Copywriting and content writing… it’s all the same, right? Wrong.
I decided to write a blog post about this as it was genuinely a learning curve for me when it came to labelling myself as a freelancer. That’s not because I didn’t know the difference myself, but when you look at postings on freelance job boards, no matter what job it is, most of the time people seem to say they’re looking for a ‘copywriter’, which isn’t necessarily always correct – read on to find out why.
So, let’s start with copywriting.
When I think of copywriting, I think of Don Draper in Mad Men (I’m really sorry for the cliché reference, but I have always been a genuine fan of the show since I started my career in advertising).
Don Draper is a fictional creative director of a made up advertising firm in Manhattan.
Fun Fact: According to the show’s pilot episode, “Mad Men” was a slang term from the 1950s by advertisers on Madison Avenue who referred to themselves as that.
Don’s job is all about persuasion. Copywriters skilfully use words to convince the audience to take action, whether that could be buying something or in this digital age, downloading something.
But isn’t that what content writing does?
In a way, yes. However, I like to think of copywriting as cleverly encompassing a brand’s values and ideas to create or fit in with the overall branding of the company. Think of short-form copy like straplines, headlines or advert copy – they want to have a short-term goal with big returns.
Still confused? Well now I’ll talk about what content writing is and this will hopefully make things a little clearer.
Content writing is more about focusing on content that educates, entertains or informs your reader, and is generally long-form, so this could be something like a magazine feature, email newsletter, social media post, or a blog post.
In short, there is a crossover of responsibilities, but each type of writing serves a different purpose depending on what your end goal is. All brands will need some form of copywriting AND content writing in order to succeed.
Does it matter? Not to me! My experience lies in both, which is why I’ve labelled myself as both a copywriter and content writer. I understand that different goals require different styles of copy, so if you have a project you think I can help you with then I’d love to hear from you.
Laura Bracher 