5 MAJOR Differences: Copywriting Vs. Content Writing

writer's desk with "5 major differences: copywriting vs. content writing" overlaid

So, you’d like to be a writer. Or, at the very least, you’d like to handle the writing for your business. That’s great! As a freelance writer myself, I can say you’re in good company.

The first thing you should know is there are many kinds of writing. Today, we’re focusing on two of the biggest: copywriting and content writing. Pretty much every single business on the planet can benefit from these two specific services!

But there are some major differences between copywriting vs. content writing. And you need to know them before you can decide which one you want to pursue. You can even learn how to do both, just like me!

And be sure to stick around until the end, because I’ve got a bonus tip to help you figure out which path is going to be best for you.

What is Copywriting?

Copywriting has nothing to do with copyrights. While these words sound the same, they’re about completely different things.

So, what is copywriting? Copywriting means writing the text, also called the copy, used in marketing and advertisement materials.

Google ads… Facebook ads… Mailers from companies… Even requests for donations from charity… the text you see in ads and marketing is called copy.

Someone has to come up with the ideas and the words you see on these promotional materials. That person is a copywriter. Or a business owner who also writes their own copy, which is also very common.

What is Content Writing?

Content writing refers to the words used in pretty much anything that isn’t an ad. Blogs… website pages… newsletters… even video scripts… all fall into this category.

Basically, content is anything people read or watch for educational or entertainment purposes. TikTok videos are content. The video you’re watching right now…. Is content!

Just like with ads, somebody has to think of all the words that go into every single article, video, podcast, etc. That person is a content writer. Or a business owner who also writes their own content, which is super common.

Now that you understand the basics of copywriting vs. content writing, let’s dig into the major differences between them.

A freelance beauty copywriter at her desk, writing in a notebook.

Major Difference #1 – The Purpose

The first major difference between copywriting vs. content writing is the overall purpose. The purpose of copywriting is getting the audience to buy something. But the purpose of content writing is to inform the audience about a specific question or topic.

You’ve almost definitely seen some form of advertising today. Ads play before videos, they appear at the top of Google searches, and we even see them in our social media feed.

And all of them are trying to get you to buy something, whether it’s sour candy or a digital course or cat toys. While ads are sometimes informative, they mostly convince you to purchase—usually with a limited-time offer, a glowing review, or a bonus freebie.

As for content, what you’re reading right now is content! And I’m not here to sell you anything. My sole purpose is to shed some light on this question that I hear multiple times per day, every single day.

The simplest way that I like to think of copywriting vs. content writing in terms of purpose is: the purpose of copywriting is to sell, and the purpose of content writing is to inform.

Major Difference #2 – The Timeline

The second major difference between copywriting vs content writing is the timeline of the sale. I mentioned a bit ago that most brands use both copywriting and content writing, right?

Here’s what that might look like in practice:

You want to choose a new, healthier brand of wet food for your cat.

In order to make that decision, you need to be informed on ingredients and whatnot, right? So you do a Google search on “what ingredients to avoid in wet cat food” because this will make it easier for you to narrow down potential choices.

And you find this article by RAWZ Natural Pet Food with lots of great info about what to avoid and how to be on the lookout. Now, RAWZ sells wet cat food, but this article isn’t an ad. It’s a super-informative piece of content. It’s not really trying to sell you anything.

Sure, the article mentions finding a pet store near you at the very end, but even this isn’t really pushing you to buy.

Instead, the article lays the groundwork for you to potentially buy in the future.

Okay, so you keep researching, and you narrow it down to a few brands. You’re scrolling through Facebook, and you see this ad from RAWZ. See how it says “Available on Amazon!” and “Shop now”?

This language is designed to encourage you to act right now. It literally says “now” right on the ad, right?

That’s what I mean when I say the timeline is different. The timeline for copywriting is getting the reader to act now, while the timeline for content writing is getting the reader to act sometime in the future.

Thumbtacks stuck into deadline dates on a freelance beauty copywriter's calendar.

Major Difference #3 – The Technical Details

Both copywriting and content writing depend on technical details. Don’t get me wrong; both allow for loads of creativity and new ideas. But there are still certain aspects that are universal.

With copywriting, the technique is in leveraging emotions. Ultimately, people buy things for emotional reasons, not rational ones. Then, we like to know logical facts that support the emotions guiding that choice.

For example, in a car commercial, do they open with facts about the vehicle’s safety awards or gas mileage? No! Every ad I’ve seen starts with driving through a city at night, or windy mountain roads—an image that elicits an emotional reaction like, “Wow! Imagine how great it would feel to have a nice SUV that I could drive up to the mountains on the weekends.”

Then, they hit you with the facts and figures to convince you the decision is a smart one. This is a basic example, but at the end of the day, copywriting comes down to human emotions and a bit of psychology.

Now content writing, on the other hand, requires attention to detail in terms of grammar, sentence structure, sources, and data. No matter what language you write content in, it has to sound natural and correct when someone reads or watches it.

Plus, every brand has their own guidelines on what sort of grammar and tone they use in their content. You have to be a chameleon in some ways—able to make your writing blend seamlessly with the content that brand has already created.

Content writing often requires a bit more research than copywriting, too. For a short ad, you typically don’t need to research facts and figures. But with content writing, you’re educating somebody. That means making sure everything you say is accurate, and adding statistics to strengthen your points.

For example, I'm working on a post about 10 little-known copywriting niches no one talks about. While writing that, I had to look into every single niche I mentioned to pull the appropriate data. And the content is stronger for it! If I just listed these 10 niches without telling you why I picked them, how believable would that information sound. Not very!

Whereas if I was selling you a course on how to find your niche as a copywriter, I wouldn’t need to mention all of that in the ad for the course. Instead, I’d talk about my expertise, what you’ll get out of the course, and the positive reviews.

See the difference there? Copywriting involves techniques related to emotions and persuasion, while content writing requires excellent grammar and research skills.

Major Difference #4 – The Length

The fourth major difference between copywriting vs content writing is the typical length of each piece. Copy tends to be short, snappy, and to the point.

I’ll say immediately that this isn’t always the case, of course—some sales pages are thousands of words long. And many of us remember the long infomercials of days gone by.

But generally, in the world of ads, we’re talking a few sentences or a couple paragraphs at most.

Now content, on the other hand, is usually much longer. Blogs can be anywhere from 500 to several thousand words long. YouTube videos that are more than a few minutes long require a fairly long script to cover all the topics. Even BuzzFeed articles typically take a few minutes to read.

And you might find one to be easier than the other.

For me, writing copy is definitely more challenging than writing content. As you can tell from this post, I’m an explainer! I love details, facts, and educating someone as effectively as possible.

So when I have to write an ad that’s just a sentence or two long, it can take me a while to whittle down everything I want to say into just the most important details.

But I know people who find content writing to be a little trickier. Sometimes they feel like they don’t have anything to say, or don’t know where to start. Depending on your personality, it’s totally normal to find one a bit more natural than the other.

The good news is, you can always learn how to do whichever isn’t the more natural fit.

A freelance beauty copywriter updating her blog while drinking a take-out coffee.

Major Difference #5 – The Skillset

Okay, so all of these things we’ve covered lead to the final major difference between copywriting vs. content writing: the skillset!

Now I want to say again, I truly believe anybody can learn either or both of these skills. Sure, natural “talent” might help someone get a slightly quicker start. But ultimately, that person would need to learn the same techniques and skills as someone with no inclination or past writing experience.

With copywriting, the cornerstone of your skillset is communicating in a persuasive, convincing, and natural way. When I say “natural,” I just mean your copy needs to sound the way someone would naturally speak. You don’t need to be a native speaker to hone this skill.

You also need to be able to communicate points effectively and clearly. When it comes to copy, less is often more—meaning the less words you need to get the sale, the more effective the copy will be.

As a content writer, however, you need to focus on being authentic while educating your audience. This means you have to present details and important points in a way that makes sense to your reader or viewer. Your content can’t be boring, uninformative, or seem like it was put together in a rush.

This post is meant to hit on all of those points. While I’m diving into the details of these major differences, this guide (hopefully!) isn’t like sitting in a boring lecture with an instructor who’s just counting the days to retirement.

You need to be able to talk about the topic of your content in a way that’s engaging and interesting for your audience and ensure you choose topics that truly matter to them. You’re not trying to persuade them to do anything—you’re just sharing helpful information.

Okay, to summarize that, copywriting requires a strong skillset in persuasion, sounding natural instead of sales-y, and making your point with just a few words. Content writing requires a strong skillset in being engaging and authentic, plus explaining information in clear detail.

BONUS – How to Pick Where You’ll Start!

Now that you understand these 5 major differences between copywriting vs. content writing, you may feel more naturally interested in one over the other. If this is true for you, I highly recommend you lean into that preference.

If you’re still unsure, the biggest thing to remember is that you aren’t making a permanent choice here. You can change your mind anytime, or even decide to learn both—which is very common!

With that in mind, think about your current hobbies, past job roles, and favorite school subjects when you were younger.

Do you enjoy persuading people? Maybe you were in the debate club, or you’ve enjoyed sales in a past job role? If this sounds like you, copywriting would be a great place for you to start. It’s all about the art of persuasion and crafting effective sales strategies.

On the other hand, do you enjoy research and teaching people new things? Perhaps you always looked forward to essay projects in school, or you have a lifelong love of reading. If this describes you, content writing would almost definitely be very rewarding for you.

But to be honest, you can’t really master either of these skills without at least some knowledge of the other. The vast majority of brands and potential clients out there use a mix of copywriting and content writing in their overall marketing strategies!

I only say this to illustrate how fluidly you can switch from one to the other—you can even learn both at the same time if you really want to.

At the end of the day, while there are major differences between copywriting vs. content writing, they’re both necessary pieces of the marketing puzzle. Don’t be afraid to start pursuing your passion— the only wrong choice you can make here is deciding not to follow your dreams!

Rooting for you,
Shelby Dennis
Your freelance beauty copywriter & SEO content writer

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