Copywriting 101: What Is Copywriting?

Watch on YouTube! The most important question of all… Just what on Earth is copywriting?

In this article, you’ll discover…

• Why there’s only one thing you need to class yourself as a “copywriter…”

• What the difference between “content writing” and “copywriting” really is…

• How to explain your job to other people…

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What is copywriting?

The first question in our Copywriting 101 series is the most basic of all - what is copywriting?

Finding a concrete definition can be tricky because no one can agree on what it actually is.

Put simply, copywriting is getting paid to write words. It’s as simple as that.

Copy really is just printed words… printed matter. Now that we live in a digital age, those are typically digital words.

Here are a few examples:

If you ever go to an Amazon product and you see a bunch of words that are telling you how cool that product is, that is copy.

If, for example, you are searching for a particular brand of hemorrhoid cream, you may type ‘hemorrhoid creams’ into Google.

You may then get an ad pop up that says “Best Hemorrhoid Cream” or “Buy One Get One Free” or something like that - a copywriter probably wrote that PPC ad.

You may have a statement from your bank telling you how to activate your card. You might call that “UX copywriting” or “user experience copywriting”.

If there’s a button on a device for a product that a company makes, you need to be able to verbally and visually describe to someone how to use that button or product.

That’s all copy.

So, what is copywriting? In short - words that you are paid to write.

What are the different kinds of copy?

The type of copy you write can differ.

Sometimes it is content, such as things for people to consume.

Sometimes it is designed to get people to do a specific thing.

We specialize in the kind of copy where you are trying to encourage a person to do a specific thing at that moment.

But there is nothing wrong with the other kinds of copy - the content kind of copy.

That’s because the whole goal of any business that’s paying for that is to make you - a ‘prospect’ - more susceptible to their enticements at a later date.

That is the only difference between the brand (or the content) side, and the actual direct response conversion copywriting side.

Many people in the industry try to draw a line between content writing and copywriting.

However, it doesn’t matter what kind of words you are writing (as we’ve just discussed) - you can still call yourself a copywriter.

But be warned - some people will say that copywriting is only about sales and only about conversions.

That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s right to say that. Everyone has their own opinions and definitions on what these terms mean.

But just to be very clear, most people in this space will probably divide content writing and copywriting. It is something you should grow accustomed to.

To summarise, content writing is more about giving value or providing instruction without expecting or measuring a response (without trying to convert someone).

It’s about giving value, writing nice words and improving the brand image in the long run.

So, that’s the difference. Blogs, articles and things of that nature tend to come under that copywriting umbrella.

What is the work like?

Early on in your career, you are likely going to end up working for a variety of people and you’re going to take on a variety of different projects.

Most of them are probably going to be more content based, such as…

• SEO/Blog posts

• Value-based social media posts

• Email newsletters

…things like that. Things that are designed to engage people.

Keep in mind that your goal when writing these is not necessarily to write “good”.

Whether you’re working for a client or a business, your goal is always to craft your words and writing in such a way as to make the prospect (the future person reading what you’re writing) more susceptible to that business’s enticements.

If you can understand how to do that as a content writer, then you will always have the ability to get paid as a content writer.

But as things move forward, then you may decide you want to do more with “sales copywriting” - the type that we specialize in.

Regardless of the path you choose… if you get paid to write words, you’re a copywriter.

And that’s our first question answered.

If you’re ready for more, check out the next blog post: Copywriting 101: Do You Need a Degree or Certification To Become a Copywriter?

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