How to Write Persuasive Technical Content in 2025

karl
7 min read
writing
How to Write Persuasive Technical Content.
TL;DR: Persuasive technical content combines clear reasoning with authoritative expertise to influence software engineers and technical decision-makers. Unlike basic technical documentation or marketing content, it requires deep subject matter knowledge and subtle persuasion techniques.

Key success factors for technical persuasion:
  • Authority building: Combine research, expert quotes, and personal experience
  • Clarity first: Perfect grammar and logical flow are non-negotiable
  • Subtle approach: Guide readers to conclusions rather than forcing them
  • Personal connection: Real experience resonates more than theoretical knowledge
  • Both-sides approach: Address counterarguments to build credibility
Success requires establishing expertise, asking thought-provoking questions, and providing value before attempting persuasion across formats like technical blog posts, conference talks, and engineering leadership content.

I’ve gotten to be a big fan of David Perell’s writing. He writes long-form, persuasive content where he dives really deep into a topic and then explains its relevance in philosophy, business, or both.

David Perell’s essays

Examples include:

While not technical, these pieces are interesting, inspiring, and (as I’ll focus on today) persuasive. They each leave you with an impression that something is wrong with the world or its traditional ways of thinking and give you a roadmap to break out of it. While you may not agree with all of Perell’s conclusions, most of his arguments are well thought out and clearly presented.

Persuading software engineers or engineering leaders is essentially no different from persuading writers and businesspeople, but writing persuasive technical content is really hard. Persuasive writing is among the most difficult types of writing to do, and writing technical content requires a very specific background and level of experience.

But, persuasive technical writing is incredibly valuable because it’s so rare. CTOs and technical visionaries who do it well often make the front page of Hacker News, and will find it easier to recruit, sell, and inspire others toward their goals.

How to turn readers into customers.

In this piece, I’ll introduce some of the things that make persuasive technical content so hard. I’ll share examples of writers I’ve seen who do it well, and I’ll offer a few tips as an observer and writer. While you can’t get really good at writing without practice, I hope having some direction will help guide you towards becoming a better persuasive writer.

What is Persuasive Technical Content?

Before I jump into the how, let’s talk about what persuasive writing is and why people do it. Persuasive technical writing is a form of technical thought leadership where the author is attempting to persuade their reader to agree with them on some topic. Typically, the author wants the audience to see the same problem or solution they do.

For example, in 2018, I wrote a blog post titled, “The Bulk of Software Engineering is Just Plumbing,” in which I made the case that most of the work software engineers do is simply connecting pieces of software that other people built for them.

Software engineering plumbing article

Just as a good small business owner should hire a humble plumber who knows the standard tools, and pay them market rate, a good engineering manager should hire humble team players who use industry-standard tools to build reliable software, and pay them market rate.

I wanted engineers and hiring managers to adopt a bit more humility in the profession, and based on the reception I got on Reddit and Hacker News, many readers agreed.

While I would never claim to be a master of persuasive technical writing, I’ve tried (and failed) enough times to tell what works. In 2020, I wrote almost 100 essays and blog posts, many of which were persuasive technical pieces. So, let’s take a look at some of the attributes that good persuasive writing exhibits and how you can use each in your practice.

In Order to Persuade, You Must be Understood

Good writing is fundamentally good thinking that follows a logical path and is easy for someone to follow. – Jeff Bradford, President & CEO of the Bradford Group

As with any effective form of writing, your work must be well-written and organized. Some forms of writing are more forgiving (for example, tutorials), but with persuasive writing, the bar is especially high. Poor grammar and hard-to-follow lines of reasoning will turn readers off quickly.

Persuasive Technical Writing Should be Authoritative

A statement is persuasive and credible either because it is directly self-evident or because it appears to be proved from other statements that are so. – Aristotle

If you’re trying to reach a knowledgeable audience with a persuasive argument, you need to be perceived as knowledgeable about the topic. This is called “building authority,” and there are many ways to add it to your writing:

  • Research
  • Quotes
  • Personal Experience

One of our Draft.dev writers, Keanan Koppenhaver, does a good job of this in his persuasive writing. This piece he did for Fabric.inc compares Shopify and Salesforce Commerce Cloud by going through specific features and limitations of each platform.

Persuasive comparison of Shopify and Salesforce Commerce Cloud

He draws on his personal experience in software as well as publicly available documentation and forum posts to bolster his arguments. Being a CTO and consultant helps boost his credibility as well because a piece like this written by a Fabric marketing executive wouldn’t be nearly as convincing.

Persuasion Should be Subtle

Written arguments often fail when they employ ranting rather than reasoning. – Tara Horkoff, Writing for Success

The best persuasive writing doesn’t beat you over the head with the author’s conclusion. Instead, it guides readers toward the desired conclusion by:

  • Establishing authority
  • Asking questions
  • Being helpful
  • Showing both sides of the argument

Some persuasive writing doesn’t even tell readers what to think, but instead, just leaves readers with an open question. I recently ran across a Twitter thread by Sam Altman predicting the end of the college education system in the US:

While he presents some partial answers, it’s more focused on the problem and implied question (“what comes next?”) than the solution.

Persuasion is Often Personal

I have a theory that the best ads come from personal experience. Some of the good ones I have done have really come out of the real experience of my life, and somehow this has come over as true and valid and persuasive. – David Ogilvy

Finally, some of the best persuasive writing is borne from personal experience.

For example, a couple of years ago, I noticed that asking experts for direct advice was almost never helpful. Instead, I started asking them how they solved a particular problem or managed a certain conflict.

This led to me researching the issue and writing a persuasive piece on “The Danger in Listening to Experts.”

Experts persuasive piece

I started with a topic that I had personal experience with but layered in data, quotes, and supporting arguments from others who had spent even more time with the topic. While the piece never got a ton of attention online, I refer people to it when they ask me for advice, so I’ve found it useful in other ways.

How to build a content engine.

Conclusion

While we do a little bit of “light” persuasive writing at Draft.dev, I encourage most companies to do this form of writing in-house. If you’re a startup, your founders are probably the best people to make a compelling case for your world-view, and if you’re in a large enterprise, you probably want your PR or executive team collaborating on these pieces.

On the other hand, if you’re a software developer or engineering leader who just wants to write persuasive technical pieces, I’d encourage you to do so on your own blog. While some companies may pay you for these, you’ll get a much more authentic reception when you do it for your own gratification.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes technical writing persuasive versus just informative?

Persuasive technical writing aims to change minds and drive action, not just transfer knowledge. It combines technical accuracy with compelling arguments, uses authority-building techniques, and guides readers toward specific conclusions. Informative writing explains 'how' while persuasive writing explains 'why' and 'what should be done differently.'

How do you build authority in technical writing?

Build authority through three key methods: research-backed evidence (citing studies, benchmarks, industry data), expert quotes and citations from recognized technical leaders, and personal implementation experience with specific technologies or methodologies. Combining all three creates the strongest credibility foundation.

What are common mistakes in persuasive technical content?

The biggest mistakes include being too aggressive with conclusions, lacking technical depth, ignoring counterarguments, using marketing language instead of technical precision, and failing to establish credibility early. Technical audiences abandon content quickly when they detect superficial understanding or sales-focused messaging.

Should companies write persuasive technical content in-house or outsource it?

Persuasive technical content is best written in-house by founders, CTOs, or senior engineers who have genuine expertise and skin in the game. Authenticity is crucial for technical audiences. External writers can help with structure and editing, but the core arguments and personal experience must come from internal technical leaders.

How do you measure success of persuasive technical writing?

Success metrics include community engagement (Hacker News front page, Reddit upvotes, Twitter shares), thought leadership recognition (conference speaking invitations, industry citations), business impact (recruitment improvements, sales conversations, partnership discussions), and long-term influence (content referenced months or years later).

What platforms work best for persuasive technical content?

Personal technical blogs provide the most authenticity and SEO value. Hacker News and Reddit offer massive reach for viral content. LinkedIn targets professional technical audiences. Medium and Dev.to provide built-in technical communities. The key is matching content depth and style to platform expectations and audience behavior.

How long should persuasive technical articles be?

Effective persuasive technical content typically ranges from 1,500-4,000 words, with 2,500 words being optimal for most topics. Length matters less than depth - the content must be thorough enough to establish authority and address counterarguments while remaining engaging throughout. Quality and insight density trump raw word count.