Copywriting vs content writing: what’s the difference?

First off, copywriting and content writing are not the same thing despite often being clumped together.

While they both involve a talent for writing, the best way often used to describe the split is that copy sells, whereas content entertains, informs, and educates. This is pretty good and true to a large extent. However, if you’re talking about intent, it isn’t entirely accurate as content writing also aims to sell, eventually (I’ll get to that in a minute).

Copywriting is headlines and taglines and all the catchy advertising stuff. But that only scratches the surface. Copywriting is also writing many other online and offline marketing materials – brochures, leaflets, website content (yes, content!), landing pages, email newsletters, and point-of-sale material such as packaging.

While the format and writing style varies for each, and between industry, the task of copywriting is always to sell or promote a brand. Each word, sentence, or paragraph is carefully considered and crafted so that it plays a part (consciously or subconsciously) in convincing people that they should take a positive action towards buying.

Therefore copywriting is not just straightforward ‘I can write’ writing; it’s a bit more cunning. It involves researching the audience, tapping into the consumer psyche, and, with this knowledge, using prose as a tool of persuasion.

Content is a form of communication to be digested by an audience. Now, in this respect, it encompasses all writing, including copywriting. But this isn’t really content as we talk about it today. The reality of content has become digital content – so for me, content writing is web content writing.

What kind of things do content writers write? Blog articles, editorial articles, infographics, e-guides, case studies, social media captions – all of which not only require a different writing skill set to copywriting but in themselves are very different forms of writing e.g., journalistic, factual, snappy.

Essentially, the art of content writing is writing something people want to consume, like, and share. It’s not about persuading; it’s about engaging your target audience – something storytelling does well.

To create effective content, you need a content marketing strategy.

Just to throw a spanner in the works, copywriting and content writing may be different for the most part, but they’re not mutually exclusive skill sets. Some copywriting techniques work well in content e.g., headlines, which are crafted to persuade people to read. Plus, copywriting, like content, can entertain and inform.

But don’t let this confuse things. All this means is that understanding the principles of one can enhance the other.

Now, I mentioned earlier that, like copywriting, content writing also sells. But how can it sell if it’s not using words to persuade?

This is how. If you can produce quality, valuable content, you can position a brand as relevant, entertaining, and knowledgeable. This will not only make people sit up and take notice but is also intended to keep them coming back for more – and there’s the hook. By drawing people in, content builds awareness and trust and creates potential customers.

So content writing sells, just indirectly.

Clear as mud?

Ultimately, the difference between copywriting vs content writing can be pretty fuzzy around the edges. However, when you separate them by approach i.e., manipulating words to sell versus writing words that entertain, educate and inform (even though the intention is also to sell) – the distinction becomes a little clearer.