The Virtues of a Full-Stack Writer

A few months back, I came across the UX Collective’s annual “State of UX” article for 2023. I’m a big advocate of UX writing as a discipline, and there’s always a lot of cross-over between UX design and UX writing. I wanted to see what predictions the UX Collective might have for the coming year that would cross-apply.

One observation stood out to me. They say the surge in layoffs is increasing demand for generalist designers who can do #allthethings. From the article: 

“...hiring managers tend to prioritize candidates who can wear multiple hats over those with hyper-specialized skill sets.”

This makes sense. Consider Elon Musk’s mandate that remote workers also clock, at minimum, 40 hours in the office or hit the road. And, more recently, Mark Zuckerberg celebrated the “year of efficiency” by laying off 10,000 employees. With slimmed-down teams, employees will be expected to do more. This brings me to the “full-stack” concept.

What Does Full-Stack Mean?

“Full-stack” refers to all the layers of technology that combine to build a website, app, or other digital product. Full-stack developers can tackle programming for all layers of a tech stack spanning the front and back ends of a system. 

Similarly, full-stack designers handle the end-to-end design process, stepping outside their discipline to perform research, develop strategy, and even do some coding. In other words, they are generalists. Instead of hyper-specializing, they’re able to provide a wide range of related services.

So how does this translate to writing?

What is a Full-Stack Writer? 

Very similar to full-stack designers, full-stack writers are capable of doing more. And, whereas, full stack developers and designers usually engage with digital products only, I think a true full-stack writer can transcend the digital realm and write for any variety of formats.

A full-stack writer can also write across disciplines, including marketing, creative, UX, and technical. This is not to say that they don’t possess particular expertise or preferences, but if needed, they can do it all. But how does this unicorn of a writer come to be?

One Approach to Rule Them All

To be a full-stack writer, you need fluency in research methods, content strategy, and writing best practices. That’s because all good writing, regardless of discipline, uses the same general approach.

Research and Ask Questions

• Know your brand–its personality and voice.

• Know your audience–their pain points and desires.

• Understand how content supports specific business goals. 

Write Well

• Be organized. 

• Follow content strategy best practices.

• Follow general writing best practices. (There is a reason why every content style guide says to be “clear and concise.”)

• Know your grammar, but also know when it’s ok to bend or break the rules for clarity or effect.

Collaborate and Iterate

• Be attentive and gather feedback.

• But also, advocate for your ideas!

• Learn from those around you.

This last one is an essential aspect of being a full-stack writer. No one starts out knowing everything. That’s why the other requirement to being a full-stack writer is cross-discipline writing experience. Let me give you an example.

A Hypothetical 

Let’s say your writing career starts in college writing academic essays. You graduate with a degree in English. After a short stint writing press releases and editing books for non-profits, you end up in marketing. You write ad copy, web copy, and whatever else is needed. 

You go back to graduate school and get another degree in English. (Cause, why not?) Then, back to marketing. You move on to instructional design writing eLearnings and video scripts and, unexpectedly back to marketing at a tech company, which leads you to UX writing. You may or may not decide to start your own content agency at this time…

Each discipline has its own tips and tricks, tools, and so on. But you start dabbling in enough formats and you realize, the basic components of good writing are the same. 

Writing Outside of Your Discipline

Of course, writing disciplines do exist for a reason. If you have a passion for creative copywriting, then writing installation guides may not be your thing. And, if you’re a UX writer you may be totally turned off at the prospect of writing…*shudder*...marketing copy. But the fact is, good marketing copy respects and delivers on the needs of prospective customers (users) and UX writing must necessarily exist in service to a company’s business goals. (The “State of UX 2023” article has more on the topic.) 

But, I get it. Specialties allow you to lean into your strengths and/or what you like doing best.

Keeping Things Interesting (and Lean)

Maybe that’s what makes a full-stack writer special. They get a kick out of doing it all. And, it has organizational benefits too. A full-stack writer has the smarts and savvy to deliver on a variety of content needs. They can plug into existing teams to help where help is needed.

That kind of flexibility saves businesses time and money. With a strong understanding of a company’s brand, customers, and business goals, they can more quickly deliver on a variety of content needs.

Of course, in a perfect world, everyone would be able to immerse themselves in the work they find most gratifying. But given the current climate, a certain level of comfort working across disciplines may lead to greater job security, as well as help budget-conscious businesses succeed with a “jack-of-all-trades” approach to copy. If you’re a full-stack writer who actually enjoys cross-disciplinary work, that much better.

Luckily, at Mutti, full-stack writing is a want-to, not a have-to. If you’re interested in learning more about how we can support your organization, please drop us a line!