For those unfamiliar with the intricacies of writing, it’s a common misconception that all writers are the same. However, it needs to be clarified that online content usually fall under one of two forms of writing – copywriting and content writing. Although both have similar purposes, the direction and narrative between the two are rarely the same. Join Wordsmith for a quick rundown between the two!
Copywriting at a glance
Is there a difference between an orthopaedic surgeon and a neurological surgeon? Although both have to cut people open to fix them, they focus on separate parts of the body – orthopaedics deals with the skeletal and muscular system, whereas neurology involves the nervous system.
The differences in specialisation also happens in the case of writing. In copywriting, storytelling is our focus. We try to create narratives that stir up emotions in our audience. We want to convince them to do something – be it to raise their interest towards a product, influence their decisions or even to spark a change in their behaviour. This requires a clear understanding of the brand, target demographics and the market.
As an example, let’s talk about one of our favourite ad campaigns of all-time. Johnnie Walker is an established brand with a classic slogan, “Keep Walking”. However, it being a blended scotch whisky meant that it struggled to appeal to whiskey connoisseurs (who usually prefer single malts like Glenlivet or Ballantine’s). The brand therefore decided it was time to aim at a younger demographic in 2015 and revamped their slogan to “Joy Will Take You Further” – complete with a star-studded cast in a campaign video that depicted adults of all ages enjoying life to the fullest.
What really made the ad stand out was the inclusion of failure. In our pursuit of joy, failure is inevitable, as shown by Eva Håkansson (the Swedish creator of the “ElectroCat” motorbike and fastest woman alive on an electric motorcycle in 2014) falling off her bike and tumbling in the desert. Many brands are hesitant to show themes of negativity because they might create negative associations between the brand and the audience – however, Johnnie Walker remedied this with a very simple move: by demonstrating that you can simply get back on the bike alongside the key phrase “bounces back”. This is a brilliant tie in to the campaign slogan and demonstrates that “blood, sweat and tears will get you there… but joy will take you further.”
The campaign became one of the most celebrated and referenced campaigns in marketing history.
What about content writing?
Content writing focuses on explanations and the technical. According to Entrepreneur contributor Bhavik Sarkhedi, the CEO and founder of content-writing agency Write Right, content writing “can be defined as the description of the product in layman’s terms… it is a deep dive into the nature of the product, the features, the utility and the durability. This form of writing is aimed at educating the consumer in terms of the product or service they rent or buy.”
Given the more analytical nature of content writing, it requires the writer to have in-depth knowledge about the subject – whether through research, personal experience or a mix of the two. Imagine if a tech reviewer told his/her readers to avoid a pair of earphones without trying it out first! Would you believe what they are saying? However, if they recounted their poor experience with the product, why the problem(s) happened and also included other people’s poor experiences, you’d have much more reason to believe them.
Whereas copywriters need to contend with catchy subject lines, captivating slogans and material that resonate with audiences, content writers have SEO to deal with. “A content writer must have pure and unparalleled knowledge for keywords, their use, their efficiency, backlinking, hyperlinking and all forms of SEO marketing, so that the content appears in the search engine,” explains Sarkhedi.
You see, the purpose of content writing is twofold – the most obvious is to provide information that can help their readers – but getting website rankings up is also crucial. This is why some businesses pump out dozens of articles a day chock full of keywords optimised for SEO. Content writers are prized amongst highly competitive businesses because they need a constant flow of content to maintain high SEO rankings.
Just look at some of Hong Kong’s top search results for “loan comparison” that aren’t from a bank, like MoneySmart, MoneyHero or Planto. Given that their services are very similar, they are all fighting for the same piece of the pie. For new users who want to compare loans, the first website they find on Google is usually what they roll with, so companies need to rely on clever SEO management (and sometimes purchasing ad space) to secure high rankings.
What are some examples of good content writing? If you hate having to listen to automated messages and just want to get in contact with a bank representative, MoneyHero offers a very handy article with the specific sequence of numbers you need to press for the banks in Hong Kong. Although the idea behind the article is very simple, it takes a fair bit of research (and likely a poor content writer having to explore each branch of a phone menu) to accomplish. Or take a look at another example from TechCrunch about the latest Google ads verification program. It reads like a bite-sized news article for easy absorption and only provides background information as necessary. Conciseness, confidence and a well-versed mind are essential to content writing.
Copywriting and content writing, although similar, are unique branches of writing with different objectives. If you need help with either, the good folks at Wordsmith are always happy to help!