Have you ever wondered whether you need some technical copywriting services to grow your business? In this blog, we’ll explain what technical copywriting is and discuss the skills a technical copywriter possesses. And, most importantly, we’ll let you know whether you need one.
A technical copywriter creates marketing material on complex tech subjects – they’re like the bridge between the complex tech jargon and the potential buyer.
But before we delve further into technical copywriting, let’s roll back and break down the term “technical copywriter” into its two parts. Most of us know what “technical” means, but for clarity, here’s a definition from Collins Dictionary: “involving the sorts of machines, processes, and materials that are used in industry, transport, and communications.”
OK, now what about “copywriter”? In Proof’s article Copywriting 101, we define copywriting as: “the craft of writing persuasive words that compel readers to take action.”
So while all copywriters use persuasive language to showcase a product or service, a technical copywriter will dive further into the nitty-gritty of a technical subject. They’ll produce compelling and convincing copy on technically complex subjects or products in a way the intended audience understands – and wants to know more about.
A technical copywriter will take all the terms, ideas and phrases that might bamboozle the reader or just make it hard to wade through the text. They’ll turn this into easily digestible and easy-to-understand content.
It’s important to consider the audience here – is the piece destined for a B2B audience that already has some knowledge of the industry? Or are the readers going to be from the general public? In which case the writing needs to be written in layman’s terms. A technical copywriter will consider this information and write accordingly.
It’s important to remember that even if your copywriter’s creating content for a tech-savvy audience, they aren’t being paid to read your sales and marketing materials. Whenever possible, a technical copywriter will leave out the jargon.
If you’re working in the tech industry AND trying to sell a product or service, then yes, you probably do. Here are some of the industries that employ technical copywriters:
| IT | Engineering | Software | Aerospace/Engineering | Electronic | Healthcare |
| Education | Finance | Mining | Machinery | Insurtech | Crypto |
When you work in a technical industry and need some web content or product descriptions that really ping, or an email campaign that will convert customers, where do you find your person (or people)?
If you use an employee within your company, you may find they’re lacking the skills to write persuasively. You may also find they’re too close to the subject and find it tricky to leave out the jargon. And if you call in a regular copywriter? They might not understand the subject sufficiently to be able to write convincingly about it.
The solution is to employ the services of a technical copywriting agency such as Proof Content, which has the time and resources to delve into the subject at hand. We’ll create glossaries, style guides and detailed briefs to ensure all of the words we produce are hitting the mark. And where necessary, we’ll bring in additional technical copywriters and subject matter experts to help with bigger jobs.
Technical copywriters combine three main skills:
1. Technological literacy: A technical copywriter will know their telematics from their risk modelling and their froth flotation from their heap leaching. And if they don’t, they’ll have the necessary skills to learn.
2. Fluency in plain English: While the technical copywriter is technologically literate, they also know how to talk about their industry in a way that a regular person would understand.
3. Persuasive writing skills: This is the third side of the triangle: all copywriters are trying to market something, so our technical copywriter must have the writing skills to convince.
We can think of them as being trilingual in tech-ese, plain English and marketing language.
Hiring a technical copywriting service brings immense value in making your products or services accessible to a broader audience. Why? Because a technical writer knows how to create content for the required audience. Using the skills mentioned earlier – technological literacy, plain English fluency, and persuasive writing – they’ll create accurate, informative content that resonates with both technical and non-technical readers. This helps your business by:
Although “technical writer” sounds very much like “technical copywriter”, these are two different types of writing.
Technical writers (sometimes called technical content writers) aren’t trying to persuade the reader to do anything – they’re simply providing facts about a product or service. Their work is to create informative content. Writing clearly, without using salesy language, is key here. Here are some types of technical writing:
Technical copywriters, however, need to be a bit more creative, since their job is to make the copy sound enticing. Their aim, remember, is for the reader to want to buy, sign up, or book a call. They’ll combine their technical knowledge with their persuasive writing skills to make the writing sound intriguing and attractive.
Here are some types of technical copywriting:
In short, technical writers provide the facts, details, and guides, while technical copywriters add a dose of storytelling and intrigue to make the writing more engaging and appealing. Proof can provide both these types of writing (we wear many hats!) so if you’re keen to know more, talk to us.
Proof is a communications agency with plenty of technical copywriting gigs under its belt – we’ve helped firms like Experian B2B, Pinpoint Predictive and LexisNexis express complicated ideas and terminology in clear and simple terms, with fantastic results.
Through our FAQs, product pages, sales emails and more, we’ve helped make complex information accessible and easy to digest. Here are some more details about some of the technical copywriter services we’ve provided:
Experian B2B is a £26.8bn FTSE 100 company that sells data and related products to serious companies.
Experian needed product pages explaining exactly what it does and the benefits of its products and processes, in simple language with personality.
We researched Experian’s products, used its products ourselves, looked at market alternatives, and created questionnaires for the in-house team and top customers.
Thirty easy-to-read product pages that upped conversions and increased SEO traffic as well as time spent on the site.
InsurTech platform Pinpoint Predictive has turned 70 years of peer-reviewed research into a high-performing service for insurers. Its complex product is hard for people to understand easily.
Proof was tasked with revitalising Pinpoint’s website so that visitors would be curious about how the platform works. The aim was to create enough interest for visitors to seek to know more.
We used our CLEVER website rewrites framework to gather the necessary data to create the required level of detail around Pinpoint’s technology. We kept our focus on what readers needed to know.
Website content that converts, a clear and easy user journey throughout the site, FAQs that create certainty, not doubt, and data-led copywriting.
Credit where credit’s due – let’s take a look at some of the effective technical copywriting we’ve noticed.
Instant messaging service Slack has created a series of tools and features to facilitate communication, collect information and simplify routine processes in the workplace. But to the outsider, it can seem complicated – with talk of workflows, workflow templates, Enterprise Grids, canvases, and huddles.
Slack’s updates are clear and concise, with the right level of information provided without patronising or baffling readers. Where needed, the content gently directs its audience to other relevant pages to help them gain further information.
Trello, the project management tool, adopts a conversational and humorous voice to make its messaging accessible. Its tone is friendly, relatable and approachable, with clear-as-day instructions and descriptions like ‘add a sleek chat section to any board’ and ‘Touchless check-in for your guests and a professional welcome’.
The outcome? Rather than getting lost in a sea of complicated processes and alien terms, the reader feels as though Trello is their best friend explaining the platform.
If you think you might need some technical copywriting services, get in touch. We can’t wait to get stuck in!
For copy that hits your KPIs you need the right words in the right places. Solve tricky business challenges with a clever copywriting process.
We are powered by writers and business people, with a sprinkle of AI and a healthy dollop of clever processes.
Get our lovely jubbly tips and tricks and useful writing licks:
