Over the years, we’ve come across hundreds of article submissions that promise deep technical insight right in their headlines. Common titles include: “How I built…,” “Learn how to…” and so forth. And honestly? We love content like this. When done right, it delivers lasting value and evolves into evergreen content that serves curious internet users year in, year out.
Many such stories perform really well on HackerNoon. Stories like:
- Inside My $1,000 Homelab: How I Rebuilt Big Tech Services in a Tiny Rack
https://hackernoon.com/inside-my-$1000-homelab-how-i-rebuilt-big-tech-services-in-a-tiny-rack?embedable=true
- How I Built a Houseplant Alerting System with ksqlDB on Apache Kafka
https://hackernoon.com/how-i-built-a-houseplant-alerting-system-with-ksqldb-on-apache-kafka?embedable=true
- Coding a Fractal Tree With JavaScript and HTML5
https://hackernoon.com/coding-a-fractal-tree-with-javascript-and-html5?embedable=true
These stories scale our editorial review and connect with our readers because they actually show how things come to be and work. But too often, submissions we review don’t deliver on that promise.
What should be a rigorous walkthrough – identifying a real problem, clearly outlining a step-by-step solution, including code samples and integrations, and explaining why chosen tools and approaches matter – instead becomes a glorified portfolio piece or promotional content disguised as “thought leadership.”
If this is you, then this article clearly answers why you haven’t been able to get published with us just yet. And we’re here to change that.
How to Write a Great Technical Story
If you have trouble properly articulating your technical insights, here’s a simple 3-act structure that can help:
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Act 1 – The Hook: This is where you advocate for the importance of your article. Help the reader understand why they should bother reading it in the first place.
If it’s a tutorial, tell them what they’ll be able to do or learn by the end. If you’ve uncovered a solution to a problem, this is where you describe that problem and mention the other approaches you tried before finding one that worked. If it’s a product comparison, explain what the products being compared actually do. n n
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Act 2 – The “Event” or The “How”: This is the meat of your article – the part where you share your learnings, process, or experience. And here, you really want to dig in. As we’ve already discussed, we have an issue with writers who say they “built a tool that does XYZ,” but after reading the article, all we learn is that they allegedly built it. They never actually show how.
At this stage, HackerNoon editors want to see everything you know – and don’t know – about the subject. If you built something, show us the architecture, the code, demos, integrations, logic, mistakes, challenges, and how you overcame them. And finally, present the finished product if applicable. Don’t skimp on details.
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Act 3 – The Wrap-Up: Tie everything together neatly. Reinforce the key lessons and leave readers with something actionable.
That’s it, short and sweet!
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Start writing your next technical story with this writing template.
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Want to go even deeper?
If you’re serious about leveling up your writing—not just for one article, but consistently, then HackerNoon’s Blogging Course is perfect for you. It breaks down how to ideate, structure, draft, and publish high-quality technical stories, straight from the editorial standards we use every day.
If your goal is to write clearer, sharper, more publishable technical content in 2026, it’s a strong next step.
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Sign up for the HackerNoon Blogging Course today!
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