So you need someone to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and write for your business.
But is it a copywriter or a content writer you need?
Copywriting and content writing are related – the terms are sometimes used interchangeably – but there are important differences. In order to clarify whether you should be hiring a copywriter or a content writer, let’s look at what each one is, and how it supports your objectives.
Copy vs content
Copywriters write copy and content writers write content – that much is obvious.
But what is copy and what is content? The two are a related – and complementary – form of communication but the difference lies in the purpose: copy aims to convert, persuade and ultimately sell; content aims to inform, educate and help.
Copy is the words equivalent of your sales team. It’s writing that taps into your audience’s emotions, identifying a problem and providing a solution to it. It’s persuasive writing that seeks to drive the reader to take a specific action – be it to sign up for a promotion, provide an email address or buy a product.
Content is the equivalent of your marketing team. This is the writing that informs, educates and inspires. It’s less sales-oriented and more about adding value for your customers. Content engages and audience with useful information, positions your brand as an expert, and establishes trust and loyalty.
Copywriting and content writing are both essential to your communications strategy, but they have different aims and achieve different objectives.
What do copywriters and content writers write?
Remember Mad Men? Don Draper and Peggy Olson were copywriters at an advertising agency. They developed catchy, clever concepts and slogans for commercials and advertisements that tapped into the emotions and desires of a brand’s audience.
Of course, that was before the Internet. Since then the world has gone digital: the way we find and consume information, the way brands market themselves, how we shop, and our expectations for after-sales service have all changed. And copywriting has changed too. These days copywriters write far more than advertising copy – but their ultimate aim is still to persuade consumers to take an action.
Copywriters tend to write shorter-form copy, such as:
- Advertisements
- Slogans and tag lines
- Landing pages
- Web pages
- Brochures
- Email campaigns
- Sales letters
Content is writing that is not directly promotional. Content writers create related information – the background, the trends, the innovations, the guides for how to use a product or service – for a business or brand.
Content tends to be longer-form and, because it is generally more in depth, many content writers have a background in journalism and specialise in industries that they can write about with authority.
Not all content is written, of course. Videos, infographics and images are also content, but content writers produce content such as:
- Articles
- Blogs
- Guides
- Press releases
- White papers
- Newsletters
- Ebooks
- Video scripts
Should you hire a copywriter or a content writer?
Just as a business needs both sales and marketing executives, they also need both copy and content. But does that mean you need to hire both a copywriter and a content writer?
That really depends on your specific needs. As mentioned above, there is some overlap between what copywriters and content writers do. For instance, I primarily call myself a content writer, but I do also write website and brochure copy. I don’t, however, write ad copy, landing pages or sales letters. There are, equally, copywriters who also write press releases, but perhaps don’t write blogs or white papers.
Any writer should be able to write clearly and engagingly, but some naturally gravitate towards sales-oriented writing while others prefer to write educational, useful content.
Most copywriters and content writers list the specific types of content or copy they provide on their services page, so your best bet is to choose one who covers most of what you need. Working with one primary writer who understands your audience and your product or service will make the process much easier and will ensure the message and tone of voice remains consistent across all copy and content.
Don’t be deterred by a writer who can fulfil most, but not all your needs. No writer has written an ebook before they tackle their first one. The same goes for every type of copy.
Whether you ope for a copywriter or a content writer, the more background information and direction you can provide at the outset, the more likely the writer is to get the copy right first time. So be prepared for a little back and forth at the beginning while you get to know each other and before you know it you’ll be in a smooth-flowing working relationship and publishing sparkling content and copy effortlessly.