Content Writer And Copywriter - Understanding The Difference

“A Content Writer and Copywriter are the Same, Right?”

“A content writer and copywriter are just fancy names given to a person who writes. This makes them sound cool. “

While there are some similarities between the two skill sets, there are clearly a lot of differences too. Just like heads and tails are two different sides of a coin, content writing and copywriting are two different aspects of digital content. Hiring one, when the other is more appropriate will not be effective in most scenarios, hence these differences can come in handy while you plan to recruit someone for your next writing project.

Content Writer

One of the greatest distinctions between the two, lies in the purpose of creating content. Content writers create content to inform and educate customer on topics that are directly or indirectly related to the brand. These are usually longer forms, optimised for search engines and bent towards being evergreen. A content writer’s strategy for creating content most likely depends on factors such as, keywords, meta, linking opportunities and detailing. Content writing is not meant to be over salesy or filled with call to actions. The approach taken here is more journalistic and is backed by expert sources, whitepapers and other authoritative sources.

You might be wondering, how is that any different from a copywriter? Hold on, let me take you through what a copywriter is.

Copywriter

Copywriters are more of advertising vehicles who work on a set of deliverables with a primary objective to sell a service or product. They master brevity and write to achieve the goal of persuading readers. A copywriter will be usually seen churning out straplines and headlines for a brand. They create copies for a reason, i.e. to tell the reader why their brand matters. Similar to a content writer, a copywriter aims to attract the attention of the audience but furthermore, goes one step ahead to stimulate them to perform a specified action. They are praised for the creation and ideation of words in campaigns to persuade readers to act or think in a particular direction.

So, Do you Need a Content Writer or a Copy Writer?

If you are figuring out whether to hire a content writer, copywriter or both, try and first figure out the purpose. If it’s more inclined towards immediate sales, copywriters will be the better ones to help you sail through. They are a great fit when it comes to generating viral worthy tag lines, and marketing a product or service that’s unambiguous and self-explanatory to your audience.

Content writers should not be primarily associated with sales, but with creating long term value and association. Content writing may not be targetted towards a sale within a specific time frame (nor is it intended to), but lays the foundation to generate revenue for the years to come.

So to sum up, seasoned copywriting may set your sales in motion, whereas effective content writing results in lifelong consumers