In my profession I often get asked what’s the difference between a copywriter and a content writer. And the next question tends to be, do I need both on my marketing team? 

If you’re a business owner, you’ve likely realized that creating consistent, high-quality content is a major key to scaling your business, building brand authority, and connecting with your audience on a deeper level. 

With an ever growing list and daily tug-of-war trying to figure out where to spend your time, the question remains: how do you create high quality content and who do you need on your team to make it happen? And maybe add in, where in the heck should all this content live? 

When it comes to content creation, two essential roles often get confused or conflated: those roles are the copywriter and the content writer. While their work often overlaps, these roles serve different purposes within your content team and strategy. Understanding their unique contributions can elevate your brand’s messaging and drive meaningful results. 

In this blog, we’ll explore the four key differences between copywriting and content writing, and why both roles are indispensable to a powerful content team.

What Does A Copywriter Do?

Copywriting is all about persuasion. A copywriter’s primary role is to create text, or “copy,” that drives people to take a specific action—whether it’s making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, downloading a freebie, or booking a consultation. The ultimate goal of a copywriter is to sell, but in a way that feels genuine and compelling rather than pushy or aggressive.

Copywriting comes into play in a variety of formats:

• Sales pages: Highly persuasive pages designed to convert visitors into buyers.
• Ad campaigns: Whether for Facebook, Instagram, Google or any other ad platform, ad copy has to hook readers in seconds.
• Email marketing: Copywriters craft emails that move readers to click through to offers or next steps.
• Landing pages: Copy must be clear, concise and irresistible to capture leads.
• Product descriptions: Great copy highlights benefits, creates desire, and leads to conversions.

The Art Of Copywriting

At its core, copywriting is an art of selling without selling. The best copywriters understand human psychology and know how to speak directly to pain points, desires, and motivations. They use storytelling, urgency, and persuasive language to encourage your ideal client to move toward and take a specific action.

For example, a copywriter crafting an email for a product launch will ensure every word moves the reader closer to clicking the “buy now” button. They will focus on the product’s benefits (not just features), transformations she can expect, create a sense of urgency and employ strong calls-to-action (CTAs).

Ultimately, copywriting is about driving conversions and turning interest into revenue. This is especially critical for brands that are scaling and need to make strategic investments in marketing and sales.

What Does A Content Writer Do?

If copywriting is about immediate conversions, content writing is about building long-term relationships. AKA, this role is crucial in helping you play the long game. A content writer creates engaging, informative, and valuable content that nurtures your audience and strengthens your brand’s authority over time.

Content writing encompasses:

• Blog posts: Well-researched articles that educate or entertain your audience while boosting SEO.
• Whitepapers and guides: Long-form, in-depth content that showcases your expertise.
• Ebooks: Content that provides deep value and encourages lead generation.
• Social media posts: Consistent, value-driven posts to keep your audience engaged.
• Newsletters: Informative updates that build trust and retain interest over time.
  

The Purpose Of Content Writing

Unlike copywriting, which is designed to elicit an immediate action, content writing is about building trust and authority. A great content writer knows how to deliver high-value content that aligns with your brand’s voice and message while keeping the reader engaged.

For example, a blog post titled 5 Strategies to Grow Your Business Revenue by 20% in 2024 isn’t trying to sell anything directly. Instead, it provides valuable insights, positioning your brand as a go-to resource for business growth. Over time, this type of content helps build a deeper trust and keeps your audience coming back for more, turning them into loyal followers and eventually paying clients.

The success of a content writer is measured in engagement metrics like shares, comments, and time spent on the page, rather than direct conversions. While it might not always lead to immediate sales, high-quality content writing pays off in the long term by building brand awareness and a loyal community around your business.

Why Both A Copywriter And Content Writer Are Essential For Your Content Team

When you’re scaling a business and reaching for that next level of growth, you can’t afford to have gaps in your content strategy. That’s why both a copywriter and a content writer are essential team members. Here’s why you need both:

1. Driving Conversions vs. Building Relationships

A copywriter’s primary function is to drive conversions—whether it’s clicks, sales, or leads. They create content that will directly impact your bottom line in the short term. Meanwhile, a content writer works to build relationships with your audience over the long term, nurturing trust and providing value that keeps them engaged with your brand.

When both work together, you get a complete customer journey. Copywriters help move your audience from awareness to decision, while content writers ensure there’s value at every touchpoint, from blog posts to social media, keeping your audience engaged long enough for conversions to happen.

2. Matching The Buyer’s Journey

The buyer’s journey isn’t linear. It’s a series of touchpoints—each one an opportunity to either nurture or lose a potential customer. Copywriters focus on the decision and action stages of the journey, ensuring the buyer is motivated to act. Content writers, on the other hand, focus on the awareness and consideration stages, making sure your audience knows who you are, trusts your expertise, and sees your brand as a valuable resource.

You can’t succeed by focusing on just one part of this journey. To scale, you need a full funnel of content—content writers to drive awareness and engagement and copywriters to close the deal.

3. Long-Term Growth

Content writing is essential for long-term growth. SEO-optimized blog posts, nurture emails, and social media updates help your business stay relevant, engage your audience, and grow your authority in your niche. This type of content supports your brand’s long-term visibility and helps you rank higher in search results, bringing in more organic traffic.

At the same time, copywriters play a vital role in turning that traffic into paying customers. As you generate leads from your content, the copy on your landing pages, email campaigns, and product descriptions will convert them into customers. A business aiming to grow cannot rely solely on traffic or conversion—both need to work in harmony to create sustainable success.

4. Consistency is Key

One of the biggest challenges for business owners is maintaining consistency in their content creation. Without a clear division of roles between content writing and copywriting, your message can become diluted, inconsistent, or overly focused on one goal at the expense of the other.

When you have both a copywriter and a content writer on your team, you can ensure that your content is consistent, both in quality and frequency. Your content writer can produce regular blogs, newsletters, and social media content, while your copywriter ensures that sales pages, ads, and email campaigns stay sharp and focused on conversions. This collaboration keeps your brand’s voice aligned and consistent across all platforms.

5. Strategy-Driven Content

At the end of the day, having both a copywriter and content writer allows you to have a strategy-driven approach to content creation. You don’t want to create content just for content’s sake. You want content that drives measurable results—whether that’s brand awareness, audience engagement, or sales growth.

When a copywriter and a content writer work together under a solid content strategy, you get content that speaks to every phase of the customer journey, aligns with your brand’s overall goals, and ultimately helps you scale your business more effectively.

Elevate Your Content Strategy With A Copywriter and Content Writer

Investing in a balanced content team is a no-brainer. The powerful combination of a content writer and copywriter enables you to create a robust, multi-faceted content strategy that attracts, nurtures, and converts your audience.

The key takeaway? Don’t settle for just one type of writer. You need both copywriting and content writing to build a truly impactful content strategy that fuels your brand’s growth, both now and in the future.

If you’re ready to take the next step in elevating your content, our team is here to help you integrate both of these critical roles seamlessly into your marketing strategy. Together, we’ll ensure your brand stands out, your message resonates, and your audience stays engaged—every step of the way.

Let’s build a content strategy that works for you—so you can focus on running the business you love. Ready to get started? Let’s do it!