{"id":223984,"date":"2020-03-14T14:45:39","date_gmt":"2020-03-14T09:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qcsglobal.com\/marketing\/5-ways-to-write-tech-content-for-non-tech-audiences\/"},"modified":"2020-04-18T17:10:37","modified_gmt":"2020-04-18T11:40:37","slug":"5-ways-to-write-tech-content-for-non-tech-audiences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/5-ways-to-write-tech-content-for-non-tech-audiences\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways to Write Tech Content for Non-Tech Audiences"},"content":{"rendered":"


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When you sell tech products or solutions to other engineers, everything\u2019s simple: all they need is a data sheet.<\/p>\n

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But when your solution caters to a non-tech audience, things change dramatically. No one cares what\u2019s on your PCB. Or how long it took to write the API code for your SaaS.<\/p>\n

So, how do you write tech content for non-tech audiences?\u00a0Let\u2019s find out!\u00a0<\/p>\n

How to write technical content when your audience doesn’t “speak” tech\u00a0<\/h1>\n

It\u2019s quite tempting to write thousands of words about how hard it was to create your solution and how many geniuses worked on it, isn\u2019t it? Or to dig deep into details about how your code has zero bugs and perfectly crafted comments.<\/p>\n

It makes sense. You did a great thing and you want to brag about it. Who wouldn\u2019t?\u00a0But here\u2019s the catch — instead of who wouldn\u2019t, you\u2019re better off asking who cares about all this? Because one thing is sure: your clients don\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They don\u2019t speak tech so they don\u2019t even know why you need insightful comments amid your code lines. Here\u2019s what they do care about instead.<\/p>\n

1. It\u2019s not about the product; it\u2019s about the user<\/h2>\n

Did you know that 55% of people read blog posts for 15 seconds or less<\/a>? Yes, that\u2019s right. And no, they’re not super-fast readers.\u00a0They just get easily bored with your content.<\/p>\n

In fact, instead of reading, they actually scan the page looking for information that\u2019s easy to digest and relevant to them. Do you know what neither of those things is? Hyper-technical content that\u2019s focused on your<\/em> product and your<\/em> journey.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not relevant to them<\/em>. While your need to brag is perfectly understandable, it will not help you sell your product.<\/p>\n

What will help you sell is telling your readers why they\u00a0 need your solution. Why it can solve their problems. Why their lives will be better after hitting the \u201cbuy\u201d button.\u00a0And yes, when it\u2019s about them they will hang in there for more than 15 seconds. They will want to know exactly how your product or service can help them out.<\/p>\n

Briefly put: make your customer the star of your content.<\/p>\n

See how this section starts with \u201cDid YOU know\u2026?\u201d That\u2019s precisely what you need to do. The more \u201cyou\u201d instead of \u201cwe\u201d or \u201cX product\u201d you use, the more captivated the reader will be. After all, we\u2019re all a bit self-centered, aren\u2019t we?<\/p>\n

2. Kill the jargon and speak \u201chuman\u201d<\/h2>\n

A picture speaks a thousand words, right?<\/p>\n

Take this one, for instance:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"technical<\/div>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n

This image depicts the PCB (Printed Circuit Board) in a smartwatch. And yes, it speaks a thousand words. But only to engineers. If you\u2019re selling PCBs or PCB design services, it\u2019s a great idea to talk about them, why your PCBs are special and how all the components on them are flawless.<\/p>\n

But a smartwatch buyer doesn’t need to know all that. They don\u2019t care about it.\u00a0More importantly, they won\u2019t understand a word you\u2019re saying.\u00a0So go easy with the jargon.<\/p>\n

There will be times when you can\u2019t avoid technical terms. For instance, you can\u2019t speak about data cabling without mentioning the types of cables you use.\u00a0When you do have to use technical terms, explain them right away without being patronizing. Keep the explanations simple and to the point. You want to move on from them quickly and get to what really matters: the selling points of your amazing product.<\/p>\n

You can go crazy with the technical jargon ONLY if you\u2019re selling to other engineers. Otherwise, your tech content writing should be translated into layman terms.<\/p>\n

3. Forget about the\u00a0how; explain the\u00a0why<\/h2>\n

Any good content strategy<\/a> for tech companies starts with laying down the goals. Typically, you don\u2019t learn how to write tech content just to show off your skills. You learn it so that your content marketing can support your business goals.<\/p>\n

This means that your tech content has to be converted to \u201cmarketing speak\u201d. Drawing on the points above: don\u2019t tell people how you did it. Tell them why you did it and why they need it.<\/p>\n

When you hire tech content writers<\/a> worth their salt, they won\u2019t copy-paste your datasheet into a blog post. Instead, they will take the information there and turn every single product feature into a benefit for the buyer.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at some examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n