The complete guide to becoming a Tech Writer in 2023
Follow these steps and reap the rewards as a Tech Writer
2023 is upon us, with everyone busy making their career plans on how to succeed and make some of that sweet $$$.
2022 was a .. shall we say, interesting year for the Tech Industry, and 2023 might not be any different
The massive layoffs made everyone realize that not even the mighty tech giants are immune to economic realities and relying on just a 9–5 job might not be the best idea
For my part, I have always advised tech and cybersecurity professionals to invest time in creating side incomes and monetizing their tech knowledge.
With so many options available, I would like to focus on tech writing which is one of the best and most lucrative side-hustles you can start in 2023.
What exactly is a Tech writer?
A tech writer is someone who can professionally write about technology-related topics for companies in the form of blog posts, manuals, production documentation, and so on.
Basically, you should be able to write about tech topics or products in a fun and easy-to-understand way without drowning the reader in technical jargon.
Ask yourself this
Are you a technology or a cybersecurity professional with subject matter expertise?
Can you write 800 to 1000 words about a technical matter without putting people to sleep?
If you answered YES, then this side hustle is for you!
To be a successful tech writer, you need to know tech, and you need to know writing. Most people know one but not the other, which is why this is a unique skill set to have
Why be a tech writer
Here are a couple of good reasons
Technical writing is quite possibly the easiest side hustle to start. Unlike Youtube or Udemy, which require speaking, video creation, editing, etc., all technical writing requires you to do is sit in front of a computer and start writing!
Technical writing establishes your brand in the industry as an expert. Take my example; I am not even remotely an expert on Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning, yet I have had people from all across the world reach out to me for my help on this topic. Why? Because I write about this topic a lot.
It opens you up to job opportunities in a way your normal profile will never do. Instead of waiting for someone to contact you on LinkedIn .. your writing on a platform like Medium goes all over the Internet, and one of them could be your future manager.
You can make money! This should not be your starting goal, as it takes time to build up a portfolio, but yes, once you have an established portfolio and a steady stream of clients, you can see the returns coming in. I cannot share my earnings from my customers, but you can see the money I had made from Medium for the past couple of months when I started writing steadily on it.
These are common excuses people make.
Despite all these advantages, I have seen many people make excuses for not becoming a tech writer despite having all the skills.
Some of the common reasons I have seen are:
“I am not a writer!”
Yes, and neither was I. The only thing that makes you a writer is writing so start!
“It’s hard” ( Spoiler alert: yes, it is )
Yes, technical writing is hard .. in fact, any writing is hard at the beginning.
Stop wasting time watching Netflix or playing the new God of War game ( which is awesome, by the way), and block a few hours on your calendar where you can invest in your future and write.
The more you work your writing muscle, the stronger it will get and the easier it will become
“My English is not good enough.”
I could have bought this excuse a few years back, but nowadays, with tools like Grammarly present, there really is no excuse.
No one is expecting you to be the William Shakespeare of technical writing, but as long as you can put together a few sentences properly .. tools like Grammarly can carry you the rest of the way.
“People will make fun of me!”
Yes, there will always be people who are insecure about anyone else trying new things and will try to drag you down .. so do not let them.
In my experience, people will continue making fun of you .. until the point they see you making money, and then they will be falling over themselves asking you for advice.
How to become a Tech Writer
I hope I have convinced you now about how awesome this side hustle can be .. so how to go about it?
Below is my simple three-step process, which you can follow.
In my humble opinion, this is the simplest and most straightforward way, which I learned after making many mistakes and stumbling in my tech writing career.
Step 1 — Start on Medium
Medium is awesome even in 2022 AND going into 2023
I don't believe there is any website that levels the playing field so much for new writers. You can just create an account and start writing while getting access to a massive reader base.
In your first step as a tech writer .. choose a topic you are good at. It can be cloud computing, cybersecurity, networking, etc., and starting writing on it.
Make a calendar commitment to yourself. Start with once a week and then become more consistent as you go on.
In this stage, your goal is to become comfortable with writing, find the niche you are good at, and build a basic portfolio of writing samples.
You can check out my course if you need more tips which you can rent for just two dollars!
Step 2 — Professional websites
Ok, now that you are comfortable on Medium and writing on a consistent basis, it is time to step it up.
To take your writing portfolio to the next level, start reaching out to professional IT publications and get your work published.
There are great tech journals and publications present that are happy to publish your work right here on Medium, such as Geek Culture, Towards AI, Data science, etc. Others, like the ISACA journal, are well known and respected in the industry
Putting a few of their links below. Study their requirements, follow them and submit an article.
Try and get your work published in two to three of these publications, which will greatly enhance your portfolio.
https://pub.towardsai.net/submit-your-medium-story-to-towards-ai-a4fa7e8b141d
https://levelup.gitconnected.com/how-to-get-published-on-gitconnected-dac547ef556b
https://www.isaca.org/resources/isaca-journal/submit-an-article
Step 3 — Ghostwriting / Freelancing
By this point, you will have a nice number of articles under your belt both on Medium and with professional publications.
This is the time to start getting monetized and make some serious money from your skills.
Start creating gigs on websites like Fiverr and Upwork and highlight your portfolio there.
It will take some time to find customers but keep your profile updated and your prices low to get those initial customers. Once you have established your profile there and you can think about raising prices
In parallel, LinkedIn is a goldmine for technical writers, and you will find no end of jobs with remote + freelancing options available, which you can apply to
Key things to remember.
I hope this was useful to you and motivated you to try your hand at technical writing in 2023.
The demand for technical writers is not going to go down as there are simply not enough people with technical expertise and good writing skills.
This is a great field to get into, and the rewards are huge for people who are patient and play the long game.
I leave you with a few tips to keep in mind.
Technical Writing is not passive income. Do not expect to be sleeping and making money ( although that is possible on Medium if your articles take off ! ). But once your portfolio has been established, then you will see customers reaching out to you for writing jobs and a steady stream of income.
You need a portfolio. If you are expecting people to take you seriously, then put in those early days and create a portfolio. No major tech company is going to give you a writing gig if you have nothing published to prove your writing chops with.
It takes time! Play the long game, and you will see huge benefits moving forward. Your work will compound over time, and you will see your writing opening up avenues for you that you could never have imagined.
Good luck with the awesome career ahead of you