How to Write Technical Tutorials That Developers Actually Use

January 21, 2022

Karl Hughes

5 min read

developer-marketing

TL;DR: Great technical tutorials go beyond step-by-step instructions to explain:

Why readers complete these specific steps – Context for the task at hand
Why this technology matters – Unique value and applications
Why alternatives fall short – Trade-offs and use case fit

Developers need tutorials written by experienced practitioners who understand real-world problems, not just surface-level how-to content. Effective tutorials answer “Will readers fully understand this tool’s applications?” after reading.

As tech advances, the content we produce about it should also evolve: demo videos, blogs, social posts — and yes, even tutorials.

As straightforward as they may seem, tutorials hold a world of potential for building trust with your audience of developers. But finding people who know how to write a tutorial that consists of more than just a series of steps copied and pasted from somewhere on the internet? Feels impossible.

I was recently invited to chat about technical tutorials on an episode of The Stack Overflow Podcast. I spoke to hosts Ben Popper and Ryan Donovan about what makes tutorial-style content stand out and why it’s risky to hire just any writer to create it.

The Difference Between a Good Tutorial and a Great Tutorial

If you’re trying to speak to software engineers with your content, it has to hit upon what they really care about: why they should take a certain approach. (They often already know a lot of the how.)

Yet, most of the online content you’ll find about software tools comes in the form of dry listicles or step-by-step tutorials that don’t offer valuable context to developers who are often trying to solve complex problems.

Ideally, the person writing your tutorials should understand:

Why the reader is completing these steps — and why now
Why this technology is interesting
Why alternatives aren’t as good for this use case

You can’t address these whys with simple step-by-step directions.

After reading a great tutorial draft, you should be able to answer “yes” to the question: Will the reader have a full understanding of the applications of this tool?

Finding Writers Who Get It

If you want to grow and reach more developers, you need to do a lot of writing — whether it’s for documentation, FAQs, or to establish your brand’s public-facing presence.

Content marketing is just one piece of that picture, but it should be treated as an entirely separate entity if you want your content to truly speak to your audience.

Coming up with technical content ideas is one challenge, and finding writers who can turn those topics into effective pieces is another, even more difficult, one.

Especially if you outsource technical content creation, you may struggle to find someone who can write about the deeper lessons underneath an engineering task — because they probably aren’t entrenched in the field themselves.

Furthermore, you can’t always tell from a pitch whether a writer knows their stuff. You’re taking a risk when you hire a technical writer who has some freelance experience in the industry but doesn’t spend their days writing code.

And that’s the big problem we’re solving for startups here at Draft.dev — writing content that’s for developers by developers.

Low-Code Solutions Also Have a Why

The proliferation of low-code software tools might reduce the demand for tutorials. But there’s also more opportunity for SaaS businesses to revamp the standard tutorial and include the bigger reasons your customers or clients would be doing a task in the first place.

A simple example: “How to Set Up a Child Theme in WordPress” vs. “Why You Should Set Up a Child Theme in WordPress.” The latter would explain how updates to your website won’t override your future changes, which is important for someone trying to maintain their own site, while the former leaves the reader wondering if they need to do it at all.

With more complex tools and processes, there are also reasons for everything we do as developers. Even if a tool doesn’t require customized code, there are still lots of use cases and different approaches or opinions you could include in a tutorial to make it widely applicable.

Pro Tip: To come up with better angles for a basic tutorial, consult your list of keywords and try to discover the intent behind each search. What would the person really be looking to discover? What kinds of lingering questions might they have after reading a basic tutorial?

The Future of Developer Content Marketing

As you’re likely aware, SaaS businesses are getting a lot of funding right now. That’s great for the industry overall, but it also means there are even more competing software tools out there.

To set your brand apart, you should be creating a core base of valuable technical content.

A sharp developer who’s trying to get better at their craft needs to know more than what a simple “How-To” post can cover, so they’ll be looking for a tutorial that was written by someone who successfully connected the task at hand to the reason they’d be doing it.

Listen to the episode to hear more about the need for more in-depth tutorials.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a technical tutorial effective for developers?

Effective technical tutorials combine step-by-step instructions with context explaining why developers should use specific approaches, why the technology matters for their use case, and why alternative solutions don't fit as well. Developers already know many technical concepts, so they need tutorials that address complex problems with real-world context rather than just basic steps.

Should technical tutorials be written by professional developers?

Yes, the best technical tutorials come from writers with hands-on development experience who understand real-world engineering challenges. Professional developers can explain the deeper reasoning behind technical decisions, anticipate reader questions, and provide context that generic freelance writers typically miss.

How do you find writers who can create quality technical tutorials?

Look for writers who actively work as developers, have GitHub portfolios demonstrating technical expertise, understand your specific technology stack, and can explain complex concepts clearly. Avoid writers who only have surface-level freelance experience without day-to-day coding practice, as they struggle to address the why behind technical decisions.

What's the difference between documentation and technical tutorials?

Documentation provides comprehensive reference material for features and APIs, while technical tutorials guide developers through solving specific problems with contextual explanations. Tutorials should be treated as separate content marketing entities that speak to developers' needs for understanding use cases, trade-offs, and real-world applications beyond basic feature lists.

Do low-code tools still need detailed technical tutorials?

Yes, even low-code tools benefit from tutorials that explain why certain approaches work better for specific use cases, how different configurations serve different needs, and what trade-offs exist between options. Developers using low-code tools still need context about when and why to use various features, not just how to click through interfaces.

How can I tell if a technical tutorial writer knows their subject?

Evaluate whether writers can explain why specific technical decisions matter beyond just describing steps, demonstrate understanding of alternative approaches and their trade-offs, anticipate common developer questions and challenges, provide real-world use cases and examples, and connect individual tasks to broader engineering goals.