. As a result, technical writing reduces support costs, decreases churn, and builds trust.

Your Next Step: Getting Technical Writing Right

If you’re running a business that relies on customers understanding how to use your product or service, technical writing should be a priority. Whether you’re creating software documentation, user manuals, help articles, or standard operating procedures, the quality of your technical writing directly impacts your business.

The challenge is that good technical writing requires specific skills and a lot of time. Many businesses try to handle it internally with people who aren’t trained in technical writing, and the results suffer. Others hire technical writers but don’t give them the support and resources they need to succeed.

If you’re struggling with your documentation, if your support team is overwhelmed with basic questions, or if you’re getting feedback that users don’t understand how to use your product, it’s time to invest in better technical writing. The ROI is significant: reduced support costs, improved customer satisfaction, better user adoption, and reduced liability.

Ready to transform your technical documentation and reduce support costs? Book a consultation with me today. Let’s talk about your documentation challenges and create a plan to solve them.

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