This article will give a clear idea about the difference between copywriting and content writing, the salary of copywriters and content writers, how to become a copywriter, and what skills are needed to become a copywriter or content writer.

So let’s start:

Copywriting vs Content writing

 

Both copywriting and content writing are helpful for business, but they serve different purposes. Both help to generate revenue for the businesses but in different ways.

The significant difference between copywriting and content writing is that copywriting generates leads, whereas content writing educates and informs people. Copywriting is meant to sell, while content writing is about providing valuable information.

Providing helpful information doesn’t mean only showering knowledge. Sometimes, content writing is used for engaging with the audience and followers.

Businesses hire content writers to do the content writing for them.
As you know, every business these days are doing content marketing. So it becomes essential for organisations to hire content writers to do the content writing work for them.

BTW, Content creation is not in the scope of this article, and we will discuss it in some other post.
Now, let’s dive in to understand the core differences between copywriting and content writing.

What is copywriting?

 

Copywriting is the art of crafting words for the sole purpose of conversion. It is a way of arranging words strategically to persuade readers to take action. And the action could be anything like to buy, subscribe, download, etc.
Many people mistaken the word copywriting with copyright. I have a funny instance: a digital photographer reached out to me and asked for some consultation on images copyright. I explained to him the difference and gave him the correct address for copyright-ing.

Does copywriting need to be formal?

 

No, not at all.

Even, it is just the opposite.

Copywriting is written in the way we speak. So that a reader feels as if he/she has a conversion. Also, it is recommended to keep the copywriting to a level of 8th grade so that everyone could easily comprehend.

There is no need to use many jargons in your copy, to make it look fancy. If readers cannot understand what you have written, they aren’t going to take any action.

So, copywriting is not about showing off your high standard of formal language. It’s about convincing.

 

How to write a good copy?

 

As copywriting is all about persuasion, you need to understand how to use words that would help in persuading people. There are some persuasive techniques used for copywriting, which you can check in my blog post.

You have to understand the product or services to present them in a better way to the audience. If you have no understanding of the features and benefits of the product, how would you convey your message to the people?

So, you need to understand the product first and then start with your copywriting.

 

Skills needed for copywriting

 

• Persuasion: The most important skill that you need to craft a better copy is the art of persuasion. You must know how to persuade people with your words.
• Market Research: You need to understand the demand for the product in the market. Or else the product won’t get sold.
• Psychology: Understanding Consumers’ Psychology would help you make the copy more convincing.

And any other skills will just act as a supplementary.

Another thing that great copywriters say is that you must have knowledge in various fields so that it would help you create a better copy.

But, there are some niche-focused copywriters who like to work in that particular niche. Here are some profitable copywriting niches you must know.

 

How much do copywriters earn?

 

As per the data aggregated from Payscale, copywriters earn around $50,000 per annum. And around 80% of them earn between $35,000 to $65,000. To have more info on the earning of Copywriters check this article- Copywriters salaries.

Let’s have some more data from Indeed on the salary of copywriters-

Here are some of the best cities for Copywriters in the US-

These are some of the companies for the copywriting jobs-

 

How much copywriters make, it totally depends upon what project they are working on, whom they are working for, how many years of experience they have and all these sorts of things decide their earning.

Stats on Copywriting Career

 

Here are some data on the Copywriting career provided by joboutlook.gov.au (Job outlook is an initiative of the Australian Government)-

Knowledge required for copywriting-

 

• English language
• Sales and marketing
• Communications and media
• Customer and personal service
• Computer and electronics

 

Skills required for copywriting-

 

• Reading comprehension
• Writing
• Active listening
• Critical thinking
• Speaking

 

Abilities for copywriting-

 

• Written comprehension
• Written expression
• Oral comprehension
• Oral exprehension
• Brainstorming

 

Copywriting activities-

 

• Planning and prioritising work
• Communicating with the public
• Influencing people
• Thinking creatively
• Building good relationships

 

Tools for Copywriting

 

Here are the top 10 tools for copywriting-

• Copyscape
• Un-Suck it
• Thesaurus.com
• Rhymezone
• Copydoodles
• Read-Able
• SEO Book
• Live Keyword Analysis
• EMV Headline Analyzer
• Flickr

 

What is content writing?

 

What is content writing, and how is it different from copywriting?

Content means anything that is created on a piece of paper or web page. And, content writing is about written contents. Content writing serves different purposes from copywriting. Content writing may be persuasive, but it’s not the main aim of it.

Often content writing is done for educational purpose to drive engagements and traffic.
Sometimes content writing is done for the promotional purpose to inform people about the product’s offering.

Also, occasionally content writing is used to entertain the audience. According to some research, entertaining contents get better engagements than educational contents.

The main aim of content in marketing is to nurture possible buyers. And content marketers leverage contents to nurture people and gradually convert them to buyers.

So, content writing could also help you generate leads, but it’s a slow process, whereas copywriting is like a salesman giving a sales pitch.

Skills required for content writing

 

Here are the skills required for content writing–

• Ability to do deep research
• Creativity
• Diverse knowledge
• Focused

There are no such hard rules that you should have these skill, but I would say that you must start writing without much worrying about less knowledge you have, wrong grammars, and all. If you want to excel in content writing, you must write, and gradually you will become better at it.

Salary for Content Writers

 

The average content writers earn $52,000 per annum in the US. Usually pay range is between $30,000 to $ 70,000.

Here are some stats on the salary of content writers from Indeed–

Here is the list of high paying companies for content writers in the United States-

Here is the list of top companies for content writing jobs-

The salary of content writers varies according to factors such as place, experience, niche, and workload.

Summary: Copywriting vs Content Writing

 

Copywriting is all about persuading prospects to take any action such as buy, subscribe, save it, download etc. At the same time, content writing is used to nurture the audience or possible buyers.

Neither copywriting nor content writing requires an academic style of writing. Both can be informal.
Content writing can also help persuade people, but the main goal of content writers is to educate, inform and entertain to drive engagements.

Copywriting helps in generating leads, whereas content writing helps engage with the audience.

 

Here’s a video from YouTube by Sarah Turner on Content writing vs Copywriting: Which one is best for you, have a look at it.

So, this is what you needed to know about Copywriting vs content writing.

Hope you liked it.

Tell me in the comment section in case I missed something to mention.

Thank You!