Copywriting vs Content Writing - 6 Differences

Written By Kate Stacey

Confused about the difference between “copywriting” and “content writing”? 

Many people are, given the terms are often used interchangeably.

But understanding the differences between the two is essential when hiring a writer. Otherwise, you risk hiring the wrong person and wasting your digital marketing budget, as well as your precious time.

Here’s the thing. Both content writing and copywriting contribute to business growth but in different ways. Knowing which one you want to use, and when, is the starting point for any killer digital marketing strategy. 

What Is Copywriting?

Copywriting is writing that aims to encourage readers to take action—to make a purchase, sign up for a mailing list or course, or contact you. 

Examples of copywriting include:

  • pay-per-click advertising campaigns

  • social media ad campaigns

  • slogans

  • website copy

  • landing pages

  • product or project pages

  • sales emails. 

What Is Content Writing?

Content writing involves producing content to inform, educate, or entertain readers. Good content writing focuses on creating high-quality content that offers genuine value to your readers. 

A prime example of content writing is a blog post, like this (excellent) one you’re reading now. Other examples include:

  • digital newsletters

  • white papers

  • case studies

  • interviews

  • e-books

  • how-to guides

  • social media content.

6 Differences Between Copywriting and Content Writing

Here are 6 key differences between the terms, to help you know what you’re looking for.

1. Purpose

Copywriting has a commercial intent. It’s designed to persuade readers to take action, like making a purchase or subscribing to a service. Increasing conversions is the main aim of the copywriting game. 


Content writing, on the other hand, aims to inform, educate, or entertain readers. In the context of digital marketing, content writing tries to attract and retain an audience by building trust and loyalty. Unlike copywriting, driving conversions is a flow-on effect of well-written content, rather than its primary aim. 

2. Length

While there’s no hard and fast word count rule, copywriting usually tries to convey its message in as few words as possible. It’s short and punchy—think slogans, web page content, and social media ads. Copywriting is brief by necessity. Consumers have short attention spans and copywriting helps brands stand out and grab consumers’ attention. 

In comparison, content writing usually needs to be longer to achieve its aim of educating or entertaining a reader. A 150-word instructional blog post on “how to hire a freelance content writer” is unlikely to offer genuine value to the reader. 

3. SEO 

Search engine optimization (SEO) helps people find your business online, by making your website appear higher up on Google’s search engine results page (SERP). SEO is usually a key part of content writing. For example, the preparation for an SEO blog post can involve keyword research, analyzing SERPs, and competitor analyses.


While a copywriter may have a general understanding of SEO, they don’t usually apply it to their writing. Instead, their research focuses on the intended customer and their motivations, desires, and pain points. 

4. Emotion

Copywriting relies heavily on sales psychology, tapping into the reader’s emotions to compel them to take action. It identifies the reader’s pain points and tries to provoke a sense of pride, guilt, belonging, fear, prestige, or urgency, for example. 


Content writing relies less on emotions. While it still needs to be engaging, content writing involves describing or explaining something to help the reader, rather than making them feel a certain way. 


5. Stage of the buyer’s journey

Content writing and copywriting target two different stages of the buyer’s journey. 

Content writing helps buyers in the early stages of the process. They realize they have a problem, research a solution for it, and compare their options. Blogs, white papers, and case studies are ideal formats to offer information to help readers at this stage and attract traffic to your website. 


Your website copy then converts this traffic into sales or leads, persuading the buyer to decide to make a purchase and complete it. 

6. Timeframes

Copywriting usually has a sense of immediacy. Not only do you want the reader to do something, but you also want them to do it now. Effective copywriting translates into immediate gains for a business that can be easily measured, for example, by click-through rates or sales. 


With content writing, you’re playing a longer game. You won’t build an audience of thousands or go straight to the top of Google’s SERP with your first blog post, case study, or social media post. SEO in content writing has a cumulative effect, so it’s usually some months before your business sees the impact of it. 

Let’s take a look at an example of a website that uses both copywriting and content writing.

Which Is Better - Copywriting or Content Writing?

I’m pretty sure you know the answer to this now! 


Deciding between copywriting vs. content writing depends, of course, on your digital marketing needs. If you’re creating a new website, setting up an email sequence, or designing a social media ad campaign aimed at increasing conversions, then you need an experienced copywriter. 

On the other hand, if you need long-form blog articles, case studies, or instructional pages designed to inform, educate, or entertain readers and build an audience, then it’s content writing you need. 

Knowing the difference means you can hire the right person with the right skills. 

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Need words for your website? I write both content and copy for B2B clients. Get in touch and let’s have a chat!

Kate Stacey