Copywriting vs Content Writing – Difference Explained

Beginners in content creation find themselves at the crossroads right at the onset of their careers! 

This is where they have to choose between copywriting and content writing. The right choice could mean an impressive annual income of over 56000$, while the wrong one would lead to an uphill struggle!

And this choice can get tricky because both streams involve writing marketing content but differ subtly in many ways. It’s a make-it or break-it career decision for beginners with little market experience!

If you’re also an aspiring writer stuck in the same dilemma, this Copywriting vs Content writing guide is for you! This blog will cover all aspects of the two areas to help you decide your career path based on their requirements and opportunities.

And that’s not all! This detailed guide will also help new businesses understand the two marketing approaches and decide which one to focus on. Let’s get started!

What is copywriting?

Copywriting is the act of writing for advertising a brand or its products and services. It usually involves just a few lines of catchy and compelling text (called sales copy). And it aims to increase brand awareness and persuade a defined target audience to take favorable actions.

All businesses apply copywriting to convince people to buy their offerings. So, it finds wide applications across online and offline media. Some key applications of copywriting are-

• Newspaper ads
• Online PPC ads
• TV commercial scripts
• Brochures
• Landing page copies
• Social media posts
• Sales letters
• SMS ads
• Call-to-action statements

Copywriting is critical for the success of all businesses that have something to sell. And such companies form a majority of the 213 million companies operating worldwide. Imagine the massive potential the copywriting industry offers!

What is content writing?

Content writing is the process of writing long pieces of content on a particular topic to inform, entertain, or educate its target readers. The produced content may include some promotional text to drive sales, but its primary goal is to inform and not to sell.

Content writing aims at building engagement and trust with the target audience through helpful and inspiring content. This gradual process creates positive awareness and interest that eventually convert to sales.

You can apply content writing for creating all types of long-form content, such as-

• Ebooks
• Blog posts
• Whitepapers
• Case studies
• News articles
• Press releases
• Product descriptions
• Video or podcast scripts
• Long social media posts
• Complete website content

In fact,  58% of marketers consider original written content more crucial than any other media type. Plus, a whopping 7 million blogs find their way to the internet! Talking about results, 67% of those who post blogs daily confirm that they are successful!

Difference between copywriting and content writing

While both are popular approaches to creating written marketing content, copywriting vs content writing differ in several ways. Here are some key differences between the two concepts-

Main Goal

Copywriting aims to promote a brand and its offerings briefly and convincingly to ensure that readers take immediate favorable action. You can use it to persuade prospective customers to buy the products or services to achieve defined sales goals.

Content writing aims to build customer trust and loyalty by reaching and engaging the target readers with valuable content. You may use it to promote offerings subtly, but its greater goal is to build a positive brand image and engagement with the readers.

In short, copywriting is sales-driven while content writing is engagement-driven.

Length of content

Copywriting involves a few short and impactful sentences to convince potential customers to try out a product or service. It counts on your power of persuasion. After all, a few words are enough for a great writer to send a compelling message!

Content writing aims to share comprehensive information about a topic with the readers. So you cannot compress it into a few lines. Instead, it often has a high word count to cover all required details and maintain its informative value. Based on the application, this count could range anywhere from 500 to 3000 words or even more!

Role within a company

Copywriting is a short-term strategy to build awareness and drive sales with immediate effect.

Companies use copywriting to advertise products and services in an attractive and convincing manner on diverse platforms. They measure its effectiveness based on sales revenue changes. 

Content writing is an information channel between the company and its customers. Companies use it to share ideas and achievements with readers while providing valuable information to them. They may also get feedback in the form of comments, likes, dislikes, and shares from readers on the content.

So, content writing acts as a long-term strategy to build engagement, image, and loyalty while driving sales over time. The content produced also builds the business’s online presence by leveraging SEO.

Type and Tone of writing

 A copy is conversational, convincing, and concise. Also, it is usually informal and compelling in tone. A great copy would get you into action before you realize it!

The content produced through content writing is generally conversational,engaging, and relatable. However, the tone of writing is very flexible. While blogs or website content are usually informal or mixed in tone, formal reports and studies often use a professional tone. Well-written content will be perfect in its type and tone, getting you engaged and absorbed into its narrative immediately.

Work environment

As a content writer or copywriter, you would work in office environments or from home to produce engaging written pieces. You would find a creative and challenging environment while working for either marketing agencies or in-house ad firms.

Furthermore, you may get into freelancing if you want more time and flexibility. However, you must remember that with greater flexibility comes less certainty of income. You need to work as hard to find clients if you choose to freelance!

Examples of copywriting and content writing

Still seems complicated? Let us check out some copywriting vs content writing examples to understand and distinguish the two fields better.

Copywriting Examples

1. Cybertruck (ad copy)

This short copy uses existing knowledge about two popular cars to show the Cybertruck as superior. This is a classic example of saying more in less words where the copywriter promotes the product based on superior power, storage space, and speed using just two competitor names.

2. CrazyEgg (landing page)

This landing page popup includes a simple statement of the benefit for the users that CrazyEgg offers- “Convert more visitors into revenue.” Then come the names of its four services. This includes the primary heatmap feature that helps you identify prospects based on their click areas.

And below it is an engaging CTA button text in first-person that says- “Show me my heatmap.” The option to close the popup again prompts the user to act by stating what he or she is about to miss through the text- “No thanks. I treat all click behavior the same”.

3. Klarna (Facebook post)

This is a Facebook post about a tool that boosts sales productivity and helps to get larger orders. The caption and image text directly address small businesses’ need to get high-value orders.

It includes a catchy line to attract attention- “Average order values don’t have to be average” just below the brand name in the image. After this comes an engaging and targeted CTA- “Give your small business a big boost.” Moreover, the image with the text is a playable video that can enhance the message’s effectiveness.

Content Writing Examples

1. HootSuite blog (blog posts)

Hootsuite is a digital marketing solutions company that operates a dedicated blog to educate new marketers and includes subtle promotions in its blogs where appropriate. Its SEO blogs bring high traffic, and this continues to raise awareness and get sales for HootSuite.

2. Outfunnel case study (case study)

In this case study article, Outfunnel explains how a client benefited from its funnel management services. It shows the service in action and includes various statements from the client. In this manner, this case study proves the authenticity and effectiveness of Outfunnel. 

3. Supercom event notification (press release)

This press release notifies people that Supercom will present at a virtual conference. It gives key joining details and background information, so people feel interested and join the conference. The company would then have a chance to promote its services to interested viewers.

Copywriting vs Content writing: Which is right for you?

Now that we know the difference between copywriting and content writing and the opportunities they offer, let’s come to the key question- Do you have what it takes to excel in these fields? 

Let’s check out the skills and qualities needed in each role to help you decide.

Skills of a content writer

Content writers are great storytellers skilled in putting ideas into words. As a content writer, you must have these key skills and qualities-

• Creativity
• Originality
• Basic IT skills
• Research skills
• Patience and focus
• Conversational writing
• Social media savviness
• Writing and editing skills
• Time management skills
• Adaptability and flexibility
• Search engine optimization
• Understanding of perspectives

Skills of a copywriter

Copywriters are masters in the art of persuasion that know how to evoke favorable emotions in a few words! These key skills and qualities are essential for your success in copywriting-

• Wit
• Empathy
• Innovativeness
• Research skills
• Attention to detail
• A wide vocabulary
• Interpersonal skills
• Communication skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Writing and editing skills
• Creativity and artistic skills
• Understanding of limitations
• Understanding of perspectives

Do you now know which one to choose based on your caliber? You can thank us later!

Does a business need both copywriting and content writing?

Yes! Every business needs to employ a balance of copywriting and content writing to get the best results based on their goals. Let’s check out some tips to help you set the balance.

When should you focus more on copywriting?

• Copywriting is the perfect choice if you want to sell a product or service by raising awareness about it and convincing people to buy it.

• It is a great short-term strategy for quickly driving sales through ads, landing pages, social posts, or direct mail. Furthermore, it is useful for notifying people about new products, services, or events.

• In general, copywriting is most effective when your business is more established and capable of affording large ad campaigns. Yet, its effectiveness often depends on the engagement the content writing efforts generate. So, large businesses must focus on copywriting while supporting it with content writing.

• Like large businesses, small businesses must also employ copywriting to create awareness. But they should focus their resources on content writing in the initial phases to build their recognition and sales at low costs. It’s a balance that every small business must find!

When should you focus more on content writing?

• Content writing is the ideal choice for engaging your target readers to improve the image and awareness of your brand. Moreover, it offers a chance to inform the target audience about your offerings and establish your authority in the area.

• It is a part of a long-term content strategy that creates customer interest, trust, and loyalty. So, content writing may drive sales gradually. But it usually requires support from copywriting to seal the deal!

• Small businesses should focus on creating and sharing valuable content using content writers while investing moderately in copywriting. This is because long-form content offers a low-cost and low-competition method of generating awareness and interest. And this lays the foundation for implementing copywriting on a larger scale.

• Meanwhile, large businesses must also invest moderately in content writing. This is because valuable content will help them maintain their positive brand image and presence in the market.

What’s the relationship between copywriting and content marketing?

So far, this copywriting vs content writing blog has covered the difference between copywriting and content writing. But there is also a close relationship between the two as they work together towards a common goal of raising brand awareness and sales. Moreover, they also support each other to enhance the marketing process. How?

1. Content writing involves creating and sharing informative and helpful content with a touch of promotion. This usually involves low costs and is also supported by SEO to boost content visibility organically.

2. The valuable content forms a positive image and awareness of the brand in the readers’ minds and generates interest in the brand and its offerings.

3. The reader may not act on the interest immediately, but forms a positive association with the brand. And this comes into play when the reader comes across an interesting copy.

4. Copies created through copywriting now build upon the basic awareness, interest, and positive impression created by the long-form content. The creative and compelling lines in the copies greatly affect those who have read the long-form content. And this leads to a strong desire for the offering.

5. This desire ultimately leads to the action of people clicking the ads or looking for the offering. And this eventually turns them into buyers, hence boosting the sales.

In this manner, copywriting and content writing work together in steps to take the audience through the sales funnel stages of Awareness, Interest, Desire, and then Action!

Copywriting and content writing tips for businesses and writers

Here are some time-tested tips that you must follow to maximize the impact of both copies and long-form content –

• Start by defining the goals of your content, as these goals would direct your further research and writing. Some common goals are-
  • Setup long-term lead generation
  • Foster customer loyalty
  • Gain and nurture email subscribers
  • Improve customer retention
  • Share customer reviews
  • Increase brand authority and visibility
  • Build relations with existing or prospective customers
  • Directly promote the products or services to boost sales

• Get to know your audience and the topic in detail before you start writing. In other words, you must know who you are talking to and what you are talking about!
• Design the content and its tone according to the target audience to get the best conversions.
• Create attractive and compelling headlines to gain the audience’s attention.
• Adopt the brand voice and unique selling propositions of its offerings while writing.
• Ensure that the content is engaging and relatable for the target audience to enhance its impact and audience retention.
• Focus on the benefits to users rather than features while promoting the product or service.
• Address the people’s needs and desires first and then optimize the content for SEO.
• Keep the writing easy to understand by using simple language and structuring it with paragraphs, headings, numbered lists, bullet points, etc.
• Use the right tools to create, edit, and optimize the content. Some tools that help create high-quality content are-
  • Instacopy
  • Grammarly
  • Hemingway editor
  • SEMRush

Get Ready to take the next step

In this analysis of copywriting vs content writing, we saw that both fields offer many job opportunities and diverse applications in the marketing field. We also explored the relation and difference between copywriting and content writing. And we also used various copywriting vs content writing examples to help you understand and apply the two concepts.

Ultimately, you may conclude that copywriting is a paid approach that applies concise, creative, and compelling content to drive sales. So, large businesses and creative writers must focus more on it.

Meanwhile, content writing is an affordable method to foster long-term relationships with prospects through high-quality content. And this makes it the main focus for growing businesses and long-form writers.

At the same, businesses must not limit themselves to only one field and must look for a balance instead. This is because content writing and copywriting are two sides of the same coin when it comes to marketing. And both must work together to complete the sales funnel.

Equipped with this knowledge, you must now choose between copywriting and content writing to progress your career or business. All the best!

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