If you know your stuff when it comes to tech, you might be inspired to start contributing articles to tech blogs. A friend or colleague may suggest the idea to you, or you may see an invitation for submissions, much like the one on this website. Sounds like a great idea; but what do you know about writing articles, blog posts, or other types of content? Writing is a skill, and there are also practical aspects to writing that you need to be aware of before you start creating your own pieces. Getting started as a tech writer means addressing each of the following factors to ensure a successful and potentially profitable sideline.
Authority
Before you start typing or put pen to paper, you need to consider what qualifies you to write about your chosen topic. Academic and vocational qualifications are a convenient and tangible form of evidence that you have authority in your subject area, but even without them you can succeed, providing you have some kind of proof of your expertise. That could be papers you’ve written, projects you’ve worked on, recommendations from respected people in your field, or the fact that you earn your living from your expertise. As long as you can show that you know your subject, you’re off to a good start.
Following directions
Every site or blog you write for will have its own guidelines on submissions, which you must adhere to even if you’ve been invited to submit. Articles site owners receive that don’t conform to their submission guidelines will almost certainly be rejected, so take the time to read through what’s required and check that your article is correctly formatted, the right length, and includes any features or information specifically required by the host site.
Subjects matter
A common mistake rookie writers make is not checking the fit of their writing to a particular website. Hopefully it would be obvious that a piece about teaching Python to kids in elementary schools wouldn’t be right for a blog that focuses on high level troubleshooting of MySQL. Make sure you understand what the focus of each site or blog is, and what level of expertise the content is aimed at, so you can combine the perfect topic with the appropriate style.
Choosing a niche
One of the best ways of making your mark as a tech writer – or in any other sphere – is to select a specific niche within your area of expertise on which to focus your efforts. It’s easier to sell yourself to editors if you can tell them exactly what you write about rather than describing yourself rather vaguely as a tech writer or IT specialist. Most people have an area within their knowledge base that particularly interests them, or for which they have a natural affinity. If you can define such a niche, you could well become the go-to person for anyone wanting expert input on the topic.
Mastering basic writing skills
Be honest about your writing abilities. Do you understand and use grammar and punctuation? For example, do you know what the passive voice is in writing and how to avoid overusing it – and why it’s important that you should? Do you use apostrophes correctly, and do you have a good-sized vocabulary to draw on?
Poor spellers might think they can just use a spellchecker to correct their mistakes, but a spell check isn’t infallible, and may not alert you to words you’ve misspelled but are still actual words, for instance typing “or” instead of “for” could change the meaning of what you’ve written, but a spell-check program is unlikely to spot it.
These are just a few examples of basic writing skills you need to master before submitting articles, because without them your writing will look amateurish and won’t impress editors.
Improving your writing skills
As well as the basic tools of writing, you also need to have the ability to create pieces that are fresh, readable, and draw people in. Grammatically perfect writing isn’t a lot of good if the topic covered is dull or poorly explained. You need to know when to use humor, how to appeal to the people likely to be reading your piece, and be able to convey complex ideas and theories in a way your audience will comprehend.
Luckily, there are numerous resources available that can help you improve your use of language, so have a browse online for courses in writing skills. There are resources available for free as well as paid training courses, so you can spend as much or as little as you wish on your training.
If you feel you need a comprehensive course but don’t have the cash available, consider applying for one of the income based loans on offer through reputable credit brokers. Using these facilities can save you money compared to credit card rates, and honing your skills effectively through paid for training could open up the doors to a profitable side income. You may even discover you have a talent for writing that enables you to become a full-time author.
Making pitches
To start with, you’ll probably find it easier to stick with open source sites that invite all their readers to submit articles, but as you get more experienced you’ll be able to start applying to sites that offer higher rates for published pieces. It’s a good idea to create an online portfolio of the best of your published work to show to editors, because well-paid gigs are most often looking for experienced writers.
Then you need to check out the site’s submission guidelines, and prepare a pitch. A pitch is basically an inquiry letter introducing you and outlining an idea for an article you think the site would be interested in publishing. To find out how to make a pitch that gets you noticed, refer to the many helpful online guides on how to make an effective pitch.
Writing about tech is a rewarding addition to your professional life and could develop into a whole new career, so if you’ve got something to say, don’t be shy!
