Do you need a content writer for your business? Or maybe you need a copywriter? Is there a difference between a content writers and copywriters? Or is it all just semantics?
There are so many questions because writing is such a critical part of any business. And I’m not only talking about marketing here. How you write and what you write for a business impacts your customer service, your sales and how well your employees will understand what they need to do.
All of it is writing and all of it matters. Imagine trying to train your lovely admin person to file something away that you can find when you need it. Or write up your meeting notes so that they make sense. It all needs clear and simple words – exactly like your blogs, captions and marketing emails.
Good copy can make a world of difference to your business. And with so many different kinds of writers out there, how do decide which one is going to be right for you? Let’s take a look at some of the different kinds of skills you need for both a content writer and copywriters.
What does a content writer do?
A content writer will write top-notch blogs for your business. They’ll have their head into SEO and probably think about how the blog will work as other stuff like social media posts, freebies or infographics. You know, all the cool little extra bits you need for your content marketing.
Content writers will also think about images, videos and everything else that goes on the page. Plus all the accessibility so that your blog can be read by most people.
It might seem like this has way more to do than writing – and it does – but not every content writer will need to do this. Not everyone will want their content writer poking about at the back of their website and will have someone else to do all the uploading bits.
But overall, a content writer is someone who writes for an online audience. They think about how their words will be read through different screens and whether the content is up to the job.
You’ll also get content writers who write marketing emails and lead magnets. Although the bread and butter for any content writer are those lovely juicy blogs.
What does a copywriter do?
Let’s start by saying a copywriter can do all of the above. But they might prefer writing advertising copy or tag lines or product copy. Copywriting is a hugely versatile term and lots of copywriters like to specialise in their favourite kind of work.
You’ll get generalists who’ll turn their lovely writing brains into anything. And that’s the awesome thing about copywriters, we’re all very much capable of researching and writing for the audience.
We’ll probably ask a lot of questions like who is meant to be buying this product? And what do you know about them? All that good stuff. And we’re super happy if there are some cracking tone of voice guidelines.
Some of us even specialise in writing tone of voice guidelines. All of it helps us make our writing look like it comes from your brand rather than the inside of our heads.
Copywriters can create works for both print and online. Some will work like content writers and think about how it looks on the page. Others will do you some awesome writing.
And like with content writers, you might find some specialist experts in certain fields.
How are content writers and copywriters different?
So if your content writer and copywriters do similar jobs – how are they different? Well, in many cases they are not. It might be down to the individual copywriter who wants to work on a certain kind of project.
Some may not want to learn SEO or do all the online magic. Content writers are less likely to have experience in writing copy for packages. They might not know how to fit word counts into a space because it’s not so necessary online. But they will have their own set of skills for a job.
Where do I find a content writer?
First of all, I’m going to caution you against going to places like Fiverr for these services. I’m sure there are lots of amazing writers on there but the race to the bottom on price does not suggest you’ll get the quality you need for your content to do well.
Honestly, go with a recommendation. Find someone whose copy you love and ask them who writes it. If it’s not in-house go and speak to them. If it is in-house, I reckon they might know a good freelancer looking for work.
You can always come to a content specialist (ahem) and get them to write for you. That’s the great thing about the writing community, we all like to pass on good leads to each other.
Where do I find a copywriter?
You can use the same for a copywriter. Go and ask, read copywriters’ blogs (we all have one), and check out their Twitter and LinkedIn.
How to become a content writer?
Okay, let’s say you’re reading this blog and thinking: “yup, that’s the kind of thing I want to do for a living.” Awesome. It’s a great skill to learn. Or maybe you’re thinking that copywriters are pretty bloomin’ pricey and you might be better off learning how to write blogs, social media and emails all yourself until you can afford to take someone on.
Not a bad idea.
Well, you can go do a copywriting course. There’s plenty about but take a recommendation first.
Or you can learn with me. The Blog Confidence course is taught live around three times a year. It’s 8-weeks of blog writing skills, exercises and personal feedback.
How much does a copywriter charge?
This is a tricky one because most copywriters I know (myself included) set their own rates and run their own businesses. Personally, I never charge by the hour or the word. These don’t work for me and you’re paying for my writing skill rather than my time.
Plus, your website isn’t a newspaper so you’re not necessarily tied to a word count. And any good copywriter will tell you that great copy conveys all the information without repeating itself. This means that if I think more needs to go into the blog – I’ll stick it in. But I’ll not be plumping up the word count simply for the sake of it.
And while packaging needs a specific number of words, again charging by the word simply doesn’t make sense. Think of those powerful tag lines like “Just Do It”. Imagine charging by the word for those?
Is it important to specialise in SEO?
If you’re writing blogs then you definitely need some grounding in SEO. If you’re looking for someone to write your blogs for you then they definitely need a good idea about SEO. Mostly because you want folks to actually find your blogs and read them.
There is a balance between SEO and tone of voice. This comes with both the time and experience of a good content writer or copywriter.
However, if you’re looking for someone to write your white paper, ghostwrite your book, and create snappy copy on your packaging then it’s not in the slightest bit important that they know what keywords to use.
It’s all about the purpose first. What kind of copy do you need? Where will it be used?
Although, I’d say SEO is a good skill for all writers to have – if only so their own blogs get read as well.
How will a copywriter help my business?
I’m totally biased but a good copywriter can make a world of difference to your business.
Over the past few months, I’ve seen brands talk about how Instagram is dead or not worth the organic effort and that everyone needs to head over to TikTok.
Except, that’s not been the experience for a lot of my clients. And I will toot my horn here because it’s my copy that is getting the engagement and the traction on the social media accounts.
It is copy that makes a difference in whether or not your sales page sells. It’s copy which means your emails get opened. And it’s copy that ultimately makes people laugh and feel part of your gang.
Sure you can do a lot with video but you can’t put a video on a crisp packet (not yet anyway). Until that time, you need some great copy so people want to buy what you’re selling.