What is a Copywriter?

When I meet people and tell them what I do, I rarely say, ‘I’m a copywriter’. Instead I settle for, ‘I’m a writer’ and then disappoint my new acquaintance when I tell them: ‘No, not novels. No, not poems, either. I write copy.’ At which point they look confused and we talk about something else.

For a long time, I didn’t know that I wanted to be a copywriter. It’s mostly because, like a lot of people, I didn’t know what one was. I thought it had something to do with that little ‘c’ in a circle and the threatening advert about copyright protection at the start of films. But that’s copyright not copywrite. You see? Let me explain further…

Firstly, let’s clear up this copyright business. It has nothing to do with me and is in fact a handy law which stops people using your work without permission. This is great, obviously, but not my area of expertise. I’m a writer of copy i.e. a copywriter. With me so far?

What is copy?

Copy is content designed to advertise something and you’ll find copy online and in print. Websites, social media posts, blogs, emails, leaflets and letters can all contain copy. So, if you’re trying to advertise or sell something, a copywriter is someone who takes care of the persuasive words.

What is content?

Sometimes a client wants content that doesn’t have the obvious aim of closing a sale. When you browse online, for example, you’ll come across long blogs and pages of content that don’t seem to advertise anything. This is either written to attract people to the site or to boost SEO (search engine optimisation – it helps you to show up in web searches). In the latter situation, the content will probably contain keywords that search engines latch onto.

As a content writer I’m commissioned to write blogs, the wording for websites and other pieces such as magazine articles that entertain or inform.

Does it matter?

All writing, whether you label it as copy or not, has an agenda and understanding the client’s aim is key to doing a good job. There’s a fine line between copy and content which people argue about and I’m certain other people will define the terms differently to me. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter what label you use as long as the writing is good and achieves the client’s goals.

In summary

I’m Alice; I’m a writer. I’m both a copywriter and a content writer. If you’d like to talk more about it, get in touch.

Most importantly, I have nothing to do with copyright law. That’s something else entirely.

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