Copywriting Information

10 Tips for Tech-Writers


Tech-writing is a tricky business. It's not a very high profile industry, so there's not much support around. Follow these 10 quick tips, and you'll be well on your way to a satisfying tech-writing career.

1) Follow a sensible career path?

  • STEP 1: Start in a team

  • STEP 2: Stay only just long enough

  • STEP 3: Manage yourself

  • STEP 4: Manage a team

  • STEP 5: Go contracting (depends on the market)

2) Knowledge is your lifeblood - learn the politics of your company. Know who knows what. Find someone who consistently gives you timely, reliable, technically accurate answers, and get their name tattooed on your shoulder! Every company has at least one. And they may not be in the project manager/product manager/customer/programmer roles. They are generally the people who've used the product in the real world, and dealt with real world customers.

3) Communicate WITH, not AT. Tech-writers don't have enough power to get away with communicating at.

4) Track stuff (take spreadsheet printout and write it up on the board).

5) Develop good product and domain knowledge - The more you can figure out for yourself, the better off you'll be (and the more respect you'll get from the techies).

6) Find out who your users are, what they are trying to do, what they are having trouble doing, and how they want to be helped. Then provide this assistance. Help the user do what they are trying to do. Don't just tell them what the product can do? a help system is only helpful if it addresses the users' needs.

7) Treat everyone as a customer. Then manage their expectations and your commitments. Always ensure they know what you're doing. Tell them when you'll be finished. And pull out all stops to meet your deadline.

8) Provide a surrogate user testing mechanism for the development team - providing usability feedback.

9) Work as hard as required to get good quality doco finished on time and to budget - this is how you'll get the satisfaction out of work that you need.

10) Have fun with it.

Don't become jaded and cynical by the high-tech, harsh, uncaring IT world. Use your smarts, and make the most of the resources provided. Most importantly of all, make work satisfaction your number 1 goal. It's the best way to stay happy and get ahead.

About The Author

* Glenn Murray is an SEO copywriter and Article Submission Specialist. He is a director of PublishHub and also of copywriting studio Divine Write. He can be contacted on Sydney +612 4334 6222 or at glenn@divinewrite.com. Visit http://www.divinewrite.com or http://www.publishhub.com for further details, more FREE articles, or to purchase his e-book, 'SEO Secrets'.


MORE RESOURCES:

SEO India Designers offering SEO Copywriting Services
PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung), Austria - Oct 10, 2008
Even specialized writing like Business Writing, E-mail Writing, Slogans, Punch lines, SEO copywriting, Technical Writing and other writing services are also ...


Evade the Copywriting Text Trap
MSNBC - Oct 3, 2008
Here are five ways to avoid the Text Trap in your copywriting: Extraneous words should be deleted from your copy. Words like that, really and very don't ...


SEO Link Building and Copywriting Service Relaunched by Search ...
PR Web (press release), WA - Sep 30, 2008
Brick Marketing has also introduced SEO copywriting as a strategic partner to link building. Good copy will always be true winner in the game of search ...
Benefits Of Implementing Search Optimization In Large ... PR Web (press release)
all 5 news articles


Krauthammer receives Web Award
Training Press Releases (press release), UK - Oct 9, 2008
Krauthammer's highest scores were in design, content, copywriting and ease of use. "The Web Marketing Association was founded in 1997 to help set a high ...


Original content improves on-page SEO so copywriting is also an ...
NewDesignWorld (press release), UK - Sep 29, 2008
Thus, company has fine team of experienced and skilled copywriter. The team is specialist in all forms of copywriting like; website copywriting, ...


Copywriting - Persuade Your Reader with Benefits
Web Host Industry Review - Sep 26, 2008
When you think of copywriting do you think of those direct mail pieces that arrive in your mail box? Or do you think of the text of a television ad? ...


DirectNews

Copywriting to increase website traffic
Business Feet, UK - Sep 25, 2008
Good copywriting is an excellent way to see B2B website traffic increase, but it's not easy - so Galen DeYoung has provided some handy tips on Search Engine ...
Control SEO strategy BCS
Long copy good for B2B SEO, says expert DirectNews
B2B copy 'should include generic, long-tail keywords' Digital Response Media
all 4 news articles


Multimedia Company Celebrates 25 Years of Producing Customized ...
Mass Media Distribution LLC (press release), FL - Oct 9, 2008
Their corporate location in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania includes five in-house studios, a full-time copywriting staff, access to the best available professional ...


Press Dispensary Visits the Capital
Press Dispensary (press release), UK - Oct 9, 2008
Previous London attendee, Jonathan O’Connor of JML Ltd, commented: “The course was fantastic – it offered a real insight into copywriting. ...


Ten Copywriting Tips for B2B SEO
Search Engine Land, CT - Sep 24, 2008
B2B copywriting is tough stuff. Instead of, "Wipes clean with a damp cloth," you may find yourself trying to simultaneously explain and extol the virtues of ...

Copywriting - Google News

home | site map
© 2006