Content Writing vs. Copywriting

Career Trends: November 17, 2022

Curated by the Knowledge Team of  ICS Career GPS

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Content Credit:

• Article by Ayush Jalan, published on makeuseof.com. Original article link.

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Ever since blogging has become mainstream, it has become almost mandatory for brands to have one of their own. As marketing evolves, adapting to a more personal approach becomes increasingly important as customers today look for deeper connections and inspiration from brands they love.

So, this has opened up a lot of opportunities for young writers who want to pursue their passions professionally.

There can sometimes be a blurry line between content writing and copywriting.

At their core, content writing and copywriting are quite similar. But the differences mentioned below will give you a clear idea about how they compare in terms of content creation, style, and goals. Regardless of their introduction, they are both critical components to building a successful online presence.

1. Purpose

• Content writing aims to inform and educate the reader about a particular subject.
• This can be about the brand itself, a technology, a concept, an event, or any other topic that requires explanation—the more complex the subject, the more details are required.

• Copywriting intends to excite and persuade the reader to buy a brand’s product or service by inciting an emotional response.
• A well-written copy is hard to ignore. In other words, it attracts and maintains attention.v

2. Direction

• Content writing is multidirectional. In addition to providing information, it engages people by asking questions and engaging them in conversations about the subject.
• Also, it tends to be open-ended and free-flowing.

• Copywriting is unidirectional. It does not involve dialogue or conversation, but one-way speech that is objectively focused.
• In other words, it is done solely in order to foster a definite result, i.e. gaining customers, service subscriptions, social media followers, app downloads, etc.

3. Tone

• Content writing uses different types of tones depending on the type of audience you are writing for.
• For instance, the tone used in a lifestyle blog is usually expected to be more conversational and layman.
• However, in business whitepapers, the tone is professional and may be full of jargon depending on the complexity of the topic at hand.

• Copywriting, on the other hand, uses a consistent tone. It’s conversational, simple, and free of jargon to appeal to the largest audience.
• This is because copywriting is used to inspire a sense of urgency in the mind of the reader to motivate the reader to act immediately such as buying a product.

4. Expertise Required

• Content writing requires fast typing, research skills, familiarity with CMSs(Content Management System), a wide vocabulary, solid writing tools, and knowledge of SEO.

• If you want to pursue copywriting, the most basic requirement is to be a creative thinker.
• This will allow you to discover interesting ways to promote brands and products. To create narratives that deeply move people, you need storytelling skills.
• Social media know-how is a must since it’s a big part of marketing.
• Copywriting is ultimately about saying more with less.

5. Length

• Typically, a content writer writes long-form content in the form of articles, blog posts, whitepapers, ebooks, case studies, webpage content, etc.
• Each of these requires deep research so that you can explain the topic effectively.
• The goal of reading articles is to get answers, opinions, and feedback. This could be between 500 and 5,000 words.

• A copywriter writes short-form copies like slogans, scripts, sales copies, product descriptions, taglines, social media posts, brochures, posters, billboards, flyers, etc.
• Depending on what kind of copy you are writing, the length will vary greatly.
• As people’s attention spans shrink, copywriting needs to be to the point, quick, and actionable to get quick results.

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Have you checked out yesterday’s blog yet?

Career Options in Coding

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(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article mentioned above are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ICS Career GPS or its staff.)

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