“What do you mean they are two different things, aren’t both of them just writing?”
I’m done hearing this line again and again. Just because they both involve writing, does not mean they are the same.
They are like poetry and prose, oranges and tangerines, alcohol and sanitiser… wait no, that went a bit overboard, but you got the point right! They are pretty close but not the same.
Each of them demands different sets of skills, purpose, and tone and both of them have different challenges to offer too.
This article’s for all the writers, HRs, clients and managers who are not able to differentiate between the two.
So, let’s get started, copywriting vs content writing!
What is Copywriting?
Copywriting can be referred to as marketing writing, which put simply means the text written to market a product in any way.
The text written for any type of advertisement, tagline, website, marketing communication, etc. is called a ‘copy’. The word “copywriting” describes itself as writing a ‘copy’.
And a ‘copy’ in the digital marketing industry usually refers to any kind of text that is used to promote a product.
The common examples of copywriting include:
- All ads such as,
- PPC ads
- Social media ads, etc.
- Also landing pages for ads
- Product or service page copy
- CTA buttons on a website
- Pop-up messages
- Sales emails
- Headlines
- Website forms
- Website menus
- Video scripts
- Chatbot scripts
What makes content writing different?
The big difference that stands between them is the goal they seek.
Copywriting aims to promote products and services as we discussed moments ago.
Whereas Content Writing aims to build a relationship with the reader by sharing knowledge, information and data.
It can be with the motive of increasing knowledge, sharing news or just for entertainment at no cost and without asking much in return. This helps in creating a loyal relationship with the reader which is the foundation of brand recognition.
Read more: Top 10 Easy Content Writing Tips For Beginners
Surely this takes time and that’s why content marketers are more patient. They know that the relationship they built with the consumer will pay off at some time. So they put their time and efforts into creating content that will make users come to your site.
The common examples of content writing include:
- Blogs
- Complete guides
- How-to articles
- Reviews
- Case studies
- Lists
- Interviews
- Social media captions
- Newsletters
- E-books
- Op-ed pieces
- FAQs pages (that include keyword research!)
Copywriting vs Content Writing: The Difference
The simplest answer is,
Copywriting is writing any copy that is gonna be used to market something. Whereas content writing gets more specific to writing content focused on one’s content marketing goals.
Copywriting goals: Promoting a product/service or brand and driving conversion/sales.
Content writing goals: Building relationships with readers, Making them loyal readers, creating/maintaining a positive brand image, and increasing DA(domain authority).
Whom to Hire for What?
I don’t think that I need to answer this now but still, I gotta make it clear.
Look up the goals that you need a writer for and then decide which one to hire.
If you need someone to write marketing copies like emails, PPC ads etc, hire a copywriter. But if you need someone to write blogs, newsletters etc, then you should go for a content writer.
Yes, there are writers that can write for both goals. If you’re a startup you can hire such a person. But if you’re an established business and can spend for quality, hire different writers for both goals that have a speciality in their field.
You can never (most probably) find a writer that can do both the best way. So, choose two writers for what they are best at.
Affect of Adding SEO with Writing
SEO or search engine optimization does play a huge role in a website’s performance success.
Would it matter for writers if they are told to consider SEO too?
For content writing, HELL YESS! Content writing has to go alongside SEO. Without SEO, articles/blogs won’t rank on Google’s SERP and that simply means failing at the main purpose.
But for copywriting, sorry the term does not exist. I agree marketers use it, but I cannot agree with what they mean by it.
SEO copywriting is supposed to refer to updating/writing copies to help rank on Google and who does that in real? Content writers.
So, yes the term wasn’t “supposed” to be existing. BUT because marketers do not want to hire a new person for -what they believe- a small job, they make copywriters do that.
Key Points to Remember
Conclusion
I hope that now you would know the difference between content writers and copywriters.
So, now I humbly request all the managers and marketers to stop asking your content writer to write all the copies for your company, IT’S NOT OUR JOB.
I would love it if you share this post with all the writers, HRs, and marketers. So that they finally realize the crime they have been doing.
If you have any doubts, suggestions or queries, our comment box is wide open for you. Or you can mail us at [email protected] We would love to hear from you.
Also, Thank You For Reading Along. It means a lot to us.
