Writing for engineers isn’t always easy.
After all, the subject matter itself is quite something, suggesting that anyone looking to actually create quality content for engineers must have some understanding of the engineering industry itself.
The content has to be written in a way so it speaks to engineers but also that it can be understood by someone with a little less engineering knowledge. After all, someone new to the industry or someone with a keen interest in the industry may just as easily land on your engineering blog.
It’s also worth keeping in mind that today’s attention economy is rather limited, so you’d likely lose your audience if your text is too complex or lengthy, especially in an online setting.
So, ultimately, your text has to be technically complex but also short and concise.
That’s not easy to achieve.
In this article, I’ll guide you through some problem-solving steps. After all, excellent engineering content does exist, so there must be a way.
Before I go into how to approach writing for engineers, I’ll take a brief look at what type of engineering content usually has to be created and what type of writer you should be working with.
After all, that’s usually a good first step when starting any writing project.
What type of engineering content is usually required?
There’s not one simple answer to this as each company may have its own requirements of what’s expected.
That said, there are a few basics that most engineering-focused writers will likely have to complete:
- You’re likely to write proposals, a requirement whenever engineers want to apply for a certain project or white papers.
- You can also write news and engineering blog posts to publish on your company website.
- You may also write progress reports, research reports, case studies, and other industry-specific pieces.
- On a short content side, you could be writing engineering newsletters or social media captions.
While some of the content may be easier to tackle, most of it will be quite technically focused, with a good deal of time spent on research.
So it’s generally a good idea to start off with the right kind of writer.
What writers are best to produce engineering content?
There are a number of different writers out there – fiction writers, generalized writers, SEO writers, technical writers, content writers, copywriters, etc. – but not all of them will be suited to engineering content.
It’s really difficult for a marketing employee or general freelance writer to craft excellent content for engineers since, usually, they’d simply lack the technical skills required.
This doesn’t mean that a general writer can’t learn the process and become an excellent technical writer.
But this is a process that requires quite a significant investment of time, money, and research.
So if you do choose to work with a generalized writer, I’d recommend working with someone committed to the process – i.e. hiring a once-off freelance writer won’t be ideal, but working with someone who’s committed to becoming a top-notch engineering writer or someone with a keen interest in the engineering field can work out well in the long run.
I even have some tips on how to become an engineering technical writer, which may be helpful.
Ideally, though, you’d already be on the lookout for a specialized engineering technical writer, someone who understands the ins and outs of the industry well and will enable you to hit the ground running.
What’s the best way to craft content for engineers?
A specialized engineering technical writer is likely to already have the know-how to write for engineers.
I also have a guide with top tips on nailing your engineering website copy, which you’ll likely find quite helpful, and a step-by-step process of how to start writing engineering content. These guides are quite detailed and should really help you get everything you need.
But, I do want to go over a few of the most important factors you need to consider when writing for engineers.
1. Address engineer requirements
I’ve teased this briefly above, but this really is paramount – you have to know what you’re talking about, and specialized engineering knowledge is a must.
So what exactly does this mean?
It’s not only about regurgitating engineering jargon but about really understanding it. After all, you’ll often have to take very complex, fact-driven engineering data and transform it into a highly engaging article that can speak to engineers and people on the outskirts of the engineering industry.
This means you have to be able to adjust your writing style, the technical difficulty of the writing, and the ease of reading so it suits your target audience.
Sometimes you’ll be writing very technical pieces for engineers. And other times, you’ll be writing an entertaining and light-hearted social media caption meant for a wider audience.
But you have to be able to do both.
2. Provide helpful content
Many blogs are very personable – i.e. they’re very focused on someone’s biased and subjective opinions on a specific topic. And while there is room for reviews and opinion pieces in engineering writing, this isn’t always the case.
So something important to always keep in mind is that your engineering topic needs to be on point – check out my guide on content ideas for some inspiration.
But, writing for engineers goes beyond having a great topic. You need to provide value.
It’s far too tempting to simply rely on AI writing tools to churn out some generic engineering content. This is particularly true if you want to create an engineering blog for your company website with the sole goal of driving website traffic.
While a website blog can work wonders in driving traffic and putting a business in front of the right eyes, the primary goal with any type of writing should be to provide helpful content.
And if you’re writing for engineers, your content should be helpful to engineers.
Since this is a very technical field, content has to be thought-out, well-produced, and – most importantly – well-researched. Misleading or factually inaccurate content won’t only be annoying and impractical for your audience, but it could also potentially be harmful (depending on your subject matter).
In addition to spending time in research, it’s also good practice to include your references and resources for more complex information or statistics, since this will show your audience that you’re citing factual evidence – and it also gives your audience the chance to dive deeper into a certain topic.
3. Set the right tone
So now you have the basics. You’ve got the right writer with engineering know-how, you know which type of content you’re producing, you have a great topic, and you’ve spent a good deal of time researching and collecting sources.
These are the ingredients for a great engineering content cake. But the presentation side of it still matters. After all, would you like to eat a delicious chocolate cake if it’s been pummeled with a fist and sits all smashed up on your plate? Likely not. And the same goes for your engineering content.
First, you need to find your tone. There’s no one-size-fits-all here, as it depends on your company’s brand, where you’re publishing, what type of content you’re writing, and who your target audience is.
You may write more professionally for a white paper and a little more colloquially for a social media post, but the underlying tone that matches your company’s style guide will run throughout.
Here are also some more general tips if you’re writing for engineers:
- Your content needs to be factual and professional. You can add some personalizations, but professionalism should be key.
- There is a time and place for technical jargon and while you obviously need to include everything relevant, you don’t want to go overboard.
- Keep your writing simple enough to read well.
- Skip marketing fluff. Your aim is to provide value.
- If relevant, include an appendix with supporting materials. This will take your document to the next level.
Even if writing styles may differ, you’re already on the right track if you’re focusing on facts and research.
Do you need help with your engineering content?
As this quick guide has hopefully shown, writing for engineers can be a challenge. It’s very research-heavy and not everyone can – or even wants to – do it. That’s why it’s so important to get the right writer for your team.
Our team of writers – who are actual qualified engineers – have been writing engineering content for years, so if you need someone to work with, get in touch.
Writing For Engineers FAQs
Yes – always. You could be writing for very technical engineers, people on the periphery of the industry, or new graduates just entering the industry – all of which have a different level of knowledge.
Different groups of people – and even different types of engineers – will have varying levels of understanding of terms and concepts, and you’ll need to adjust your writing as such.
Working with an engineer who has writing skills definitely has its benefits. After all, they’re the best at understanding complex engineering works. That said, sometimes it’s better to work with an engineering writer because they’ll be better able to convert complex information into something a little more digestible and easier to understand. Meet our team here.
There’s no one set way for this, but it’s important to remember that an excellent basic structure always matters. Start with clear headings and subheadings that follow a very logical flow of information. You can also add in some visual aids, like bullet points, infographics, or highlighted summaries to help explain difficult subjects. It really depends on the project and content type.
You can download our templates here to help.
