Copywriting vs. content writing -- what's the difference for creative and purpose-led businesses?

Have you ever sat there and wondered what the difference is between copywriting and content writing?

(To be fair, you probably haven't. But it's useful to know, I promise. And you never know when it might come up in a pub quiz.)

The two terms are often used interchangeably, but there are distinct differences between these two pieces of writing. So as a writer who really loves creating both copy and content for creative and purpose-led businesses, I thought it might be helpful to write a blog post that explores exactly what the differences are.

Read on to find out what these are, and how you can use copy and content when you're marketing your purpose-led or creative business.

What is copywriting for your creative or purpose-led business?

Copy is text that's written specifically to drive people towards a certain action, such as buying something or getting in contact. You'll find copy on the main pages of a website, such as the home page, services page or about page. It's also the type of writing you'll find in a brochure, whether printed or digital.

Copy tends to be shorter in length than content, and have a specific call to action (get in touch, buy this product, make a booking). Good copywriting is designed to sell or persuade, but in a way that engages beautifully with the ideal audience so it doesn't feel pushy. Essentially, it aims to connect a person who has a need with a solution.

What is content writing for your creative or purpose-led business?

Content is difference from copy in that it's more educative, informative and entertaining. Content has much less focus on sales, and is more subtle in the way it promotes your product or service. Well-written content builds credibility in your brand by sharing your knowledge and expertise, but without making any overt sales references, apart from a call to action at the end to help guide the customer into further engaging with you.

Content is blog posts, articles or social media captions, and is usually a lot longer in length than copy. So what you're reading now in this blog post is content, but if you then head off and have a nosy at the rest of my website (and I'd love you to do this!), you'll be reading copy.

Now I know the difference, does my creative or purpose-led business need copywriting or content writing?

The answer is yes, you need both. Your website needs copy and content in order to draw people to your website and build the right tone of voice for your brand. Both need to be created with SEO in mind. And, crucially, both need to be well written and engaging, otherwise no-one is going to want to read them!

The copy is what you'll write on your website pages that showcases what you offer to people and just why your product or service is exactly what they're after/solves their issue/is what they've been waiting for their whole lives.

Content is great for adding to your website because Google loves lots of new words to crawl and index to provide answers for what people are searching for. A fantastic and very very simple way to regularly add fresh content to your website is via a blog. It will help your Google ranking, and as a bonus you can also repurpose it for social media captions.

So when you're writing for your creative or purpose-led business, have a think about whether you're creating copy or content, and then aim to hit the right tone, length and structure for whichever one it is you need.

I love writing both copy and content for creative and purpose-led businesses, and I especially love interlacing them with SEO magic, so your copy and content is a hit with both Google and real-life customers. If this is something you'd like me to help you with, get in touch for a free, zero obligation chat to talk about how we could work together. (If we're both in Bristol I'll definitely suggest meeting up at Small St Espresso, Small Goods or the Loaf at the Bristol Beacon to take advantage of their excellent flat whites.)