
How to Write Documentation That Increases Sign-ups
How to Write Documentation That Increases Sign-ups êŽë š
Writing documentation looks easy, but it is one of the most critical parts of your customer support and growth strategy. Too often, teams treat it as an afterthought â just add a few code snippets and move on.
But if youâre serious about product adoption, your docs need to do more than exist. They need to guide, support, and convert. In this tutorial, weâll break down how to write documentation that actually helps users and gets them to stick around.
Whatâs the Problem with Most Documentation?
The most common problem with documentation is that its authors believe their audience knows everything. This leads to the loss of many potential leads â causing people to abandon your platform before even fully understanding it.
Hereâs why:
- Itâs often dry and code-heavy, with snippets and vague bullet points.
- It dumps information and expects the readers to figure it out.
- Itâs written from the developerâs point of view, not the userâs.
- It rarely shows how the product fits into the userâs specific use case or workflow.
- It combines different content types into a chaotic mess thatâs difficult to follow or navigate.
How to Write Documentation from the Userâs Perspective
Most documentation is written from a developerâs perspective: technical, feature-first, and dry. But at the end of the day, developers are also humans with problems like others, and when browsing your documentation, they are asking:
- âCan this solve my problem?â
- âHow do I get it working for my use case?â
- âWhat happens if I get stuck?â
Hereâs how you can make people stay and come back to your documentation.
Start by Understanding Your Users
Before writing a single line of documentation, pause and ask: What do our users actually care about? And it's more than just âconnect an API to their clientâs appâ. It's the intangible benefits theyâre seeking, such as two hours saved due to your tool while connecting the API or collecting payments from different clients with a single workflow.
This means that you need to listen before you write.
Dig into conversations happening around your product, not just within it. What questions do users consistently ask during sales calls? What pain points come up in Reddit threads or support tickets? What complaints are circulating on social media that havenât been addressed yet?
Pay close attention to the words they use while referring to your product.
When you use their words, not yours, your documentation starts to sound like a helpful guide, not a technical manual. That shift alone can be the difference between âlet me try this toolâ and âIâll figure it out later.â
Supabase is a good example of user-friendly docs. It begins by categorizing content by product, module, and client library. Each category includes comprehensive documentation with real-world examples, practical use cases, tutorials, and built-in feedback support.

Structure Around the Four Documentation Types
Now that you know your customer, your job is to guide them to the correct answer fast. Thatâs hard to do if everythingâs thrown together in one long page. Structure is what turns chaos into clarity.
The best documentation systems categorize information into four types, a framework originally proposed by Divio. Not just different sections, but completely different purposes. Each one meets your user at a different stage of their journey.
Letâs break them down:
1. Quickstart
This is the userâs first real experience with your product, and itâs where they decide whether to continue using it. So your job here isnât to explain everything. Itâs to walk them through one thing that works. Slowly. Clearly. And in their language.
Use examples. Donât assume prior knowledge. Avoid jargon unless youâve already explained it. The goal is to create that first âOh, I get it nowâ moment. Because once theyâve had it, theyâll stick around for more.
For example, the React documentation gives beginners a simple walkthrough, from creating a component to passing data between them. It avoids jargon, focuses on one working example, and explains each step clearly. This helps users quickly grasp how React works, creating that first âOh, I get it nowâ moment.

2. How-to Guides
These are for users who already know the basics and just want to solve a problem. âHow do I connect this to Slack?â âHow do I export this as a CSV?â Theyâre not here to learn concepts. They just want to follow instructions and get something done.
Start by telling them exactly what the guide will help them do. List prerequisites up front if needed. Then walk them through the steps.
For example, the TensorFlow documentation includes a step-by-step guide on how to build a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to classify images. Itâs task-focused and practical, so anyone trying to implement image classification with TensorFlow knows exactly where to go and what steps to follow.

3. Technical Reference
This is where the raw details live. Your endpoints, CLI commands, Parameter lists, what happens when something fails, and so on. Think of it like a glossary of your tool.
People scan this portion of your documentation, so make it easy to scan. Organize it so someone can jump to what they need. Use consistent formatting and avoid explanations here, but add links to the explanations sections.
For example, the Kubernetes documentation includes a comprehensive API reference that lists all available resources, their fields, default values, and behaviors. Itâs organized into categories like common parameters and workload resources, making it easy to navigate. Each section focuses on definitions and parameters, with links to related conceptual docs for deeper context.

4. Explanations
This is where you step back and explain the thinking behind your system. Why does your product rely on webhooks? Why did you structure your SDK a certain way? When should someone use one method over another?
This part differentiates your tool from the crowd and builds trust. Yet, many documentations miss this. Donât forget to add a separate section on common errors beyond 404s here. The errors that people encounter when using your tool provide a straightforward solution to those errors.
For example, Divio has an explanation section in its documentation that covers each relevant concept in detail. It starts by explaining the concept itself, then shows how it works within Divio and what practical applications it has. This helps users understand the reasoning behind the system and how to use it effectively.

Make it Easy to Reach Out
Even with perfect docs, users will get stuck. And the worst thing you can do now is make them hunt for help.
Make it ridiculously easy to reach out.
Add a simple âWas this helpful?â prompt at the end of each page. If the answer is no, give them a quick way to say why.
Drop in a link to report bugs, outdated steps, or confusing content. Youâll get real-time feedback from real users.
Invite them to contact support or drop a question in your community Slack or Discord. Itâs not just about solving issues. Itâs about showing them youâre listening.
Keep Your Tech Team in the Loop
You donât need to know how every line of code works. But you do need a clear path to someone who does.
Set up a shared document, Notion page, or Slack thread where your development team can casually share technical decisions, temporary errors, important workarounds, and other relevant information.
Also, donât be afraid to ask your devs directly. A 3-minute voice note or quick message like âDoes this sound right to you?â can prevent a dozen user errors later..
Reuse What Youâve Already Written
Chances are, you've already explained 80% of what needs to go in your docs you just didnât call it âdocumentationâ at the time.
Start by digging through whatâs already there:
- Sales or support Slack threads where you broke things down clearly
- Onboarding emails that walk users through the first steps
- Internal guides your team relies on
- Blog posts where youâve explained product decisions
- FAQs your support team sends on repeat
Copy-paste, trim, reframe, and youâve got a doc draft in minutes.
Get AI Help (The Smart Way)
AI tools can cut your documentation time in half, but only if you treat them like a collaborator. One powerful way to use them is by turning raw code into structured docs.
Just drop in a code snippet or feature file and prompt something like: âWrite a reference doc for this API endpoint. Include usage, parameters, response structure, and a working example.â
Then take it a step further: âNow rewrite this for a non-technical product manager whoâs using the tool for the first time.â This way, you get both the technical version and a plain-English explanation without switching tabs ten times.
I used AI to generate the documentation for the user.updated
webhook event, and hereâs what it came up with. While the generated doc is functional, Iâd like to improve it further.

Here are my initial thoughts:
- Avoid starting with generic phrases like âThis document describes...â
- Jump straight into what the
user.updated
event does - Remove unnecessary passive voice to improve clarity
Example
For example, instead of:**
"The user.updated
event is triggered when a user's profile is updated in the system."
use:
"Whenever a user profile is updated in your system, the user.updated
event is triggered."
If the generated text sounds robotic, you can use an AI humanizer to make it more natural. Then, give it a final review to remove unnecessary content, add your voice, and ensure accuracy.
Get Feedback Early
Donât wait for the âfinal versionâ before asking for input. Documentation needs to be useful, and itâs better to get clarity early in the process. When you ask real humans for feedback on your documentation, you get a reality check before a customer spreads negative feedback about you.
Instead, test your docs in real-world conversations:
- Drop a how-to guide in your support teamâs Slack and ask, âWould you send this to a user?â
- Ask a teammate or friend to follow your tutorial. Watch where they pause or get confused.
- Run it by sales or customer success, they know exactly where users get stuck in onboarding.
And if you're just a small team of two people, ask each other. Then ask each other's friends. You donât need a formal process, just honest reactions from real people.
How Does Documentation Increase Sign-ups?
When a developer first arrives at your documentation page, they give it a few minutes to decide whether your tool is worth using, especially if theyâre still exploring options.
If theyâre required to use your tool for any reason, theyâll likely spend a day or two trying to figure things out. If they canât find the right information, the frustration builds and often escalates to upper management. Thatâs when you risk not just losing a user, but losing a team or even a larger client.
Good documentation prevents that.
It is well-structured, speaks to users at all levels, and is easy to navigate. It keeps users on your page longer and encourages them to test your tool instead of bouncing to a competitor. If you also offer feedback channels or live support, users are more likely to reach out when they get stuck, and that support interaction can make all the difference.
Good documentation:
- Reduces support dependency, so users spend more time building and less time troubleshooting
- Lowers frustration, which signals maturity and product quality
- Builds trust by showing that your team has thought through user needs
- Helps users get something working quickly, which often turns into a sign-up
Making Complex Documentation Accessible
Writing good docs requires careful planning, collaboration, and a solid understanding of your users. Whether your developers are writing it or you're working with a technical copywriter, excellent documentation is rarely a solo job. It requires input from the people who developed the product and those who support its users daily.
When done right, your docs donât just explain things â they make your product more straightforward to use, build trust with potential customers, and drive sign-ups.
Liked what you read? I help SaaS companies clarify their messaging and build authority through content. You can connect with me on LinkedIn (tooba-jamal
).