Copywriting vs Content writing. What’s the difference?

A writer is a writer. Full stop. Right? Well no, not really. The way one puts proverbial pen to paper differs significantly, depending on the outcome. A copywriter’s main goal is to persuade the reader to take the next steps. The purpose of a content writer is to articulate educational information to the reader, thus building the brand’s awareness and increasing customer engagement. While there are similarities, the two writing categories are different and quite often misunderstood.

Writing comes in many different forms

Wordsmithing is a craft that comes in varying forms, each with a different objective. The purpose of a screenplay writer for example, is to entertain others by developing a dialog such as a script for a movie or television show. The author of a non-fiction book will use literary techniques to convey information and provide facts. A skilled writer might be able to tackle both, but there are certain methods involved to perfect each task.

Copywriting and content writing are both popular forms of communication used in marketing practises. The skills required to undertake both do overlap, but the end goals are distinct and therefore require a sharpened set of techniques to reach the desired outcomes.

What is copywriting?

Contrary to what some might think, copywriting has nothing to do with copyright laws. Nor has it anything to do with copying. So, what is copywriting and what does a copywriter do? 

A copywriter’s fundamental purpose is to use words to persuade a reader to do something. A copywriter drives sales and lead generation through carefully curated written material (copy). Sales copy entices the reader to buy the goods, click on the link, reserve the spot, book the show or call the number. It is used in marketing collateral; in ads, emails, websites, billboards, video captions, flyers and brochures. 

A talented copywriter knows how to use emotive language and storytelling to build a connection with the customer. Copywriting is linear, strategic and directional. Every sentence is designed to entice the reader to read the next.  Copywriters have a knack of saying as much as possible with as few words as they can muster. Good copy tells the brand’s target audience precisely why they need the product or service and why they’re missing out if they don’t.

It is not uncommon for copywriters to specialise in writing for specific industries such as healthcare, education, the arts, or in the case of us at Creative Little Soul, hospitality. 

SEO Copywriting 

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the practice of increasing a website’s ranking in search engine results. Search engines work by crawling billions of web pages looking for the words entered in the search bar. Using the right keywords; those that are frequently searched by the brand’s target audience, will help raise the website’s visibility in search results.  

Keyword research is the process of finding and analysing a brand’s target website phrases. SEMrush, Ahrefs and MOZ are some of the most advanced SEO research platforms used in this process. 

As the majority of a copywriter’s work takes place within the digital realm, having a comprehensive understanding of SEO principals is often a necessary skill for any professional copywriter. SEO copywriting can often be quite lucrative. Freelance copywriters with advanced SEO skills and a proven track record of enhancing online visibility for brands and organisations are highly sought after and often charge considerable fees for their skills.  

Call to action (CTA)

A copywriter knows that a call to action (CTA) is crucial to the success of any marketing copy. A CTA is the use of words that can be incorporated into advertising messages, which coax the reader to take action. CTA is not a large component of text, for example: “Buy Now!” “Click Here” “Call 1800Holiday and book your next adventure” “Sign up for FREE!”, but without it, the audience won’t know what to do next. A business will lose potential customers if they’re not telling people how to buy.

Skills of a copywriter

A successful copywriter would be blessed with strong literacy skills. That’s a given. What other tools are required of the copy trade? 

• A deep understanding of language and grammar. 
• An understanding of SEO principals 
• The ability to conduct research to know the brand’s product inside and out, and who the target audience is.
• Creativity. Know how to craft words that appeal to a specific audience. 
• The ability to meet strict deadlines.
• Attention to detail. Errors in copy are not looked on favourably.
• Emotional intelligence. The capacity to place oneself in the position of consumers and understand their needs and desires and craft copy that appeals to them.

What is content writing?

One of the key distinctions between copywriting and content writing is purpose. Content writing is exactly what it says on the box. Writing content. Content writers would typically craft long-form pieces such as blog posts, magazine articles, digital guides, e-books or reviews that are aligned with the brand’s marketing plan. The objective is to build brand awareness by providing information that is relevant to the target market. Content helps to establish a brand’s authority around a key niche. 

A content writer does not coax the reader to buy a product or service in the way a copywriter does. Content writing aims to generate engagement not necessarily a sale, it therefore tends to be more subtle with a less explicit call to action than found in copywriting material. 

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A content writer would piece together informative articles and text that align with the brand’s key purpose. The goal of content writing is to educate with well researched topics often backed by informative papers and stats. As opposed to copywriting which has a clear and distinct goal, content writing can be multidirectional. A piece of content writing may raise multiple different points and calls to action. 

Not all content writing is considered lengthy. Shorter form content writing might involve crafting captions for social media posts, e-newsletters and website landing page text. Of course, copywriters can also write long form blog posts and articles and frequently do. Typically, smaller organisations with limited human resources will require a writer to fulfill multiple functions, hence the confusion between the two terms. 

Skills of a content writer

A content writer must have exceptional writing skills to effectively communicate information in an engaging way. Furthermore, a content writer would benefit from: 

• An astute knowledge of language and grammar. 
• Mastering the ability to write in different styles, tones and platforms. 
• Exceptional research skills
• Organisation skills
• Editing skills. 

Why copywriting and content writing should be part of a brand’s marketing strategy

Powerful copy draws the audience in, whereas content delivers valuable information to the customer. The talents of skilled copywriters and content writers are integral to the success of a brand and should always be incorporated into a marketing strategy. 

On Saturday 31st of October from 11am -1pm why not join our Founder, Managing Director and published writer and Author Chrissy Symeonakis online for a masterclass ” How to write killer copy for your socials workshop”. The cost is just $49+bf and you can purchase your tickets to attend online now. You’ll be sent the recording after the session (or you can still register if you can’t make it at that day and time). Plus you’ll receive all the notes, a guide and much more all for this incredibly affordable price.

Places are limited as we favour intimate group sizes and we hope you can join us.

If you prefer to just have someone create some copy of content for you, we can help. Here at CLS we have a team of talented copywriters and content writers, ready to work their word magic to capture your target market and engage with your audience. Get in touch.