We are all mildly familiar with Copywriting and Content Writing but do we truly know the differences between the two?

Writers: Do you specialize in one or the other? Are you more interested or talented in one or the other?

Business Owners: Do you know which kind of writer you need to hire for your goals and needs?

Although working together quite harmoniously, the role of the Copywriter and Content Writer are not synonymous and exist with cohesive, yet contrasting motives with the greatest difference regarding the purpose of the writing.

Copywriting is the art of writing to market a company with the ultimate intention of driving conversion and/or selling a product, service or idea. The product of this style of writing is called copy, explaining the name. Copywriting lives in emails, brochures, article descriptions, product/promotional pitches, social media and advertising. It is one directional text that presents an offer to the reader and results in a call to action.

Content writing, is the art of writing specialized content with the intent to inform, educate or entertain. Content writing increases engagement with the audience, drives traffic, builds trust and conveys brand messages through longer bodies of text. This style of writing feels conversational and is multi-directional. It showcases value from a brand. Content writing is found throughout blog posts, website or print articles, novels, memoirs, scripts, e-books and film.

Both styles of writing feed off each other, as an engaged audience is more likely to buy what the company has to offer. The two roles should flow as one with synchronicity, allowing the consumer journey to be experienced seamlessly while providing clarity of a brand’s mission. If multiple individuals are working on copy and content separately, a partnership rich with both communication and collaboration will ensure there is a maintenance of flow while avoiding conflicting messages within the brand.

Advice for New Writers:

Research each style of writing and the requirements/skills of each. We have all started at one point with merely a burning desire to write. That’s not enough! Get in there and get specific in order to become a master of your craft.
Dig even deeper and develop a niche market you will write for. While there are jobs with lose requirements that cover vast topics, the more specific you are… the more you can perfect what you bring to the table. Will you write about finance, personal development, real estate, healthcare, beauty, lifestyle? Narrow this down.
Dive headfirst into seminars, online-courses, books and every bit of learning material you can get your hands on! There is plenty.
Market YOURSELF through portfolios, LinkedIn groups, an Up Work account and an online presence. As you acquire clients, ask for testimonials to boost credibility.

Advice for New Business Owners:

Understand the different metrics that each type of writing will impact and make sure your writer does too!
Look for a writer with a web presence and experience that aligns with your niche. A promising copy/content writer will ask questions, hold interviews and spark conversations to understand the brand’s voice in order to write from it.
Don’t fear the price tag; a talented copywriter or content writer is not simply a writer, but one with training and a track record of writing to generate a certain response. You are hiring the writer with ROI in mind. Quality in this category of work will cost you, but when done correctly, will be a profound investment.

In Sum:

Copywriting:

Drives sales
Motivates the reader to take action
Persuades

Content Writing:

Drives engagement
Builds loyalty through storytelling
Informs, educates and entertains

I hope this was helpful! Wishing you positive, prosperous partnerships.

- K. Hoffman

As an avid podcast listener, incessant reader, tireless researcher and all around knowledge obsessed introvert, I have learned to exist with an absurd amount of ideas (big and small) bouncing from Left Brain to Right. Fueling my less dominant but alas quite present extroverted persona, is a quality crew of beautifully artistic and ferociously intelligent individuals that share the same tennis match thought patterns with whom I collaborate regularly in attempt to exchange perspectives and keep our mind’s somewhat organized.

In the World today, there is an influx of technology induced stimuli that b-line their way into our personal bubbles on a consist basis. From the multi-channeled sources of media to the street art lining our neighborhood blocks, we are blessed and bombarded with opinions and information from people working diligently for us to hear their messages.

Many interests take hold of my time. Sitting high on this list is as previously mentioned street art and the world of Business follows suit close after, having maintained my attention for years. Professionally and personally, I am surrounded by the lucrative metropolis of an industry most minutes of the day. I have divulged into the lessons of great Influencers, marveled over best practices of Billion Dollar CEO’s and scribbled frenzied annotations outlining every “how-to-begin” I could get my hands on. I have collected the in’s and out’s of components like marketing strategies, developing a Business plan, understanding a target audience ect. and humbly recognize these things as crucial catalysts to catapulting your idea into a reality BUT what I have digested and comfortably settled into at this stage of the game is that QUALITY CONTENT is all you need to begin. Period.

The Earth’s population is comprised of vastly unique human beings with drastically different talents that when puplically shared, bring magic to the rest of society. The one piece of advice I offer any and all members of said society, eager to leap into contributing to World advancement (which should be everyone) is this; figure out what you are brilliant at doing, figure out your passion (if you’re lucky, this will be the same thing) and then pour it into the World with everything you’ve got. Double Down on your strength/s; Photography, Writing, Videography, Illustration, Leadership, Sales, Marketing, Designing, Coaching & Development, Identifying Top Talent (Recruiting), Cooking, the list is endless. Dig into your habits. What do you willingly focus on, to the point of losing time? Understand what you can offer the World and then offer it to the World. Do this for free. Devote yourself to developing an exceptional quality of work and ignore the notion that pumping out a certain quantity of information or products will carry you to success at the start. The rest of this quest will flourish quite naturally and with knowledge implementation as time and experience progress. It is easy to become lost in the details of smaller blunders, which matter, but ultimately do not drive big picture health; your WHY drives health. Your CONTENT establishes and maintains the audience. Share yourself. Share what you know others will benefit from. All else, will grow as you do.

Ample gratitude, for your presence.

-K