Copywriting vs. Content Marketing: It's Not Easy to Work Out

It’s a question that’s plagued a decade of content work. What’s the difference between Copywriting and Content Marketing? They’re often used synonymously when, in fact, they each have their place and purpose.

While their end goal might be identical, their paths use different approaches and resources. 

So what exactly is Content Marketing?

The phrase Content Marketing is both development and promotion. 

Content = Development

Marketing = Promotion

Here, Content is anything original and shareable, including blogs, videos, podcasts, emails, eBooks, etc., that your business creates. 

Marketing involves putting this Content out with an aim to:

1. Increase brand awareness about its offerings

2. Develop a knowledge base for users to learn from

3. Build trust with high-quality information sharing

4. Attract and nurture audiences in the long run

5. Convert and retain them forever

Content Marketing involves nurturing the audience so that they’re convinced to use a brand’s services or products. 

And what exactly is Copywriting?

In the content development industry, ‘copy’ refers to writing with the sole aim to persuade audiences to take action. Copywriting is a practice targeted at advertising the services and products and facilitating the conversion of the audience. 

Conversion here refers to the "action" you want the user to commit to. For instance, if it’s "Sign up for the newsletter," copy would persuade the users towards signing up.

Copywriting works for instant gratification. It’s swift in letting the audience know about the value the brand is adding and convinces them, "it's now or never."

And how do they differ?

Brand awareness is built over time — that's what content marketing does. 

Product promotion requires instant conversions — that's what copywriting does. 

If a brand wants to succeed on Google, publishing blogs consistently is one way of getting there. Over time, traffic will increase and the user base becomes more interactive. Google recognizes the brand’s credibility and pushes its website to the top of the heap.

And if the brand wants to sell a product, it publishes a landing page with clean, sales-focused copy that’s a call-to-action. Through Google Ads, traffic increase on this landing page, and copy assists in the target audience's conversion.

The difference in approaches is obvious. While both aim to benefit the brand, the first is concerned about gradual development, while the second is on instant gratification.

So, is Copywriting a part of Content Marketing?

In an ideal world, both terms would remain mutually exclusive, but that's not the case. You have to be on your toes when it comes to garnering traffic. 

Your content might be good. In fact, it might be awesome, but that won't guarantee traffic until persuasion drives it. For that reason, blogs, videos, and emails need catchy hooks capable of selling all day. 

Simply put, copywriting is part of content marketing – but it’s also so much more.

At Writers.HK, we can help you understand the differences between the two, and how each can be used to achieve your goals. Reach out to us.