Online work is now the new normal. Why work in an office when you can still have a thriving career in the comforts of your home? Not only are you safe against health hazards, but you can also have more time for your family and your passion projects. For most, it’s the better choice.
And one of the best starting points for your online career is writing gigs. Your play of words can make you a ton of money when done right. And the common opportunities will be for copywriting and content writing.
Which do you choose? Heck, what’s the difference between them? Yes, probably they are 70% similar. Both involve, well, writing. But what’s the difference?
Here are 5 differences between copywriting and content writing.
Buy Now vs Buy Later
Copywriting and content writing both aim to target customers. Both have the intention to sell products. The difference is when they intend to push the customer to buy the product.
Copywriters intend to sell the products now. They weave creative but straight to the point copy to persuade knowing customers to buy today.
While content writers aim to build engagement by providing valuable information first. And in the future, with the relationship and authority of the brand built, the customer might make the company his/her go-to brand when they’re ready to purchase.
Persuade vs Inform
Again, the purpose of both is to sell. However, copywriting is more aggressive in selling compared to content writing. Copywriting conveys convincing benefits using persuasive emotional language while inserting multiple call-to-actions in the write-up.
On the other hand, content writing aims to inform, educate, and entertain the readers. Content writers intend to engage the target audience with well-researched articles written in a way that resonates with them.
Length of Writing
In general, copywriting tends to be on the shorter length because they want to show customers just enough information to decide to buy now. But it’s important to take note, there is long-form copywriting, and it will depend on how hard the product needs explaining.
For example, copy for a food advertisement will be really short compared to a $1,000 course that needs quite a lengthy explanation to justify its worth.
On the other hand, content writing is usually at least 800 words or longer. It aims to explain certain topics in a well-researched manner to make it valuable to the target readers.
Quantifiable Conversion Rate
In any business, you need to quantify your efforts into sales. And with a copywriting campaign, you can easily tell how much net gain you get per campaign run. For example, you released an ad aimed at conversion. At the end of the period, you will know how much you sold and how effective the copy is.
Conversely, Content writing is hard to measure in terms of sales. Yes, you can check the SEO rankings of your articles and blog posts. But it’s difficult to attribute it to a specific number of products sold.
Building Trust
Trust is crucial in building brand loyalty. It’s an unquantifiable quality that will make or break any brand. And it’s not built overnight. You need continuous engagement to create meaningful interactions with your current and future customers.
And content writing is perfect for this cause. Content writing builds both a mix of credibility and relatability. It shows the audience that your company is an authority in your field. But shows content in a way that it’s enjoyable and engaging.
Copywriting might persuade people to buy now. But the continuous engagement through social media posts, blog articles, etc. will go a long way in nurturing our audience.
Examples of Content Writing vs Copywriting Medium
Now that you know the major differences, content and copy are present in different mediums and social media channels. Here are some examples.
Copywriting Examples
- Billboards
- Sales letters
- Company jingle
- Press Releases
- Email campaigns
- Direct mail letters
- Slogans and taglines
- Online and Offline Advertisements
Content Writing Examples
- E-books
- Blog posts
- Whitepapers
- Podcasts Scripts
- Email newsletters
- Social media posts
Which is better?
So the question now lies, which is better between the two? The answer is we need a little bit of both. We want to rake in the sales to keep our company moving forward. But we also want to have loyal customers that would spread the word because our products are that good!
So choose which expertise do you want and build your online career today! Cheers!
