Content writer or copywriter?
Let me say a little about content writers and copywriters. The truth is, there’s a huge overlap between them. Story-telling, for example, and the more creative short social media posts. Broadly speaking, however, long form copy fits more neatly into the content bucket. Some copywriters write the full spectrum of content, but content writers are less likely than copywriters to be involved in highly conceptual brand creation. (By the way, you don’t need to decide between them; I’ll match you up with the best writer for your job.)
‘Copywriter’ originates from the days of print advertising—for magazines, billboards and TV. But digital has created many subdivisions, each with a subtly different objective. As the internet has come of age, so too have the skillsets digital marketing requires, and, though subtle, the distinction between the two can be helpful.
Content writing is the bread and butter of your marketing – long-form copy such as blogs and white papers or thought leadership pieces for, say, LinkedIn. Content writing is a continual feed of fresh stuff that keeps you relevant and help the search engine algorithms find you. While there are copywriters who also specialise in this kind of content, there’s another variety of copywriter, with a more conceptual orientation. By conceptual, I mean the kind of inventiveness that is required for creating a brand – the company name, the strapline, the tone of voice, the names of products, the key descriptors for your offering (the words you’d use on all your marketing collateral).
Whatever my writers choose to call themselves, each one occupies their own specialist corner of the word-o-sphere—and that’s why I go to them. Some are born bloggers. Others prefer the mix of short-form, topicality, and tone of voice that is needed for many social media posts. Some excel at researching obscure topics and producing features, thought leadership and white papers of a few thousand words. Others are experts not only writing but also in SEO; everything they write is carefully crafted to get you found by the search engines. And some love the highly creative end of writing that’s needed for building brands, naming products, creating straplines, and creating tone of voice—in other words, creating the personality of your business.
It means we’re equipped to cover every conceivable writing need.
