Content vs Copy. What's Best for Beginners?

A lot of people conflate content writing with copywriting, and even though there are some similarities, there're a lot of differences which are worth noting.

So in this video, I will share some core differences between content writing and copywriting, and I'll tell you what I recommend for new freelancers.

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I often conflated content writing and copywriting believing they were one and the same, but once I really understood the difference, I was able know how and when to use either content writing and copywriting, which produced better results when it comes to engagement on social media, or more conversions from my email list.

Apart from that, it also helped me analyze where I needed more help, or where I need to gain more knowledge, which again overall gets me better results.

#1: Content is meant to build brand awareness, while copy is specifically meant to generate sales.

The easiest and most straightforward way to differentiate between content and copy is the fact that the main purpose for content writing is to build brand awareness as well as to build authority in your market, however the main purpose for copywriting is specifically to drive more sales, build demand for your services and lead your audience to take a specific action. That's why there're different techniques to copywriting that is meant to evoke a certain kind of emotion from your audience, so they can take a specific action.

#2: Content goes deep and long, while copy is short and specific.

The second difference between content writing and copywriting is the fact that content can go deep and long while copy on the other hand, is more effective when its short, specific and straight to the point because again, your main goal is to make your audience take a specific action, it's to grab their attention, evoke a specific emotion and lead them towards taking a specific action. So the shorter your copy, the easier it is for you to keep your audience's attention, the easier it is for you to stay on topic, and the easier it is for you to lead your audience to a specific action, leading to better conversions.

#3: Content is Information based, while copy is transformation based.

With content, you focus more on educating, motivating, inspiring your audience with information about your expertise and something that is going to help them get to a specific outcome. Here, you have the liberty to go deep into your content, and really go into addressing issues that your audience might be facing with regards to your niche.

On the other hand with copywriting, you focus more on bringing light to the transformation that your audience are going to get from taking a specific action that you want them to take. So with copy you're focusing on sharing reviews, sharing testimonials on what others are saying, you're bringing light to the transformation your audience can expect once they take a specific action.

So what's best for you as a new freelancer?

Should you get into content writing or should you get into copywriting if you want to start a freelance writing business?

So once you're starting out, your main focus should be content creation. You want to learn how to create content to build authority, build interest in your skills, your services and your brand as a whole before you dive into copywriting.

And this is because copywriting is a skill that is really really hard to master. Even the most accomplished writers hire copywriters to write their sales pages and sales copy. So if your goal is to become a copywriter, you want to focus first on really learning how to create and write content, and then you're going to build up to copywriting, because if you're really good at content writing, it will be easier for you to master copywriting as a skill.

However if you are a business owner or you want to start a business, the fact is, content writing and copywriting are skills that you 100% need to acquire.

Share your thoughts in the comments.