Paid Programs for Technical Writers
Technical writing is the process of documenting processes such as software documentation and instructional material for programming. It can be used as a method of writing about a particular subject related to technology as well. This field of writing has been steadily growing and is expected to grow further in the coming years. There are several paid programs for technical writing out there and I will highlight a couple of them here. Technical writers can make money from writing good articles and submit them to these programs. This can be a great source of income especially when working remotely.
Real Python
Real Python is one of the top blogs dedicated entirely to Python programming. With a reach of over 1.5 million visits a month, you have a wide audience. They pay up to $300 per article.
Make Use Of
Make Use Of is a site dedicated to modern technology, from tech news, mobile and PC hacks and tech lifestyle guides. Their application process is pretty simple. Writers can make up to $120 per article.
Linode
Linode is a cloud hosting company that provides private virtual Linux servers. They cover a broad range of open-source cloud computing technologies from DevOps tools, server technologies, storage and much more. They pay up to $300 per article and updates to existing pieces from $100. Check out if you’re a great match for them here:
Digital Ocean
Digital Ocean is a leading cloud infrastructure provider that enables developers quickly deploy their apps to the cloud. They have a paid community writer program called DOnations in which writers receive $300 per tutorial then the author selects one tech-focused charity or non-profit to receive a donation from Digital Ocean.
CSS Tricks
CSS is a site that provides articles about CSS, HTML, Javascript and all things related to web design and development. You can write articles for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. In addition, they use Dropbox Paper for collaborative writing. They pay up to $250 per article. Check them out here:
Tutorialspoint
Tutorialspoint is one of the leading tutorial sites offering everything from programming and frameworks tutorials, app development, big data tutorials and much more. In order to apply, you are required to produce a sample write-up of 2–3 pages to show your writing capabilities and command over the chosen subject. They pay up to $500 per article.
Sitepoint
Sitepoint is a web developer focused website providing tutorials, courses, books and much more curated for web developers, designers and entrepreneurs alike. They pay up to $250 per article.
Couchbase
Couchbase is a distributed no-SQL database and they also have a community writer program where articles are published on their blog. Writers can be paid up to $200 per piece.
CircleCI
CircleCI provides continuous intergration and delivery services for developers. They have a guest writer program and you can view their writer guidelines in this document. They pay up to $300 per article.
Envato Tuts+
This is one of the best sites offering tutorials, how-tos and courses for software development. They are currently looking for authors for web development tutorials. Their rates start at $100 per quick tip tutorial and $250 per regular tutorial(that is, per article per tutorial).
Clubhouse.io
Clubhouse.io provides a collaborative platform for software developers for project management. They have a paid writer program called Write, Earn, Give Program. The Write, Earn, Give is Clubhouse’s program that pays software engineers to write tutorials, how-to and thought leadership content for Clubhouse. With each writer payment, they also donate to a tech-focused charity, non-profit or open source project of the writer’s choosing. They pay How-To / Tutorial: $400 (with working code examples: $600) and $350 for a blog post.
https://clubhouse.io/clubhouse-write-earn-give-program/
Strapi
Strapi is an open source, Node.js based headless CMS that developers can use to create APIs and also to streamline content delivery across devices. Writers can submit articles or tutorials with code covering use-cases, solutions and projects built with Strapi that include Vue, Open Source, JavaScript, GraphQL, Jamstack, React.They can also pick from a list of possible articles or pitch your own. They have a Write for The Community Program where writers can sign up and submit their articles. They pay up to $200 for tutorials more than 1300 words.
Nimblebox.ai
NimbleBox.ai is a MLOps platform, helps startups rapidly deploy machine learning models. Write for MLOps — An initiative by NimbleBox.ai to support the future of MLOps by writing technical content. You will be compensated $100 for every article above 1500 words for your time & contribution.
One notable mention is Google Season of Docs that provides support for open source projects to improve their documentation and gives professional technical writers an opportunity to gain experience in open source. This is an annual program where Google provides funding to organizations that need to improve their documentation. The organizations then hire technical writers from a select pool of participants who apply to that organization to provide technical writing support and get paid.
As you can see, technical writing can be both beneficial and rewarding if taken seriously. There are tens of other paid community writer programs which I haven’t highlighted but I hope these can serve as a start. What are you waiting for? Get started on technical writing today!
