Introduction
Hiring technical writers looks different for every business - whether you’re hoping to build out software documentation, create user manuals, or write product descriptions, a technical writer can be an invaluable resource in strengthening your tech company’s identity and presence in your niche. Technical writing is an art that unites skills that don’t always go hand in hand: concise, creative writing with in-depth technical understanding. Before you hire, it’s important to know exactly what you’re looking for in a technical writer and how they’ll fit into the schema of your business. When you do hire, there are several places to look - we’ll walk through them and explore the pros and cons of each.
Documentation strategy
Before you start to look for a technical writer, identify your most pressing documentation requirements.
- Are you lacking basic product documentation?
- Do you need API documentation for developers?
- Are you looking to create creative and educational blog content to improve your SEO?
- Do you need updated user guides?
Talk to your customers, do keyword research, and have a strong sense of the work you want your technical writer to produce - knowing exactly the writing style or technical background you’re looking for will make your screening process much more efficient.
If you don’t yet have a specific vision for the type of content or specific pieces you’re hoping for a writer to produce, make sure to allocate time for your first writer to establish a plan that can inform both their work and future hiring choices.
Where to look
There are several places to find technical writers for hire: nuclear agencies, outsourcing agencies, freelance sites, and in-house. We’ll take a look at examples, benefits, and downsides of each.
Nuclear agencies
Definition: Technical writing agencies with a small number of writers who work with the client on commissioned pieces.
Example: Letterbrace
- Pros
- Consistently high-quality pieces
- A more intimate relationship between writers and client
- Better pricing compared to outsourcing agencies
- Cons
- Limited ability to scale content beyond ~8 pieces a month
Outsourcing agencies
Definition: Technical writing agencies with high number of writers who work anonymously(?) on commissioned pieces.
Example: Draft.dev, 3di, DevDocs
- Pros
- High scaling capacity
- Large volume of free blog content and product tutorials
- Cons
- Potential decrease in writing quality after trial period
- Less intimate relationship between writer and client
- Higher prices compared to nuclear agencies
Freelance websites
Definition: Job board sites where clients post technical writing opportunities and freelancers bid for the opportunity to work on those projects.
Examples: Technical Writer HQ, WriterHire, Upwork, Toptal, Freelancer, Indeed
- Pros
- Rates can be low - determined on a case by case basis
- Some platforms conduct screening and rankings of candidates
- Wide volume of diverse writers
- Direct control over writer selection
- Cons
- Technical ability varies
- Short term relationship - need to ensure that they can spend serious time engaging with your product’s goals
- Might sacrifice quality for price
- Requires more time to vet candidates
In-house developers
Hiring a current software/hardware developer to do technical writing for your company. An adjacent move is to partner a developer with an external technical writer to help guide them.
- Pros
- Deep understanding of your brand and product goals
- Strong technical background
- Personal experience with challenges of working with product
- Easier collaboration with other team members
- Cons
- Writing abilities might be lacking
- Limited time/writing time takes away from coding time
- Might require steeper pay increase than outsourcing the writing to an agency or a freelancer
Also check out less traditional channels like Dev.to, Medium, and GitHub. Once you know what you’re looking for, search these platforms to find technical bloggers already writing about similar topics. For open-source projects, consider checking out GitHub stargazers, watches, and contributors - some may have blogs linked in their profiles.
Screening process
If you’re looking for a technical writer, while it might happen that the platform you’re searching on does a background check, you’ll likely want to conduct a screening of potential technical writers yourself to ensure a solid fit. If a candidate doesn’t have a portfolio, we recommend a sample writing test, specifying which AI tools, if any, are permitted, where the applicant produces content similar to what you’ll expect them to while working for you.
When listing requirements on a freelance board job posting, consider omitting “native English” as a requirement. This phrasing might discourage adept technical writers from applying - technical writing is a subset of English that does not necessitate a native background. It might be a needlessly harsh deterrent that causes strong fit candidates to self-select out of applying. Similarly, degrees, titles, and certifications might be flexible depending on a candidate’s performance on the writing test.
Does a technical writer need to know how to code well? Up to you - while it can certainly be helpful for a technical writer to have a strong coding background and be able to test your product as they write about it, it might not be a dealbreaker. Again, some teams will pair a developer with a technical writer to help them navigate deeper technical complexities as they work to interpret them into decipherable language.
Use a Hiring Rubric
To formalize your screening process and ensure consistency across candidates, consider creating a hiring rubric that might include:
- Writing clarity and style
- Technical accuracy and depth
- Experience with similar technologies
- Research skills
- Attention to detail
- Communication and collaboration abilities
- Familiarity with documentation tools and formats
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Reaching out only to people from your network, limiting talent pool
- Using freelance job platforms without properly vetting writing or technical skills
- Asking in-house engineers to write without making it a core or adequately compensated part of their role
- Relying too heavily on writers to pitch topics rather than providing direction
- Focusing on price over quality and technical fit
- Not providing sufficient onboarding about product and documentation needs
Conclusion
Hiring the right technical writer is a critical investment in your product’s success. Whether you choose to work with agencies, freelancers, or develop writing talent in-house, aligning your documentation strategy with your business goals and user needs is key.
Before making your decision, consider:
- Scale: How much content do you need, and how fast?
- Budget: What can you afford, and what internal resources can support documentation efforts?
- Long-term vision: Is this a one-time project or an ongoing need that might benefit from building an in-house team?
- Technical complexity: How specialized is your product and what level of technical expertise does your writer need?
Great documentation doesn’t just happen - it requires intentional planning, skilled writers, and a culture that values clear communication. By investing thoughtfully in technical writing resources, you’re enhancing your product’s value, reducing support costs, and building trust with users.
