The boundary between marketing and technical communications is fading. Here are three copywriting tips to help technical writers learn new skills.

1. COPYWRITING TIPS
for (confused) technical writers3

2. Documentation
does not exist in a
bubble.
It is (or should be)
part of a unified content
strategy.

3. This means:
Your technical documentation
and marketing content
are part of a whole.
And this means…

4. TECHNICAL WRITERS
ARE NO LONGER
JUST TECHNICAL WRITERS

5. Technical
Documentation
Marketing
Content
User
Experience
TECHNICAL
WRITING
We have new things
to think about.

6. So how can you transfer your skills
to a more subjective, hard to quantify
type of writing?

7. KNOW WHY
YOU’RE
DOING IT1

8. Understand the brand.
Understand the customer.
Understand the problem.
(And know how you can solve it)
Develop a rationale and use it as your guide.
HERE’S ONE WE MADE EARLIER

9. What is our user’s problem? It’s not that she can’t do what our
product does. It just takes too much time.
So we make it easier.
This feeds into our style. Our user is busy, so we keep our copy
short, snappy, simple.
We get to the point and we always focus on her: what does the
product do for you? What can you do with the product? In short:
what’s the real value to our user?
And this directs our word choice. Our product doesn’t give. We
don’t let, or allow. We help, enable, and support her to do things
that she could do anyway
We just make it easier.
“
EXAMPLE RATIONALE
Understanding the customer—
who she is, what she does, what
she knows—and the problem she
faces.

10. This feeds into our style. Our user is busy, so we keep our copy
short, snappy, simple.
We get to the point and we always focus on her: what does the
product do for you? What can you do with the product? In short:
what’s the real value to our user?
And this directs our word choice. Our product doesn’t give. We
don’t let, or allow. We help, enable, and support her to do things
that she could do anyway.
We just make it easier.
“
EXAMPLE RATIONALE
Translating the brand into the copy:
language, word choice, grammar.
The product solves a problem.
The content must echo this solution.

11. UNDERSTAND
THE PROCESS
2

12. Read your rationale.

13. Read your rationale.
Read it again.

14. Read your rationale.
Read it again.
And again.

15. Read your rationale.
Read it again.
And again.
Then start writing.

16. 1. Pose the problem.
2. Offer a solution.

17. And when you write:

18. BE HONEST
People are smart. You can’t fool them.

19. BE CONFIDENT
If you’re not convinced, why should
anyone else be?

20. BE PERSUASIVE
Give them a reason to believe you.

21. But it’s all subjective!
How do I know when it’s right?

22. The truth is:
THERE IS NO RIGHT
(at least, not until the analytics come in)

23. Opinions are messy—everyone has one.
Your rationale is your compass.
To stay on target, trust your compass.

24. REMEMBER
AND

25. REMEMBER
Great copy
requires iteration
AND

26. UNDERSTAND
THE PRESENTATION
3

27. Meet the Gizmotron C60
It wasn’t easy, making the top-selling household appliance of
2016 even better. But somehow, our engineers succeeded. The
Gizmotron C60 will make your life better in a thousand ways:
• Chops faster than working by hand
• Mixes as good as any food processor
• Kneads dough without the hard work
• Cooks while you sit down
Why Upgrade to the Gizmotron C60?
• Faster operation
3x faster than the Gizmotron C50.
• Power efficient
A new motor saves you hundreds on your household bills.
• Sleek design
Better than anything Jony Ive ever produced.
• Cost effective
Less than half the price of our previous version. Now you
can afford two!
Giving Back
We’ve also teamed up with your favourite charity to give back
to the community. We donate 5% of the proceeds from every
Gizmotron C60 to community development projects all over
the world. So you can enjoy your new product in the knowledge
that you’re helping to make the world a better place.
Where to Buy
You can find the Gizmotron C60 in all good department stores.
To find a store near you, see our list of stockists.
A ‘normal’ document
has a logical flow, or
narrative.

28. Gizmotron C60
Feature boxes:
• Chops faster than working by hand
• Mixes as good as any food processor
• Kneads dough without the hard work
• Cooks while you sit down
Subhead
The Gizmotron C60 is the only appliance you’ll ever need. It
frees up space, makes things easier, and saves you time.
Calls to Action
Button: FIND OUT MORE
Button: BUY ONLINE – FREE DELIVERY
Callout boxes:
• “I thought the Gizmotron C50 was all I’d ever need but after
trying the C60, I realise how much it makes life easier!”
-Samantha Enright
• 5% of every purchase goes directly to charity!
Button: FIND A STORE NEAR YOU
Why Upgrade to the Gizmotron C60?
• Faster operation
3x faster than the Gizmotron C50.
• Power efficient
A new motor saves you hundreds on your household bills.
• Sleek design
Better than anything Jony Ive ever produced.
• Cost effective
Less than half the price of our previous version.
A ‘normal’ document
has a logical flow, or
narrative.
Web copy might be
more fragmented.

29. Gizmotron C60
Feature boxes:
• Chops faster than working by hand
• Mixes as good as any food processor
• Kneads dough without the hard work
• Cooks while you sit down
Subhead
The Gizmotron C60 is the only appliance you’ll ever need. It
frees up space, makes things easier, and saves you time.
Calls to Action
Button: FIND OUT MORE
Button: BUY ONLINE – FREE DELIVERY
Callout boxes:
• “I thought the Gizmotron C50 was all I’d ever need but after
trying the C60, I realise how much it makes life easier!”
-Samantha Enright
• 5% of every purchase goes directly to charity!
Button: FIND A STORE NEAR YOU
Why Upgrade to the Gizmotron C60?
• Faster operation
3x faster than the Gizmotron C50.
• Power efficient
A new motor saves you hundreds on your household bills.
• Sleek design
Better than anything Jony Ive ever produced.
• Cost effective
Less than half the price of our previous version.
A ‘normal’ document
has a logical flow, or
narrative.
Web copy might be
more fragmented.
It might make less
sense in your word
processor.
?
?
?
?
?

30. Navigation bar
Feature 1 Feature 2 Feature 3 Feature 4
Page Title
Subhead
Reasons to Buy
Header image
[Call to Action][Call to Action]
Callout box 1 Callout box 2
[Call to Action]
Reason 1 Reason 2 Reason 3 Reason 4
But that’s OK.
Web pages have a lot
more visual cues.

31. But that’s OK.
Web pages have a lot
more visual cues.
Work with (and trust)
the designer.
It will make sense on
the web page.
Navigation bar
Feature 1 Feature 2 Feature 3 Feature 4
Page Title
Subhead
Reasons to Buy
Header image
[Call to Action][Call to Action]
Callout box 1 Callout box 2
[Call to Action]
Reason 1 Reason 2 Reason 3 Reason 4

32. But that’s OK.
Web pages have a lot
more visual cues.
Work with (and trust)
the designer.
It will make sense on
the web page.
Promise.
Navigation bar
Feature 1 Feature 2 Feature 3 Feature 4
Page Title
Subhead
Reasons to Buy
Header image
[Call to Action][Call to Action]
Callout box 1 Callout box 2
[Call to Action]
Reason 1 Reason 2 Reason 3 Reason 4

33. Sound doable?
Of course it is.
To recap:

34. KNOW WHY
YOU’RE
DOING IT1

35. KNOW WHY
YOU’RE
DOING IT1
UNDERSTAND
THE PROCESS
2

36. KNOW WHY
YOU’RE
DOING IT1
UNDERSTAND
THE PROCESS
2
UNDERSTAND
THE PRESENTATION
3

37. KNOW WHY
YOU’RE
DOING IT1
UNDERSTAND
THE PROCESS
2
UNDERSTAND
THE PRESENTATION
3
Of course, there’s
more to it than these
three points.
But they’re enough to
get started.
Best of luck!
FOR MORE DETAILED
TIPS,TRY THESE…

38. Suggested Reading
Copyblogger
Ben Settle
Content Marketing Institute
Copy Hackers
Men with Pens

39. Who made this?
Brian Lanigan is a senior information
developer with TWi, a provider of outsourced
technical writing, editing, and documentation
solutions based in Cork, Ireland.
In the past, he’s worked as both a technical
writer and an advertising copywriter. Different
worlds, but you’d be surprised at the overlaps.
Acknowledgements
Photographs
Karina Carvalho
Ludde Lorentz
Martin Sanchez
Raphael Schaller
Sebastian Pichler
all from Unsplash
Icons
‘Books’ by Rockicon
‘Chart’ by Shuaib Usman Yusuf
‘Compass’ by Mungang Kim
‘Confused’ by Artem Kovyazin
‘Process’ by Christopher Holm-Hansen
all from The Noun Project
Enjoy this deck?
Have some better suggestions?
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