How & where to hire a technical writer: complete guide

You are here because you searched for “where to hire a technical writer” or “hire a technical writer.” You would’ve noticed that most of the results on the first page are not guides but listings or service pages. They lead to freelance marketplaces, job boards, or recruiter platforms.

These search results tell you where to find technical writers but skip what actually matters: hiring a technical writer is about creating a system that keeps product knowledge clear and accessible. Done well, it speeds up releases, reduces dependency on engineers for explanations, and lowers support load. Done poorly, it creates confusion, slows adoption, and adds more work back to the product team.

There are three established models for hiring technical writers you might rely on to make your decisions. Some technical product companies hire full-time writers, others depend on freelance marketplaces, and many turn to specialized agencies built for technical writing. Each approach serves a different purpose and comes with specific trade-offs in cost, control, and output quality.

In this guide, we’ll look closely at how these 3 models work, what their hidden costs are, and where it makes sense to invest.

The three models for hiring technical writers

Option 1: Hire a full-time resource

Hiring a full-time technical writer means bringing technical expertise in-house. This model gives you someone who works closely with product and engineering teams, understands the product deeply, and manages documentation as an ongoing process. It is most effective for teams with a steady flow of technical content, such as frequent releases, complex systems, or multiple integration points.

Pros, cons and who is it for?

Pros	Cons	Best for
Builds long-term familiarity with the product and workflows	High hiring and retention costs	Mid to large companies with regular documentation output
Ensures consistent tone and structure across documentation	Limited flexibility when documentation needs fluctuate	Products with continuous updates or complex architectures
Faster coordination with product and engineering teams	Hard to find writers with both technical depth and communication skills	Teams that already have a defined documentation process
Immediate access to update content during releases	Requires management oversight and onboarding effort

Where to hire (ranked)

1. Technical Writer HQ
2. Braintrust
3. ZipRecruiter
4. LinkedIn Jobs
5. Indeed

What to look out for?

One writer on Reddit summarized it well:

There are two things you want to look for in a technical writer: Are they good at figuring things out on their own? Can they convey things clearly, simply, and logically?

That is exactly what many technical product teams look for when hiring. The best technical content writers translate complex technical information with clarity.

You can evaluate candidates with these five questions:

1. Can they learn new systems quickly?
2. Is their technical writing clear and accurate?
3. How do they organize and maintain documentation?
4. How do they collaborate with engineers and subject matter experts?
5. Can they maintain quality over time?

Option 2: Hire freelance writers from marketplaces and freelance platforms

Hiring freelance technical writers from marketplaces is the fastest way, but they work best for short-term projects. You post a job, review profiles, and hire based on ratings or samples. Most technical writers on these platforms work with multiple clients, which limits how much product context they retain.

The work usually starts strong but needs careful review. These freelance writers depend on your brief most of the time, and without a clear roadmap for the content, the accuracy drops drastically.

If your documentation involves APIs, SDKs, or internal systems, then be prepared to spend time clarifying information and correcting drafts.

Pros, cons and who is it for?

Pros	Cons	Best for
Quick access to available writers	Inconsistent quality across writers	Startups documenting small features or updates
Flexible pay per task or deliverable	Limited understanding of product or codebase	Companies testing documentation workflows
Useful for patching gaps in documentation	Requires heavy review and feedback cycles	Teams with technical staff available for review

Best platforms to find freelance technical writers (ranked)

1. Upwork
2. Fiverr
3. Toptal
4. WriterAccess
5. Freelancer

What to look out for?

Before hiring a freelance technical writer, check if the writer can handle technical material without step-by-step supervision. Ask them to explain a product feature in their own words or to rewrite an existing help article. Make sure they have astounding research skills and creative writing abilities.

This test will show how good they are with grasping the information and if they can work independently.

Ask these five questions before hiring:

1. Can they learn your product quickly and explain it clearly?
2. Do they ask precise, relevant questions about the feature?
3. Can they follow your documentation format without training?
4. Are they familiar with your tools like Git or Markdown?
5. Do they deliver error-free drafts within deadlines?

Marketplaces are best used for defined, one-off technical writing tasks. For ongoing documentation, they need strong internal review and coordination to maintain quality.

Option 3: Work with specialized agencies

Agencies that focus on technical writing bring structure, quality control, and subject matter expertise. They operate with defined processes, experienced writers, and editors who manage consistency across projects. For teams that need documentation to keep pace with development, this model removes the need to recruit, train, and manage individual writers.

The effectiveness of this approach depends on who you choose to work with. Many agencies list technical writing as a service, but only a few have writers who understand engineering concepts, developer tools, and product workflows. A strong technical content writing agency combines writing skill with technical knowledge.

Hackmamba is one of the few agencies built around this model. Every article, guide, and API documentation is written by the best technical writers who are engineers first and technical writers second, and have high grasp in technologies like React, Java, C++, Python and other API frameworks. They understand how technical systems work in practice, which helps them communicate technical concepts into content that developers can rely on. Also most importantly, hiring agencies like us helps product teams reduce time spent in reviewing or explaining technical details.

Pros, cons and who is it for?

Pros	Cons	Best for
Writers with technical and product understanding	Requires onboarding to align with product context	Developer tools, APIs, SDKs, and SaaS platforms
Managed documentation process with reviews and updates		Companies needing continuous documentation and tutorials
Reliable turnaround time and consistent quality		Teams aiming to improve developer experience and adoption
Scalable support for new features or releases

Best technical writing agencies to consider (ranked)

1. Hackmamba
2. Infrasity
3. ButterDocs
4. Write the Docs
5. 3di Information Solutions

What to look out for?

When evaluating agencies, ask about their writers’ technical background and their process for documentation updates. Confirm that they handle reviews, version control, and integration with engineering workflows. The best agencies will maintain documentation over time and not just deliver a one-time set of pages.

Ask these five questions before hiring an agency:

1. Do their writers have experience with code, APIs, or developer tools?
2. How do they manage revisions and content updates?
3. What is their process for quality assurance and review?
4. How do they coordinate with your engineering and product teams?
5. Can they show measurable outcomes such as faster onboarding or reduced support queries?

Working with a specialized agency gives teams a predictable way to create and maintain accurate documentation. It turns documentation into a managed process rather than an ongoing staffing problem.

Choosing how to hire a technical writer depends on your product’s complexity, the scale of your documentation needs, and the structure of your internal team.

The table below helps you assess which model fits best for your situation. It outlines common scenarios faced by developer tool companies and shows where each hiring approach works most effectively.

The most important factor that has not been covered in this table is cost. It influences every hiring decision and determines how sustainable each model is over time. The true cost of documentation is not just what you pay per hour or per project. It includes management time, review cycles, and the effort needed to maintain accuracy as your product evolves.

Let’s break down what each model actually costs and how those costs play out in real documentation work.

What does the cost comparison look like for the 3 models?

The cost of hiring a technical writer depends on the model you choose and the amount of internal time required to manage the process. To make the comparison meaningful, this section breaks down the total cost of producing one content piece, such as a tutorial, guide, or documentation module. All estimates are based on industry data, current salary benchmarks, and few assumptions for developer-focused teams.

Cost logic and assumptions

1. Full-Time Resource

The median salary for a technical writer in the United States is $91,670, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Industry sources place this range between $70,000 and $120,000 for writers working in technical or developer-facing roles.

Developer documentation takes longer to produce due to research, validation, and testing. Assuming a full-time writer produces 6 content pieces per month (72 per year), the direct cost per piece comes to $580–$1,000. Adding 15–20% for benefits, software, and management brings the total estimated cost per piece to $670–$1,200.

2. Marketplaces and Freelancers

Freelance technical writers charge between $30 and $100+ per hour, or $0.30–$0.75 per word, based on experience and project complexity. For a 1,000–1,500-word documentation piece, this equals $300–$800 in direct cost.

With 20–30% extra time for reviews, rework, and coordination, the total estimated cost per piece is $360–$1,040.

3. Specialized Agencies

Agencies that handle end-to-end documentation, technical writing, editing, and review, typically charge $0.40–$0.70 per word, depending on technical depth and delivery timelines. This results in a direct cost of $600–$1,000 per piece for a 1,200–1,500-word deliverable.

Adding 5–10% for onboarding and internal alignment brings the total cost per piece to $630–$1,100. Agencies like Hackmamba fall within this range. Since our writers are engineers, the internal time needed from your team is minimal, often under one hour per piece.

Total documentation cost framework (TDC Framework)

(Cost to produce one technical content piece)

Key takeaways

• The total cost per content piece between a full-time writer and a specialized agency is similar once you include management time and indirect costs.
• Agencies handle project management, editing, and alignment internally, which reduces time spent by your product and engineering teams.
• Marketplaces appear cheaper initially but require more supervision and review, which increases total effort and cost over time.
• For developer tool companies, where accuracy and documentation updates are continuous, the agency model delivers the best cost-to-output ratio with consistent reliability and lower internal effort.

Wrapping up

To hire a technical writer, you first need to understand what you are hiring for. Short-term projects, long-term documentation needs, and ongoing maintenance all require different setups. Cost, internal bandwidth, and the technical depth of your product determine which model will work best.

Agencies that focus on developer documentation bring structure and experience to this process. They handle technical writing, editing, and reviews, ensuring your documentation stays aligned with every product change.

At Hackmamba, our writers are engineers with experience in wide variety of technologies. Every article or documentation project is also distributed for free to our developer community, helping your content reach teams who actually use technical products.

If your goal is to build documentation that scales with your product and reaches the right audience, Hackmamba can help you do it.

FAQs about hiring a technical writer

1. What is the best way to hire a technical writer?

You can hire a technical writer through three main models: full-time in-house, freelance specialists, or documentation agencies. The right choice depends on your workload, technical depth, and timelines.

2. Where can I find qualified technical writers?

You can source technical writers through LinkedIn, dedicated technical writing job boards, freelance platforms, and specialized documentation agencies that curate vetted writers.

3. How do I evaluate a technical writer’s skills?

Assess writing samples, domain expertise, ability to simplify complex topics, familiarity with documentation tools, and comfort working with engineers or SMEs.

4. Should I hire a full-time writer or a freelancer?

Full-time writers are ideal if you have ongoing documentation needs or regular feature releases. Freelancers work best for project-based, short-term, or specialized documentation requests.

5. What should I include in a technical writer job description?

Include required deliverables (API docs, guides, tutorials), domain knowledge expectations, collaboration workflow, writing style, tools used, and whether the role is full-time or contract.