What Is The Difference Between Copywriting and Content Writing?
I now know that content creation is the centerpiece of marketing. 5 years ago, when I started my freelance writing journey, I had no idea what the difference between copywriting and content was. Hell, I didn’t even know the two concepts existed. The only thing I knew is that I was passionate about writing.
Unfortunately, it takes more than that. In the digital era, businesses sell products mainly thanks to the Internet. Nowadays, great sales are synonymous with a strong online presence. If you’re a business owner who wants to sell products/services, you’ll have to have good content: every single word shared online is the opportunity for brands to connect with potential customers.
However, not all content is created equal. You’ll need both content writing and copywriting for a strong marketing strategy, which are two fundamentally different things. Let’s talk about the difference between the two.
What is copywriting?
Copywriting is content created to entice users into taking a certain action related to a sales process. You can only sell a product or a service if you’re able to persuade users that they’ll benefit from the purchase.
Copywriting can actually satisfy a myriad of different purposes, from coaxing visitors into calling for more information, to presenting a product as indispensable, or explaining why a business is credible/important/useful.
A good way of assessing whether something is copy and not content is by asking yourself whether you’d see it on a website’s landing page or not. Copywriting usually ranges from:
Landing pages
Advertorials
Product descriptions
Emails
What is the purpose of copywriting?
Copywriting exists to persuade. When you’re writing copy, you’re aiming to compel people to take action. When users get onto your page, you’re going to get a very short opportunity to convince them to stay a little longer. That’s where copywriting comes into play.
Show them they need your services/products. How are you going to be useful to your audience? How can you make their lives easier, better? What makes you able to understand their journey?
Some tips for writing great copy are:
Stay short and sweet. Users usually spend no more than 15 seconds on a typical web page, so be sure to hook their attention by offering bite-sized content.
9 out of 10 consumer purchases are driven by emotion. Your copy has to produce some kind of reaction in readers. Maybe they finally feel understood, or they’ve found a solution to their problem. Find the emotion relevant to your ideal audience and use it.
Keep your grammar impeccable. I don’t know about you, but as soon as I see bad grammar, I click off. If you want to look credible, you’ll have to proofread.
What is content writing?
Content writing aims to educate, inform and entertain. Contrary to copywriting, its primary purpose is not to drive sales. When brands produce high-quality, informative content, they gain credibility and therefore experience more sales.
Content writing can take the form of:
Blog posts
E-books
Newsletters
Micro posts
Tutorials
News articles
Social media posts
Case studies
Whitepapers
What is the purpose of content writing?
The great benefit of content writing is that it drives organic visits. Using the right keywords, brands can rank high on search engines by producing compelling content regularly. If all potential clients won’t necessarily find you by typing your website into the search bar, they’ll most likely find you by typing in a question related to your niche and clicking on your blog post. Then, if they enjoy the content, they’ll be enticed to learn more about your brand.
Note: Don’t get me wrong. Content writing doesn’t mean you can’t sell products or services. It just means you have to be discreet about it. While copywriters can display obvious CTAs (Call to Action), content writers will have to subtly insert them, interlacing the persuasion into the well-written content.
The bottom line
Often, there’s a fine line between copywriting and content writing. It’s all about intent. Obviously, when curating content for a brand, the ultimate goal is to drive sales. However, there are different ways to go about it when dealing with content. The different routes look like this:
“You’re our ideal client. Yeah, what we offer is great. It can change your life. Buy our service/product.”
or
“Let’s discuss your problem. This is an interesting issue that we’ve got a lot to say about, ‘cause we’re a credible source of information. Reading about what we know will help you. Also, we’re experts in our field (our products/services can help you too).”
Now, your guess, which was copywriting and which was content writing?
