It’s Not the Same: Differences between a Copywriter and a Content Writer
I want you to get one thing in your head: is a centre forward the same as a midfielder? Does a Phillips screwdriver do the same as a simple one? NO! Okay… now that I have your attention I want to solve your doubt.
I want you to be aware of the tiresome debate around the differences and similarities between copywriting and content writing. Even writers claim that there is no difference, and this is far from being considered a reality.
To start breaking down what they do, you need to put your ideas in order, so that you don't get suggested by some article you've read before and leave us with a tasty bounce.
Focus! Prepare yourself to discover what the word diversity means, because in this article you will understand that different types of services in the writing sector can be carried out.
Now you may think that I just said that both are in the writing field, so everyone is a writer. But that reductionism is for ignorants, and if you are here it is because either you are not, or you do not want to be one.
As a starting point I'll tell you that in your life it would occur to you to say that a poet and a storyteller are the same thing. Don't they both write? They're writers, but they're not the same.
So let's solve the first doubt: both copywriters and content writers well... write. But they don't write the same thing, nor do they have the same audience, nor are their objectives the same.
I'm going to summarize what a copywriter and a content writer are, what sectors they work in and above all, what makes them different... because that's what you came here for, right?
What is a copywriter?
Come here, I'll tell you a secret: a copywriter is an expert in copywriting… What? You didn't see that coming? Real information is our thing...
A copywriter is the person in charge of applying a writing technique in web pages or conversion landing pages, which consists of generating a communication that accelerates, encourages and facilitates the user to buy or leave information (lead).
This is done through a profile study of a potential user or a buyer persona in order to write about a product or service they are selling. They are usually specialized in:
- Emotional writing
- Neuromarketing
- Digital marketing
- Sales strategies
- Product management
A copywriter knows the environment in which the product is moving and generates his or her own language with the ability to make the user feel that he or she is empathizing with it from the first moment he or she enters the web.
What are the objectives of a copywriter?
The main goal of copywriting is conversion through sales or leads. But since the end justifies the means, the first purpose of a copywriter is to generate a line of communication between the user and the web.
This technique advocates the creation of a message that empathizes with the emotions that are shown in users, due to the need they have and that makes them look for a product or service that meets their demand.
What is a content writer?
Content writers are in charge of writing and uploading the content to the website. They are in charge of putting all the information and everything related to the quality of the texts, making sure that there are no spelling mistakes, coherence and cohesion errors in the content.
They are the ones in charge of writing the blog news, the favorites of SEOs to carry out the content of their niches. In addition they also upload the images to the web and the entries, and –if necessary– they edit them and give format to the texts.
Their work ranges from writing to content management, in addition to create publication calendars to organize each of the aspects they have to write about in a website. Content writers are usually specialized in:
- Journalism
- Philology
- Marketing
- Writing
You must really like writing and communicating to be part of an editorial team.
What are the objectives of a content writer?
The goal of content writers is to create an informative spectrum around the product, service or brand for which they work.
Their figure has been strengthened with the latest updates from Google, as it loves content and will do everything possible to reward all websites that have it.
So, if you think your page has poor content, also called thin content, I recommend you to run away and work on some good texts.
Do both you work in the same field?
Yes, both work in the digital marketing sector, they are fundamental pieces of an online advertising strategy.
However, they are used for very different things, because the goal of a copywriter is not the same as that of a content writer.
You may think that the goal of marketing is to sell, so both should have the same goal. But far from the truth.
If you expect a content writer to generate conversion or revenue in the short term, you're making a mistake.
That is the task of the copywriter, who is ready to generate conversion-oriented texts.
What are the differences between copywriting and content writing?
Suppose you are hired by a marketing agency to write content and upload it to both the website and the blog. Your main goal is to get traffic, which may or may not translate into conversion.
You can put banners that link to your products, use an active language so that they navigate through the ecommerce, but you haven't done a previous study of the type of user that will visit your website because you wouldn't take care of that.
The copywriter will take care of that, and will have carried out a study of the type of customers who demand this type of product or service. Based on this, he has created a profile of action verbs, thus configuring a style of communication and a language typical of the sector in order to intoxicate the user.
Back to the football topic, if the objective of a football team is to score more goals than the other, it is the centre forward who is in charge of putting the ball in the rival's goal as his function is to score a goal.
A midfielder commands, regulates, control the game and has a great vision to give great passes to strikers. Both kick a ball, but their role are not the same.
The same happens with a copywriter and a content writer. Both are writers, both work in the digital marketing sector, but their function and role within a strategy, are very different.
You may now say ‘I've been writing and focusing my message on sales all my life, I've written articles and they're all trying to sell the product to the customer who hires me’.
You are a champion and you are worth gold because applying copywriting to an informative article in order to get conversion is something complex. That's why copywriters and content writers are hired separately.
They do their job and are specialists in their own field and not all of them have the ability to create informative content to generate conversions.
Both things can complement each other, but they are still different and therefore a line must be established to separate copywriting from content writing.
In short, a copywriter and a content writer are not the same thing. Be sure to use the right professional for the right work.
