How to Create a Technical Content Plan That Converts

August 6, 2020

karl

7 min read

processes

TL;DR: A technical content plan is a detailed outline specifying the exact articles, tutorials, and resources you’ll create for your technical audience, including titles, pitches, outlines, target audiences, and deliverable specifications. Unlike general content strategies that focus on high-level goals, technical content plans provide specific implementation roadmaps that prevent inconsistent quality, reduce writer confusion, and align content creation with business objectives.

Essential components of effective technical content plans:

Detailed article specifications: Title, pitch, audience, outline, and asset requirements for each piece
Strategic alignment: Connect individual content pieces to overarching business and marketing goals
Promotion planning: Define target audiences and distribution strategies before content creation
Writer guidance: Provide clear expectations to minimize revisions and maximize quality
Resource allocation: Match content complexity with available writing resources and expertise

There are two mistakes that most companies make when they decide to pursue technical content marketing:

They don’t have a content plan.
They don’t know how they’re going to distribute their content.

I recently wrote about how I recommend starting with a checklist to promote your blog posts. While I could say more, I’m going to focus on the first problem: creating a technical content plan.

What is a Content Plan?

Most companies that start a blog have a higher-level strategy. They know why they want to start creating content but rarely dive into the specific article ideas and resources they want to create.

A content plan is a detailed outline of the content you want to produce for your blog.

If you’re building a technical blog aimed at developers, tailor your content plan to fit (1) your audience, (2) your product/service, and (3) your available writing resources.

I’ll add more about how you can create a content plan later, but let’s start by looking at an example:

Here’s the sample content plan I share with my clients at Draft.

Let’s take a look at the first article in the content plan: How to Deploy WordPress to a Kubernetes Cluster.

The Title

While it may change, the working title tells us what each article’s main keywords are and the tone. Articles that start with “How to…” like this one are generally tutorials, but as you’ll see, we clarify that further down in the plan.

The Pitch

Freelance journalists typically write a “pitch” to sell an editor on their idea. The pitch in your content plan accomplishes a similar goal, giving others a high-level view of the article what readers will learn.

Assets Delivered

I like to be clear about what will be entailed in creating each piece of content I write. Include expectations for the article length, type, and supporting data or code samples that will be delivered.

Audience

If your writer assumes the article is directed at entry-level developers, but you meant it to be aimed at managers, you’re not going to be happy with the outcome. Having a clear audience attached to each piece will also help you think about how you’ll promote it after publication.

Outline

Finally, your content plan should include a brief outline. You can let the writer fill in details or adjust it as necessary, but having some detail shows that you’ve thought about the topic and know what it will entail before you pass it off to a writer. If you’re the writer, you really need an outline.

Why Do You Need a Content Plan?

You might think that creating a content plan with detailed pitches and brief outlines for each of your articles will be a considerable time investment…and you’d be right.

The truth is that if you don’t create a plan, your writing will suffer. You’ll get different levels of quality from various writers, you’ll have to return more work for a rewrite, and you won’t be able to let other stakeholders see what your team is working on.

Before I start working with a new client, I create a content plan for the first 3-6 months of our engagement. Having it is a massive benefit for both my clients and me, so while it’s an investment, it’s well worth making.

Here are just a few of the reasons you should create a content plan:

Aligns Content and Strategy

It’s easy to fall into the trap of publishing anything anyone wants to write on the blog. An unfocused approach like this might occasionally result in a home run, but most of your posts will add very little value. By explicitly defining each piece of content you want to create, you can make sure your posts serve your overarching strategy.

Helps Drive the Plan for Promotion

Having a defined audience for each post you write will help your marketing team decide on a promotional plan for each piece. That allows them to do research before the post goes live to give it the best chance of success the moment it’s published.

Enables You to Find the Right Writers

Whether you’ve got dedicated in-house resources or a large pool of community contributors, writers will struggle to come up with good topics consistently. By having a list of content ideas, you can control the content’s quality and topic choice. You can even start targeted outreach to find writers with specific experience for each post.

Minimizes Back-and-Forth

One of the most frustrating things as a writer is having unclear expectations for your work. Imagine spending 5-10 hours writing an in-depth, technical piece and then being told you missed the mark. I’ve done it; it sucks. A content plan will make sure writers don’t waste their time or yours.

How to Create a Content Plan

Once your team agrees that a content plan is necessary, it’s time to get to work. There are three phases to coming up with a content plan:

Defining the content strategy
Coming up with ideas
Research and add details

Generally, step 1 is done at the top. Whether it’s the Head of Marketing, Community Manager, or Content Marketing Manager, someone familiar with the company’s overarching goals should be responsible for choosing and defining a content strategy. This strategy won’t go into specific article ideas, but rather set the target audience, the kind of content you’ll create, and how you’ll capture readers to turn them into leads.

Next, use the strategy to come up with a list of possible article ideas. At this stage, each idea will probably just be a title and maybe a couple of bullet points. If there are lots of ideas, you may need to rank them and pick the winners. If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas, you might want to take a break and return to it later.

Finally, someone on the team needs to be responsible for researching each idea and adding details like the outline, pitch, and assets. After these details are added, the team should review and approve them before doling them out to writers.

Having Trouble?

If all that seems overwhelming, and you’re tempted to skip the content planning phase, you don’t have to go in alone. At Draft, we help software engineering blogs define and carry out content plans.

Learn more about creating technical content plans at Draft.dev.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between a content strategy and a content plan?

A content strategy defines high-level goals, target audiences, and general content types you'll create. A content plan provides specific implementation details including exact article titles, outlines, audience specifications, and deliverable requirements. Strategy answers 'why and what,' while plans answer 'how and when.' Both are essential for successful technical content marketing.

How far in advance should you plan technical content?

Plan 3-6 months in advance for optimal balance between strategic direction and flexibility. Technical content requires research time, expert writer sourcing, and coordination with product releases or industry events. Planning too far ahead (12+ months) reduces adaptability to technology changes, while insufficient planning (1-2 months) creates quality and consistency issues.

Who should be responsible for creating technical content plans?

Content strategy should be defined by senior marketing leadership (Head of Marketing, Content Marketing Manager) who understand business objectives. Article ideation can involve broader teams including product, engineering, and sales. Detailed research and specification writing requires someone with technical knowledge and content expertise - often a Technical Content Manager or experienced technical writer.

How detailed should technical content plan outlines be?

Outlines should be detailed enough to guide writers but flexible enough to allow expertise and creativity. Include main sections, key technical points to cover, target audience assumptions, and required code examples or demonstrations. Aim for 5-8 bullet points per article outline. More detail helps less experienced writers, while senior technical writers need less guidance.

How do you prioritize technical content ideas in your plan?

Prioritize based on business impact, audience demand, and resource requirements. High-priority content addresses urgent customer pain points, supports product launches, or targets high-value SEO opportunities. Consider content creation difficulty, required expertise level, and expected promotional reach. Use a scoring matrix weighing business value against creation effort for objective prioritization.

Should technical content plans include promotion strategies?

Yes, defining promotion strategies during planning is crucial for maximizing content ROI. Include target audience segments, appropriate distribution channels (developer communities, social platforms, email lists), and promotion timeline for each piece. Planning promotion in advance allows for better writer briefing, community relationship building, and coordinated marketing efforts.

How do you measure the success of your technical content plan?

Track both process metrics (content production consistency, writer satisfaction, revision rates) and outcome metrics (traffic growth, lead generation, technical community engagement). Compare planned vs. actual performance for topics, formats, and promotion channels. Successful technical content plans show improved content quality, reduced production time, and better alignment with business objectives over 6-12 month periods.