What is a copywriter, anyway?
With the spotlight on content, copy seems to have taken a back seat. Let’s talk about it. ☕
Content, content, content.
We see it everywhere. We hear it all the time. We know it's the most important part of a digital strategy, even if we don’t always know what a digital strategy is! But with the spotlight on content, copy has taken a back seat… somewhere in the shadows.
Don’t get me wrong, content is hugely important. If you’re not sold on it, replace "content" with "customer education". Seems important all of a sudden, doesn’t it? But here’s the thing: while content is great to consume, it’s really copy that persuades us to buy.
Copywriting is, essentially, sales writing. In fact, copywriting has the clear goal of getting the reader to do something – sign up for a newsletter (oh hey 👋🏻), start a free trial, or buy a product. The list, of course, goes on.
It's not just writing things that sound good or are grammatically correct. It’s understanding how people think and what motivates them to act... and then writing something that sounds good (and is grammatically correct) that essentially tells them what to do.
As a copywriter, you're going to write copy that works like a call to action, or CTA (and, ideally, include one, too). The CTA is the phrase that tells users exactly what action to take and how to take it – such as "Contact us", "Click here", or "Order now". Tap, tap, tap!
So that's your job, copywriter: to write killer copy that gets people to take action. Because whether it’s a toaster or an online course, people need copy to tell them what they’re going to get if they’re going to spend their time, money, or energy on something.
Of course, content and copy both use words to help businesses grow, engage and (eventually) sell. In fact, copy is a type of content, so no wonder they’re often used interchangeably. But one key thing sets them apart: their intention.
Where copy is concise, catchy, and urgent, clearly written with the intention of selling you something, content is written to share information, build trust, demonstrate expertise, and nurture relationships.
Content doesn’t ask for anything. It plays the long game. Copy, on the other hand, wants you to take action, NOW. TAP, TAP, TAP ALREADY. Speaking of, have you tapped that ‘Share’ button? I bet you know someone who’d enjoy this newsletter, don’t you?
Anca x
P.S. When in doubt, remember this: copy sells, content tells!