Not All Technical Writing is the Same
Technical writing is defined by Indeed as “a form of communication that professionals use to convey information about specialized topics.” While this may seem straightforward, the reality is far more nuanced.
Rather than being a one-size-fits-all approach, technical writing is better understood as a collection of subcategories, each with its own niche objectives, which a technical writer must address differently. A Comparative Guide doesn’t follow the same format as a Technical Deep Dive, and a Thought Leadership article serves an entirely different function than Product Documentation.
But Why Does Understanding These Categories Matter?
Effective technical communication hinges on a clear understanding of where these differences lie. By defining distinct baselines for each subcategory, you can better chart your course to deliver maximum value for your audience.
At a high level, mastering these distinctions in technical writing can lead to:
- Increased Engagement. Aligning technical content with audience expectations keeps readers eager for more technical knowledge
- Enhanced Credibility. Well-structured technical writing boosts reliability, strengthening the reputation of the author(s)
- Greater Visibility & Conversions. Well-targeted technical content helps companies educate potential users and drive adoption
So, What Are the Subcategories of Technical Writing?
Here’s a quick overview of the main categories:
- Comparative Guides
- Concept & Technology Overviews
- Implementation Guides (Tutorials)
- Technical Deep Dives
- Product & UX Strategy
- Thought Leadership & Industry Trends
- Product Documentation & Knowledge Base
At Letterbrace, we create technical content across all of these categories with the help of subject matter experts and other technical writers. Drawing from our experience and research, we’ll break down what makes each type unique, share tips on how to write them effectively, and provide real-world examples to illustrate each.
Let’s begin.
1. Comparative Guides
Sample Article: ClickHouse vs. Postgres – PostHog
What Are Comparative Guides?
Comparative Guide articles are exactly what they sound like — they help readers make informed decisions by directly comparing two or more technologies, frameworks, or products.
These articles are typically targeted at decision makers (CTOs, developers, etc.) who already understand their needs. The goal is to provide the relevant statistics that help them weigh the pros and cons of different options based on their specific criteria.
Key Features of a Strong Comparative Guide
- Structured Comparison: The products should be directly pitted against each other, using tables and side-by-side lists for quick readability
- Decision-Focused: The recommendations should be clear, tailored to different use cases (e.g., Postgres for transactional workloads, ClickHouse for analytics)
- Data-Driven: Every claim must be supported by benchmarks, performance metrics, or case studies (avoid subjective opinions at all costs)
- Neutral & Objective Tone: Technical content should stick to facts and present a balanced view
How to Succeed in Writing a Comparative Guide
The best Comparative Guides offer contextual advice. This strengthens your piece in two ways:
- It forces you technical content to stay neutral
- It provides real value to the reader
Don’t just say:
ClickHouse outperforms Postgres for analytical queries.
Instead, provide specific data. Tell the reader the exact time that queries take for ClickHouse and directly compare it to Postgres. Explain the differences in the workloads and the series of steps each tool takes to perform the task.
The more relevant data your technical content provides, the more credibility you build. It’s the only way readers can confidently make decisions between products.
2. Concept & Technology Overviews
Sample Article: Federated Learning – Evervault
What Are Concept & Technology Overviews?
Concept & Technology Overviews are special in the sense that they cater to a broader audience, from engineers who are looking to explore new software to business leaders evaluating their potential impact.
The goal of these articles is to explain technical concepts in a high-level, digestible format. They often are the first step in a reader’s research process, acting as a backdrop to set the stage for a more in-depth exploration of the topic.
Key Features of a Strong Concept & Technology Overview
- Clarity in Use Cases & Benefits: Explaining the why and how is essential when it comes to understanding the core of the technology; you want your technical writing to set a solid foundation that the reader can build upon
- Historical & Business Context: Providing the background of where the technology came from, why it exists, and its evolution helps readers see the bigger picture
- Myth Busting: Anticipating points of confusion and debunking outdated assumptions removes uncertainty
- Educational & Accessible Tone: Strong technical communicators use the minimal level of language needed to clearly explain the topic
How to Succeed in Writing a Concept & Technology Overview
Good Concept & Technology overviews describe the technology in a straightforward manner. Great ones go a step further by helping readers understand why it matters.
While the technology itself should remain as the main focal point, supplementing your explanation with information on its current relevance within the context of its domain gives readers a more complete view.
Remember, understanding the why is just as important as the how, and the best overviews not only explain the technology, but also shed light on the thought process that drives its adoption.
3. Implementation Guides (Tutorials)
Sample Article: EC2 Access – Sym
What Are Implementation Guides?
Unlike Concept Overviews which explain what a technology is, Implementation Guides show readers how to use it. The goal of these articles is to provide immediate practical value.
Whether it’s configuring an AWS EC2 instance or integrating an API, users need clear, step-by-step instructions to accomplish their task(s).
Key Features of a Strong Implementation Guide
- Hands-On Instructions: Includes exact commands, code snippets, and configuration details
- Troubleshooting: Anticipates common errors and issues, offering solutions and next steps
- Visual-Heavy: Uses screenshots and terminal inputs/outputs to make the process easy to read
- Practical & Concrete Tone: Focuses on actionable steps
How to Succeed in Writing an Implementation Guide
A strong Implementation Guide is structured as a staircase with each step building on top of the previous ones. Successful guides follow a logical flow: setup, execution, and verification. Unfortunately, many technical writers skip that last step.
Think back to the most frustrating guides you’ve read. They probably assumed that everything would go right. The reality? Issues and edge cases are inevitable.
That is why the verification step is so crucial—and it should be incorporated throughout the technical writing. By anticipating mistakes iteratively, you reduce the surface area of the bug, making it easier to pinpoint the underlying problem.
4. Technical Deep Dives
Sample Article: How Aptible Gracefully Handles Memory Management
What Are Technical Deep Dives
Unlike Concept Overviews, which provide high-level explanations, Technical Deep Dives focus on more granular details such as memory allocation strategies and scalability.
These articles are aimed at a specialized audience, targeting engineers and system architects with a higher level of expertise in their domain. A baseline level of understanding is the entry fee. Therefore, the goal is to leverage the reader’s existing knowledge and offer a look at what’s really happening under the hood for complex concepts.
Key Features of a Strong Technical Deep Dive
- Detailed Exploration: Considers scalability challenges, concurrency issues, system failures, and other key technical aspects
- Real-World Data & Case Studies: Pulls in numerical system performance results instead of theoretical explanations
- Authoritative & Transparent Tone: Demonstrates deep technical expertise and strong writing skills to simplify complex information
How to Succeed in Writing a Technical Deep Dive
Because Technical Deep Dives target experienced engineers and system architects, they are expecting more than just a solution to a problem—they want the full context.
To succeed, explain why certain solutions were chosen over others.
- Does one solution have a higher availability but leads to cache misses? Is that a worthwhile tradeoff for the system at hand?
No solution is ever perfect. Technology relies on sacrificing one area to optimize another. A successful technical deep dive not only discusses solutions, but also lays out the reasoning behind those decisions.
5. Product & UX Strategy
Sample Article: What Is Feature Adoption? – CommandBar
What Are Product & UX Strategy Articles?
Engineers care about performance while Product Managers focus on user adoption and engagement. Product & UX Strategy articles tie these two together.
At the crux of these articles is the end user. The technical content should ensure that engineering decisions are being made with users’ needs in mind. The targeted audience includes a mix of non-technical stakeholders like founders and product managers along with engineers seeking to understand product requirements.
Key Features of a Strong Product & UX Strategy Article
- User-Centric Approach: Focuses on how design decisions impact real users
- Data & KPIs (Key Performance Indicators): Uses adoption metrics, retention rates, and other user behavior analytics to support technical report insights
- Strategic Tone: Balances the technical writing detail with business relevance
How to Succeed in Writing a Product & UX Strategy Article
People don’t trust vague claims. But they do trust numbers. The best technical writing strategy pieces find a way to quantify user experience.
Tying UX decisions to measurable outcomes turns abstract ideas into real business value. Numbers serve as the shared language between designers, engineers, and stakeholders—and when used well, they drive the engineering actions that ultimately satisfy the end user.
6. Thought Leadership & Industry Trends
Sample Article: Is an All-In-One Database the Future? – Secoda
What Are Thought Leadership & Industry Trends Articles?
In most forms of technical writing, the general rule of thumb is to avoid an opinionated tone. Thought Leadership articles, however, venture past the realm of objective facts and propose new takes on conventional industry wisdom.
These articles are aimed at CTOs, founders, and engineers who want to stay ahead of the game. As such, the technical writer is expected to have a holistic understanding of the topic and its domain, blending technical expertise with forward-thinking insight.
Key Features of a Strong Thought Leadership & Industry Trend Article
- Trend Analysis: Evaluates overarching market trends and their potential to disrupt existing solutions
- Broad Domain Perspective: Considers product positioning and the implications that the technology has industry-wide
- Exploratory Tone: Technical content goes beyond pure facts with bold, opinionated perspectives designed to spark conversation
How to Succeed in Writing Thought Leadership & Industry Trends
The foundation of every Thought Leadership article is novelty. What’s the unique angle? It doesn’t have to be final or right. In fact, labeling your solution as the “end-all-be-all” is a surefire way to diminish credibility.
What the article should do is pressure readers into exercising their critical thinking skills. Be sure to map out the exact reasoning that led to your viewpoint. Presenting your thought process helps avoid misguided assumptions.
Your reasoning should be rooted in logic, but rely on the audience’s intuition to fill in some of the gaps to inspire new, creative ideas.
7. Product Documentation & Knowledge Base
Sample Article: Bots Action Types – Bytebot Documentation
What Is Product Documentation & Knowledge Base Content?
Many confuse Product Documentation with implementation guides. The key difference lies in scope. Whereas an implementation guide focuses on a specific use case, technical documentation covers all aspects of a product’s functionality, including API references, release notes, and version updates.
Ultimately, well-structured technical content for documentation ensures clear, authoritative instructions on how to get the most of the product. This can be tricky due to the wide variety of potential use cases, so understanding your audience is essential to design docs that serve everyone’s needs.
Key Features of Strong Product Documentation & Knowledge Base Content
- Reference-Style Format: Organized around features, endpoints, or commands
- Comprehensive Scope: Answers all usage questions about the product or feature
- Official & Systematic Tone: Reflects the product team’s latest updates in an easy-to-follow manner
How to Succeed in Writing Product Documentation & Knowledge Base Content
Every aspect of Product Documentation should center around clarity. The audience is not reading the document word for word. Instead, they are skimming to find the specific sections that are relevant to them.
Therefore, documentation should be made scannable, using descriptive headings and clear links to distinguish sections. Guide the reader naturally to the information they need by following their intuition.
Additionally, versioning and change logs are critical for product updates. New releases are a breeding ground for bugs since the logic must be considered both from the client-side (the developers using the tool) and server-side (the tool itself).
By explicitly outlining the differences in each new version, you help companies avoid unintended consequences and provide owners with the ability to roll back updates if new logic isn’t being handled correctly.
Thank you for reading! Whether you are planning to start technical writing for your social media site or are looking for a technical writing job, we hope this breakdown has been helpful in sharpening your understanding of the different types of writing.
And for more insights and examples, check out the rest of our articles on Letterbrace’s Blog.
