Copywriting and Content Writing: How Are They Different?

When it comes to making an income from your writing skills, whether as an employee or as a freelancer, the two most common positions you’ll come across are copywriting and content writing. Now, these two terms are often used interchangeably, meaning people think content writing is the same as copywriting, and by that same logic, a content writer can also act a copywriter and vice-versa.

Well, they couldn’t be more wrong!

In reality, content writing and copywriting are completely different positions which require different skillsets and approaches. The same goes for other specific writing positions, such as technical writing, which I’ll talk about later on. However, I’m not trying to say that content writers can’t write good copies, and copywriters can’t write good content. There are plenty of people who do both perfectly!

In this blog, I’ve put together the key differences between copywriting and content writing, and how you should view each position. I’ll also mention how the two eventually came together.

So, if you’re an aspiring writer looking to turn professional, take the time to read this! It’ll definitely come in handy! I also recommend this blog to business owners who are on the hunt for writers. Make sure you pick the right person for the right job!

Let’s start with the main key difference:

The Why

That’s right! The why of copywriting is totally different than content writing. Copywriters are like salesmen. The point of their writing is to sell something, whether it’s a product or a service. They achieve this by writing various forms of sales texts, which can be website landing pages, marketing emails, social media ads, or even scripts which salesmen use during their sales pitches.

Basically, the text that a copywriter writes has to convert into sales. If it doesn’t, well, it’s not a good copy!

Now let’s talk about what content writers do.

Content writers create texts which are written to attract prospective customers and make them engage with a business. This blog, for example, is being written to engage you. I hope it works!

Same goes for pretty much every other blog, social media posts (“Life at Our Office” posts are a prime example), instructional video scripts, and so on.

With that covered, let’s go to the second difference:

The Where

Where do you want to go with your copy, and where do you want to go with your content? Definitely not the same place, at least in the beginning stages.

A good copy should be:

• Direct and to-the-point: You know what you’re selling, and what you’re pitching to the customer. Everything is super linear and there’s a clear direction to your content.

• Leading the reader to “do something.” This is called “Call to Action,” which is a feature most copies will have in the text, to get the customer to click and purchase the product or the service.

A copywriter has to make sure that the reader is interested to follow each sentence with the next, until they reach the call-to-action section of the text, “act,” and purchase what is being sold.

The same principle works in person-to-person sales!

Good content, on the other hand, should have the following features:

• It should be extremely dynamic and engage the reader as much as possible. That why you’ll see a lot of hyperlinks in blog posts that lead you somewhere else, making sure you’re engaged all the way through.

• As opposed to the linear style of copywriting, content writing can be much more free-form, meaning you should be more flexible with experimentation when it comes to style, tone, and voice.

And now, drumroll, please!

Here’s the third difference between these two writing styles:

The End Result

Copies sell, content engages!

As simple as that! A good copy needs to convert into sales, which will generate revenue for the business!

Good content should engage the customer so much, that they end up reaching the copy! It will also help build brand loyalty.

WHERE IT ALL COMES TOGETHER

Like I said, there are differences between copywriting and content writing. So, which one is more important?

The answer is: both!

Whatever product or service you are trying to promote, needs to be engaging enough to keep the potential customer interested for them to reach the next phase: the copy!

And that’s where you really hit the jackpot!

Normally, a company will have a separate content writer and a separate copywriter to handle different aspect of content. The content writer will create engaging content prompting the customer to check out the offers, and then the copywriter will come in to reel in the customer completely and make the sale!

Teamwork, gotta love it!

Can’t I Do Both Copywriting and Content Writing?

Of course you can! I know plenty of writers who do both and are very good at it. In fact, if you’re a content writer, there’s nothing stopping you from learning copywriting! And vice-versa! More tools for your writing arsenal!

Now, dear writers, since you know the key differences between content writing and copywriting, pick the one that best suits you, or learn both!

As for you, dear employees, make sure the writers you are trying to hire for your business are the right people for the job! If you’re hiring a content writer, make sure they are experienced in creating content! Same goes for copywriters! At the very least, test both skills. You never know! Maybe someone will come in who is equally good at both! Just don’t expect someone who is excellent at copywriting to be equally as good on writing content!

Take me for example! I began as a content writer before transitioning toward copywriting! You can read about my story here.

If you’re looking to learn specific skillsets, I have private lessons available which you can book. My services are also displayed in full on my website!

Your writing journey starts today!

P.S. Did you realize that I just used both copywriting and content writing techniques in this blog? Let me know what you noticed!