You’ve probably heard of copywriters. You may have heard of content writers, but if you are like nearly everyone, you’d struggle to explain the difference. Surprisingly, even many employers and professional writers use the terms interchangeably.

In fact, I’ve never had a copywriting job that didn’t involve writing a lot of content (and vice versa). So, what is the difference, and why is it important? 

In this blog post, we’ll dive into the key differences between copy and content, and why they’re both key elements in a comprehensive marketing strategy.

Hint: One is like an athlete and the other, a professor. 

What is copywriting?

Copywriting and content writing have a lot in common; they both require an ability to write and persuade, using a strict adherence to brand tone and voice. What’s particularly confusing, is that there is quite a bit of crossover, which we’ll get to in a bit.

Copywriting is like a sport. Winning copy campaigns are agile, powerful, concise, and goal-oriented. 

Copy appears in:

• Ads
• Printed collateral
• Landing pages
• Web pages
• Emails
• Newsletters, 
• Social media posts

Copy, like an athlete, is measured by its ability to achieve its specific and short-term goals, which may include generating leads, social media clicks or followers, email addresses, ad clicks, or website page views. 

Great copywriting has an emotional appeal. It grabs a reader’s attention in the first few words and it has clear calls to action (CTA). 

One of the best historical examples of emotionally resonant and attention-grabbing copy has dubious origins, but it is nonetheless a six-word masterclass in copywriting. 

During a meeting of the infamous Algonquin Round Table, Ernest Hemingway allegedly bet several of his contemporary writers that he could write a six-word-long short story. His colleagues were skeptical, to say the least. 

The novelist bet his fellow writers $10 each. Hemingway won the bet with these six words: For Sale, Baby Shoes, Never Worn. The copy brilliantly tugs at the reader’s heartstrings, especially after they let it digest for a moment. 

Copywriting examples

Of course, you don’t have to look far to find more contemporary examples of copywriting genius. 

Corvette

This ad contains just six words and the nose of a Corvette automobile. 

At the very least, it’s a good earworm. 

Apple

Apple’s most iconic ad campaign contains just two words: Think Different. While the company stopped publicly using the tagline in 2002, it remains a symbol of Apple’s creative and innovative ethos. 

Nike

Nike famously encapsulated its ethos in three words: Just do it. Sometimes the tagline stands alone:

And sometimes with some heroic inspiration:

The campaign has worked so well for the athletic apparel company that it’s closing in on its 40th year.

Loft

The Loft clothing store chain ran an email campaign that tapped into people’s fear of being overrun with emails similar to Loft’s, only they used a bit of reverse psychology. Instead of hiding it in fine print, which is the default, Loft made its opt out option the focus of the email.

Loft’s campaign worked in a number of ways. The slogan, a take on an age-old marital mantra, showed customers that the company respects their wishes. It has no glaring sales-ey CTA, and it shows a curated but relatable outfit that can (obviously) be purchased on the Loft website.

Starbucks

Full disclosure: I don’t love pumpkin spice lattes, but this email has my mouth watering. Of course, Starbucks has the resources to A/B/C/E… test to ensure the perfect reaction. 

You don’t have to be Starbucks to create eye-catching emails. Grab your readers’ attention with a gorgeous product or customer photo and make it the hero, instead of the copy.

Not surprisingly, Adobe also adds emotional appeal to its emails through images. This time, it’s a viral social media post. After all, which pet lovers among us can resist taking, and playing around with, photos of our cuties?

The best copywriting campaigns tell their story as concisely as possible, and each word typically goes through a painstaking editing process. 

A single piece of copy might go through multiple stakeholders and changes before publication. This is why few copywriters charge by the word. 

What is content writing?

Copywriting has clear, immediate, and trackable goals. Content writing, however, plays a longer game. It aims to inform, educate, or entertain, with the ultimate objective of building trust and demonstrating expertise.

The Professor Analogy

If copywriting is an athlete — fast, impactful, and competitive — content writing is like a professor — thoughtful, thorough, and focused on educating. The professor isn’t trying to sell you something; they’re equipping you with tools to solve problems and make informed decisions.

For example, a blog post about “Best practices for cloud security” might not mention a product, but it creates trust in the brand behind it. By the time you need a solution, the company is already on your radar as an authority.

Content is typically more wordy and exploratory than copy, diving deep into topics to provide value to readers. It includes:

• Blog posts
• Ebooks
• Audio and video scripts
• Whitepapers
• How-to guides
• Ghostwritten thought leadership pieces
• Case studies
• Press releases

While copywriting is part of your sales messaging, content writing is subtle relationship-building. Instead of driving immediate conversions, it plants seeds. The best content often mentions your business sparingly — if at all. Its primary job is to solve problems, answer questions, and provide real-world value.

Content is less visual than copy, which might make the examples a little less captivating, but here we go. 

Interface

My first stop in my hunt for great content was TED Talks, where each video is designed to inform. Many of the speakers are business executives. 

Erin Meezan, VP and chief sustainability officer of Interface, uses the platform to teach business leaders how to look to nature for sustainable business ideas. 

Seismic/Salesforce

Collaborative content can double its impact, especially when the topic involves SaaS powerhouses such as Salesforce and Seismic. 

This eBook, published by Seismic, explores pairing the two platforms for better content. 

How copy and content work together

Although they serve different purposes, copywriting and content writing complement one another. Together, they build a complete customer journey:

1. Content brings users into your ecosystem by providing value and answering questions.
2. Copy motivates action, ensuring users take the next step—whether that’s subscribing, downloading, or making a purchase.

For example:

• A blog post (content) educates readers about email marketing best practices.
• A landing page (copy) persuades them to sign up for an email automation tool.

Think of it this way: Content writing sparks curiosity, while copywriting seals the deal.

The line isn’t always that clear, however. A blog post, for example, might have a clear and specific goal. This blog post checked the box for content: It was written to inform. Yet, it also had a clear, immediate, and trackable goal, which was to increase Academy enrollment. Copy or content? 

Perhaps even more confusingly, content nearly always needs copy. Every social media post promoting a webinar or podcast is copy. Every landing page collecting email addresses and inviting downloads of your latest eBook is copy. You get the idea.

Your organization may or may not have separate copywriters and content writers, but both are vital to your marketing and content strategies. Copy without informative content rings hollow while content without promotional copy will have a near impossible time reaching its target audience.