You ask any ordinary person about the difference between a copywriter and a content writer and they’ll tell you that both of them are the same, there is no difference between them.
But what if I told you that there is a big difference between both of them. A difference as big as day and night.
Here’s the fact- Content writing and copywriting sound very similar, are two very similar processes and they are very different.
Confusing?
Isn’t it?
So, I searched on Google to see whether Google differentiates between both of them of not. Here are my search results:
The search results were a little shocking for me at first but I was happy that at least Google knows the difference between both of them. To my dismay, content writing is more talked about on the digital platform, thanks to the growing popularity of digital marketing and social media marketing services.
Going by the book
Here is how the internet defines and differentiates between both of them,
Copywriting is the act or occupation of writing the text for the purpose of advertising or other forms of marketing. The product, called copy or sales copy, is written content that aims to increase brand awareness and ultimately persuade a person or group to take a particular action.
Content writing is the process of planning, writing, and editing web content, typically for digital marketing purposes. It can include writing blog posts and articles, scripts for videos and podcasts, as well as content for specific platforms, such as tweetstorms on Twitter or text posts on Reddit.
The differences
Copywriting is the art of selling your brand
It is the art of selling people an idea or promise of a brand. The best copywriting fuses the benefits and emotions of a brand together to create a compelling logic. Copywriters sell ideas and emotions that are tied to the products. Copywriters have to be imaginative and creative because, in its depth, it is more than informative, persuasive in nature.
Content writing is the science of creating content with a clear purpose.
“Truth told truthfully” is the crux of content writing.
A good content writer will give readers the right information about the product or service without twisting or spicing it. The algorithm plays a big part in content writing because of the involvement of the search engine. The content needs to be SEO-driven. That is why a lot of keyword planning goes into the creation of content.
Copywriting is all about translating the brand strategy or brand demands concept-wise. They drive the marketing strategy by converting ideas into words. The content writer writes for the reader or the audience and makes sure that it is palatable and informative for them.
Copywriting is more consumer-driven and insightful. Copywriters decide what goes into the consumers’ minds. They create the idea; the insight and the dramatic truth that has to be woven into the marketing strategy.
Content writing is more informative or educational. Ambiguity has no place in this sort of writing on the digital platform, the content is usually scanned and then read because screen sizes are usually small. To nullify the disadvantage of small screens, content is written in a racy manner.
A copy has to be enjoyable. Copy and content are both informative in nature, but copywriting focuses more on the pleasure aspect of reading. Long copies are not written, but the little that is written has a particular flow and aims to be enjoyable for the reader.
A Copywriter needs to be more of a visual thinker. This is because, in the initial stages of the creation of an advertisement, they need to conceptualize and think about it. They have to think of the headline and the visuals simultaneously. And they have to work with the art director so they must have a good visual sense.
A copywriter has to be versatile. They should be willing to do print ads, film, TV scripts, radio jingles etc.
A content writer, on the other hand, needs to be tech-savvy. They need to be well-versed with all the modern and digital platforms of marketing. Content writers need to create content that can be adapted as per the needs of different formats.
A content writer has to be ready as the algorithms can change any day and what works now may not work a week from now due to new updates in algorithms. Heavy research work is involved in the process of content writing. The writer needs to fact check all the statements before using them and they also need to make sure that the right and appropriate keywords are used in the content.
Copy and content writing do share similarities. Both of them share the same goal: Ultimately convert a reader into a sale or a lead. Another similarity is that they both need to be well-written. At the end of the day, although both of the processes are different, the core value of both of them is the same- create brand awareness and inspire positive action for the brand in the minds of the audience.
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