A question that we’re not sure how many of you deal with but we surely want to answer it. Unfortunately, many believe that writing and copywriting are one and the same thing although the differences are pretty straightforward. Find out how, in today’s article.
What’s a copywriter?
According to the dictionary, a copywriter is an employee of an advertising company, responsible for the creation of texts that are included in the advertising messages. This is the traditional definition, from before the diversification of various tools by the internet. A copywriter deals with all the necessary texts for an advertising campaign.
At least, in the past, he used to deal with the texts necessary for an advertising campaign, because today a copywriter means so much more than this. Thanks to the internet, the field of copywriting becomes more and more clear and it divides in more and more specialized areas. But today we’re not going to talk about these specialized areas because we’ve already covered that in a different article. Today we’ll talk about what makes the difference between a copywriter and a writer.
Therefore, what makes the difference between a copywriter and a writer?
- Any copywriter is a writer but not any writer is a copywriter. Copywriting is a branch of writing, a branch with a rather essential influence in the world of sales and marketing. The title of “writer” is much too general, whereas that of “copywriter” is more focused on one specific aspect.
- Copywriting, or better said, some of its divisions follow a very strict set of rules, many times the content being calculated in order to gain a certain result. It’s not just about writing, it’s about a science that combines creativity and the rigidity of rules.
- A writer is able to write about a great variety of themes, about a great deal of things. A good copywriter, on the other hand, will focus on one sole specialization, on one sole niche.
- A copywriter has to deepen his knowledge in other fields as well, such as communication, sales and maybe even in an entirely fresh field. For those activating in the field of sales copywriting, it’s essential to know the product they’re writing about and that they are implicitly promoting.
- Unlike a writer that maybe wishes to only express his thoughts or feelings, a copywriter will always have a clear purpose of his work: be it to inform the audience about something – news within the field or new launches, or to promote a product in order for it to be bought.
With the help of these aspect I hope you made a pretty clear idea on the differences between a writer and a copywriter are. A writer has a far more permissive job, more elastic, that might not even count as a job but more like a hobby. Whereas copywriting is a job in the real sense of the word, which leans towards the commercial side of things. If a writer will always use his creative side, a copywriter will always use his rational side as well, where things need to be made so that they respect a certain pattern, a certain standard.
What advantages does copywriting bring compared to classical writing?
Just like with anything else in life, there are both advantages and disadvantages. However, copywriting should not be viewed in antithesis with classical writing but more like an evolution of the latest. There are plenty of reasons why you should switch from a writer position to that of a copywriter. Some of us might write out of pleasure and others might want a more exotic job that is continually growing.
The fact is that within each copywriter lies a writer. Yes, rules and concepts are very relevant. Yes, promoting something specific through writing is also relevant. But you will always need that creativity which allows you to play with words and ideas in the right way. All in all, that’s why we’re here: to rearrange words and ideas so that we bring out their true colors and we make them communicate the information that we want them to.
How do we do this? With a great deal of patience, a lot of studying and a huge, huge amount of coffee.