Many companies use the terms copywriting and content writing interchangeably. However, there’s an acute difference between these two terms. By not understanding and utilizing these formats for their different purposes limits your company’s potential.
Luckily, as experts in the fields of both content writing and copywriting, we are here to help you understand what these two very different items are. We’ll also discuss how the best website content writing services will often include a form of copywriting… and vice versa! Not sure what that means? Don’t worry – by the end of this article, you’ll know exactly how these two tie together.
Let’s dive right in!
Table of Contents
The Foundation: What is Copywriting? What is Content Writing?
Part of growing your understanding of these terms is understanding their definitions. First, we’ll define each one to give you a basic understanding, before we dive into the detailed differences. So, let’s start at the very beginning: what is copywriting and what is content writing?
Defining Copywriting
Copywriting is the short form content of digital marketing. It focuses on advertising products and services. It’s the language of persuasion and often follows the “short and sweet” content style.
A copywriter has to be an expert at using their words effectively. They have to convince potential customers to complete the desired action through advertisements. These ads are often social media posts, billboard designs, or online ads. As such, their messages are often more impactful, staying in the reader’s mind.
Copywriting is often more promotional and doesn’t have as long a shelf life. The reason for the shorter shelf life of copywriting vs. content writing is that it’s often content focused on a specific advertising campaign. Types of copywriting include:
- Social media.
- SEO copywriting.
- Technical copywriting.
- Emails and newsletters.
- Billboards and brochures.
- Advertisements.
- Product descriptions and materials.
- Creative copywriting.
Interestingly enough, content marketing also falls under the banner of copywriting since it does, after all, use content for marketing purposes. Similarly, a content strategy can include copywriting alongside it’s other content writing needs.
Defining Content Writing
On the other hand, content writing is the long form content you use to educate, inform, and engage readers. When content writers create new content, they do so with the goal of building relationships with their audience.
The main difference between the two is that copywriting uses the least amount of words to reach your goal. Meanwhile, content writing generally has at least 500 words. The average length is between 2,100 and 2,400 words, sometimes up to 4,000 words and beyond.
Content writers produce blogs, white papers, and how-to guides. It also includes articles, reviews, and comparison pages. This content drives sales by educating readers using an informative format of content. It can also help a brand can establish trust with its customers by providing content that educates readers or helps them make decisions. This content has a longer shelf life, as it doesn’t usually focus on a specific promotional campaign or goal.
Content Writing vs. Copywriting: Different Approaches for Different Goals
When looking at content writing vs. copywriting, you’ll see that both are two sides of the same coin in your marketing efforts. The shorter and longer form content is critical to creating engaging content that helps your brand voice be heard. However, when do you need to use what format?
The Purpose of the Content
Before deciding which to use between copywriting and content writing, you must consider the purpose of your content. Do you wish to convert leads to sales? Do you want your readers to understand your services better? In both these cases, the type of content you’ll use vastly differs.
To state it simply: A copywriter persuades their target audience, while a content writer informs their readers. A copywriter will take a direct route to completing the business goals of increasing sales and brand visibility.
Their content will often include:
- Short form content with impactful messages
- Visual content to support the marketing strategy
- Promotional language and designs that drive sales
- Call to action (CTA)
Meanwhile, a content writer has to focus more on informing the reader. While this can drive sales, it focuses more on getting clients to pick your brand by informing them of its benefits or uses. The articles or blogs must entertain and subtly encourage loyalty to the brand.
Sometimes, these two digital marketing formats overlap, as do the marketing purposes. You use both in some social media posts, video scripts, long-form sales and product pages, and email marketing.
Audience for Copywriting vs. Content Writing
Understanding your audience is a crucial part of knowing when to use content writing vs. copywriting. Though both are essential for your content marketing strategy, when you use them is one of the key differences. Content writers are often part of the customer’s journey from the start.
These content types often build relationships from the foundation up, establishing trust and loyalty in the brand. An article, blog, or guide provides high quality content that usually doesn’t promote a specific product or service.
It simply establishes itself as an authority in the matter. This authority makes potential clients more likely to revert to your company when they need answers. On the other side of the coin, a copywriter often only enters the stage near the end of the buyer’s journey.
Their content is geared towards encouraging the client to make a decision and purchase the product or service. The advertisements the client sees will persuade them to contact a sales agent or to test the product themselves.
However, the rules aren’t set in stone with these marketing goals. A client’s first experience with a brand can be the advertisement they see online. Their next step might be to research the brand, which leads them to the articles and blogs.
It’s important to know your target audience. However, you should also ensure your content is ideal for clients at any buyer journey stage. You also need to provide the information your client wants in the content.
To do so effectively, you should:
- Determine your target audience
- Identify buyer motivation and needs
- Analyze their knowledge level
- Adapt your tone of voice to formal/casual or personable/impersonal
- Use relatable analogies and examples
Writing Style and Tone
We’ve briefly mentioned that you must adapt your tone of voice and writing style to fit your audience. However, what does this mean? When you build relationships, you must meet the audience on a level they’re comfortable with.
Depending on the market you’re targeting, this can change. Let’s use the example of the financial market. Say you’re targeting financial advisors or investors. In that case, you’re likely to use a writing style that’s more formal, impersonal, and authoritative.
That’s because people in this market typically seek authority and expertise. They won’t easily purchase a product or service if they’re uncertain about your experience. A copywriter will focus on short messages that contain statistics and case studies. This type of content is more likely to convince clients that it’s a brand worth trusting.
A content writer will create guides on the financial market or explore financing strategies to establish themselves as an authority.
Another example we can consider is if you’re targeting the general populace. If you’re an e-commerce company, your tone of voice in content might be more personable. That’s because most of the general populace responds better to casual marketing that’s entertaining and unique.
You want to be conversational while lending authority on the subject matter and targeting the reader’s emotions. For content writing, you’ll focus more on casual blogs exploring the new trends in e-commerce and popular products.
How-to guides are also often a good way to capture attention. Copywriting will focus on short and sweet messages that evoke emotion in the client. You can use jokes or even slightly darker humor to capture attention.
Knowing your audience is essential for adapting your tone and writing style to best capture their attention. A content writer and copywriter should also have the skill to use the right tone of voice in the article. It’s not just enough to have knowledge of different tones; you must be able to implement them.
The Buzzing Applications: Use Cases for Copywriting and Content Writing
By understanding the key differences between copywriting vs. content writing, you can see when it’s best to use what format. However, we help get you started by looking at different use cases for both options. We’ll also discuss creating a content marketing strategy that uses both copywriting and content writing.
Typical Applications of Copywriting
Ask yourself, “Am I trying to sell something?” If the answer is yes, then marketing copy is needed over content writing. Copywriting is ideal for livening up landing pages and product descriptions with short, powerful messages that capture attention.
For example, consider the below billboard advertisement from Verizon.
This advertisement uses its design and writing to convey a powerful message. All the copywriting elements work together to convince viewers that having access to multiple mobile packages is essential. It also ends with a catchy CTA: “Now go mix and match.” Overall, it’s a very powerful message.
Let’s look at another example to explain better when to use copywriting. Say you have a bookstore and want to create interest in the books you sell. You might want to market the store to generate interest and need a catchy slogan.
That’s where copywriters can come into play, creating slogans such as “Come to Life, Come to Books!” or “It’s fast, it’s furious, it’s books!” Copywriting is ideal when creating:
- Online advertisements for search engines
- Social media posts
- Product pages
- Product descriptions
- Email marketing
- Landing pages
- Video scripts
- Press releases
Calls to action (CTAs) are vital in copywriting. They tell the reader what to do next. If they see this powerful message on a billboard but no action to follow, they’ll likely forget about it. Advertising should always persuade your audience to act.
Generally, this action will increase the conversion rate of the brand’s sales. However, for the CTA to be powerful, quality content must support it. Optimized copywriting will boost organic traffic to your website by building on basic AIDA advertising principles.
These principles include:
- A – Attention (Grab their attention with eye-catching designs)
- I – Interest (Maintain interest with unique advertising)
- D – Desire (Build desire by stating what’s in it for them)
- A – Action (Add a call to action on what they should do next)
Typical Applications of Content Writing
A content writer will focus on longer form content to educate their audience. Content writing provides content of value and establishes authority in the industry. Ask yourself, “Am I trying to relate to, help, or educate my readers?” If yes, then you need a content writer.
Look at the following example of content writing.
This image might be one of the ads or article topics users search for to understand a subject better. The following image summarizes the type of information a reader will find in the article about white papers.
This might be one of the ads or article topics that users search for to better understand a subject. The following image shows a summary of the type of information a reader will find in the article about white papers.
Articles about white papers will explore this content type’s definition and use cases. It’ll also help you understand how to write one best and explore the tips for enhancing your paper. Using confident and informative language, you must establish yourself as an authority on the subject.
This format is characterized by informative content that users look for using search engines like Google. It often helps enhance your SEO and furthers your business goals by educating clients. It usually tells a story, provides a solution, or teaches the customers.
Since it’s optimized for SEO on Google and search engines, it also contains meta descriptions and requires keyword research. These details help Google identify when the website content suits a specific search intent. Forms of content writing you’ll find are:
- Blogs
- Articles
- How-to guides
- Reviews
- Comparison pages
- White papers
- Case studies
- Industry analysis
- Company news
- Listicles
- eBooks
For example, let’s look at an SEO business. SEO companies often need to establish themselves as market leaders so the reader can trust them. As such, the business will post content such as an article about the “Importance of SEO” or “Five SEO Strategies that Work” to educate the reader.
Adding articles like these to the business website enhances their SEO. In turn, that results in the business becoming more visible. The article is also one of the indirect ads that promotes the company’s knowledge in this matter. These articles build relationships of value with readers.
Integrating Both for a Cohesive Strategy
A marketing manager creating content doesn’t always stick to one side or the other. At Buzznberry, we believe the best copywriter is also an excellent content writer, seeing the value in both forms of content. A comprehensive marketing strategy will use copywriting and content writing to provide the best value possible.
Copywriting and content writing converge in that both:
- It will create value for the users. It can solve an immediate problem or provide in-depth knowledge.
- It engages readers. It provides immediate emotional immersion or a more long-term intellectual discussion.
- It’s optimized for search engines like Google. Uses language and keywords to rank better on local and international search engines.
These two marketing formats have vastly different digital marketing goals and writing styles. However, a true SEO content writer will know they have a symbiotic relationship. You should always choose and use both effectively when considering copywriting vs. content writing.
You should use copywriting to:
- Capture attention
- Drive immediate sales
- Improve your short-term conversion rate
- Boost interest in your products
You should use content writing to:
- Foster loyalty toward your brand
- Build relationships with clients
- Establish your industry authority
- Educate your clients regarding your business
If you just write one type of content, then your business will become unbalanced. To ensure the ideal on page SEO on your website, you must provide a good balance of ads and business article types. You can also incorporate it into your social media.
For example, the Bitbytesoft social media post below is an example of copywriting, but it leads to content writing.
In this example, the social media post uses a few words and visual elements to capture attention. It then adds a “Visit Us” button to lead the reader to the website. Content writers will write and post blogs and informative articles about SEO social media strategies and other relevant topics here.
This type of SEO content writing grabs the attention of search engines like Google and Safari, increasing your website rank and authority.
The Blueberry Insight: Skills Required for Copywriting and Content Writing
A copywriter and content writer must have particular skills to write and create marketing ads and articles. When looking at copywriting vs. content writing, you should also consider whether those writing them have the essential content marketing skills. We explore what skills a copywriter and content writer should have.
Essential Skills for Copywriters
A copywriter must have certain writing skills to create a successful marketing copy. In content marketing, ads are a dime a dozen, so your writing and adverts should stand out from among the rest.
The skills to achieve this include:
- The ability to use persuasive language
- Creating impactful and unique headlines
- Being able to interpret a client’s brief creatively
- Creativity in developing campaigns and content
- An eye for visual elements and designs that enhance the message
- Keeping up with the latest and emerging marketing trends and strategies
- Be able to follow legal guidelines and industry standards
- Able to capture the brand voice while using just a few words
- Walk the fine balance between successful and pushy promotional language
- A deeper understanding of psychology and people’s motivations
Copywriters must understand people and the brand to successfully combine them in a short yet powerful message. They should also be able to write persuasively without being overly pushy. Another skill many underestimates is the ability to create strong CTAs that are assertive without being aggressive.
Essential Skills for Content Writers
A content writer, on the other hand, has an entirely different set of skills. While someone can have both skill sets, you can’t create optimal content in both formats with only one set of skills.
To capture the attention of a reader, content writers must have skills like:
- Excellent researching skills
- Ability to write and complete projects within a stated deadline
- Being able to generate relevant topics
- In-depth knowledge of on page SEO, keyword research, and readability
- Understanding of article structures, headings, and meta descriptions
- The ability to edit and proofread content
- Knowledge of backlinking and SEO to improve content quality
- Storytelling and expertise on how to incorporate research into an informative article
- Understanding of and ability to use different tones of voice and writing styles
The main ability of a content writer is extensive research. They should then be able to convert that research into a readable article that isn’t too salesy and suited to the audience. Only in this way can they write content suited to the business while establishing trust with the reader.
Buzznberry’s Expertise: Providing Both Copywriting and Content Writing Services
Our goal at Buzznberry is to provide the superfood of content marketing, including copywriting and content writing. When we write content, we ensure that we put ourselves in our clients’ shoes. We align our goals with yours and create website ads, posts, and blogs relevant to your audience. (Visit our content writing blog to get even more tips!)
Our approach to copywriting and content writing is to think about what the client wants to achieve with this marketing content. We thoroughly research the topic, keywords, audience, and market before creating content. We’ve successfully completed over 50 projects and helped hundreds of businesses boost their SEO. Whether you need valuable content or compelling marketing copy, we’re here to provide quality content services.
Integrating Copywriting and Content Writing
We don’t view copywriting and content writing as a struggle between two different formats. Instead, we believe they’re a cohesive unit that works together, like water and fertilizer that grows a blueberry bush. As such, we always recommend implementing a comprehensive content strategy.
A unified approach ensures that you can target customers no matter at what stage of their buyer’s journey they are. Our clients can leverage the type of content they need that fits the audience, broadcasting platform, and business goals.
Successful content must be relevant to potential customers and your objectives. Whether you’re boosting short term sales or building a lasting relationship, we’re here to facilitate the process.
Conclusion
By decoding the SEO marketing dialect, you can enjoy a plentiful harvest in your content marketing. A deeper understanding of copywriting vs. content writing will enable you to know when to use what format to reach your clients better.
It boosts organic traffic to your company’s website, enhances your conversion rates, and improves your off page and on page SEO. However, we know it can become overwhelming for an in-house team to create and write content while managing sales and other marketing operations.
That’s why we take the load from your shoulders, growing your quality content till you have the best superfood to feed your readers. Our approach combines the different content formats to offer the best-tasting fruits and ensure a comprehensive content marketing strategy. Contact Buzznberry now for a free link with your first order, or speak with our team’s experts to learn more about our detailed services.
