Creative Content Writing vs. Copywriting
In today’s social media, TikTok, 280 characters or less times, attention spans are short and it’s a constant battle to even get your content seen, much less read.
This is why, if you want your brand to succeed, you’ve got to have the right words, saying just the right things.
Good, engaging content grabs attention, stops the scrolling, and entices a viewer to take a few moments longer to read what your brand has to offer. Many times, those few seconds can make all the difference in whether a customer scrolls on by or stops and wanders into your marketing funnel.
So, what kind of high-quality content can get a busy viewer to stop and read? And what’s the difference between marketing-focused copywriting and creative content writing?
What is Creative Writing?
Creative writing is a skill whereby a writer generates ideas and communicates them through the written medium.
Creative writing is a broad term, applying to everything from crafting a fictional novel to writing a heartfelt blog post to writing advertising copy that is creative. Copywriting, on the other hand, is a more focused form of writing which always has a sales or marketing goal in mind.
If you’re into Account-Based Marketing, you’ll know that sales and marketing goals are one and the same, but I digress.
Copywriting is to design what creative writing is to fine art. The skills of a painter, applied to a marketing goal = graphic design. The skills of a novelist or poet applied to a marketing goal = copywriting. In an ideal world, your copywriter should be able to do both, because a creatively written ad will perform better than an AI-generated ad.
That‘s right.
AI can be a decent ad copywriter, as long as you don’t mind a generic tone of voice that sounds like your competitors. But a creative writer who understands marketing? Now we’re talking.
Adding Value to Your Brand with Creative Content
There are several different types of content you can use in your digital marketing strategies, depending on you and your brand, but there are some that you absolutely should be using.
Are you ready to know what those are?
Good!
Here are the 10 types of creative content writing that every marketer should be using, and your copywriters should know how to write!
Checklist for Effective Creative Content Writing
Brand Reinforcement Copywriting
Brand copywriting is the special content specifically crafted to communicate your brand message, values, and personality to your target audience.
In other words, these pieces of content are where your brand comes to life, tells its story, reveals its mission, and informs potential and existing customers about its identity, core values, and tone of voice.
Whatever brand a copywriter is creating content for, it needs to echo its distinct personality in all written material, whether it’s website content, blogs, product descriptions, social media posts, etc.
Website Copywriting
Did you know that by age 31, the average person’s attention span is 8.25 seconds? (To put that in perspective, a goldfish’s is 9.)
That doesn’t give you much time to get your foot in the door, does it? And since you don’t have long to capture attention, if you’ve got a visitor to your website, then you’ve got to hook them immediately.
Copywriters who are skilled in website copywriting know how to write the catchy headers and clever, engaging intro sections that usually contain the first few snippets of copy your visitor will see.
They can also give you great content like engaging, informative, and to-the-point product descriptions, entertaining blogs, and fascinating, well-written case studies that perfectly showcase your value.
Websites also give you some leeway for creativity that can differentiate you from your competitors. An About Us section is a good place for it, so don’t be afraid to use a bit of creative writing to make it interesting and compel readers to want to know more.
Blog Post Copywriting
Posting consistent blogs (ahem, like this one) is another great way to build up your brand.
A professional content writer is an essential person to have on your team because they are capable of writing up blog posts for your website. A good blog post can inform, educate, entertain, and can not only give you a way to sprinkle in a little keyword research to help your website rank higher but can generate leads if the writing is persuasive enough.
They can also be easily reposted and shared on social media as a valuable part of your content marketing strategy or email marketing campaign.
Ad Copy
Every brand, of course, must have good ad copy to help them sell their products and services.
Whether that ad copy is featured on social media, print ads, billboards, video scripts, or anything else is up to you, but it must be well-written!
Professional copywriters know exactly how to create the perfect ads for you, ads that are funny, persuasive, catchy, easily digestible, and, most importantly, memorable.
SEO
SEO (search engine optimization) refers to copy that is designed to include hit keywords and key phrases that help it rank high in search engine results, which increases your content’s visibility and allows you to attract more visitors.
It’s not all about stuffing in your keywords and calling it a day, though. When done right, SEO writing is still high quality and the keywords and phrases flow naturally through the copy in a way that reads smoothly and isn’t distracting.
Just be sure you aren’t overdoing it or forgetting that you’re writing for humans too.
Social Media Caption and Hashtag Copywriting
These days, it’s expected that a brand has a social media presence to engage and connect with their customers, as well as provide company information and products and services.
Because everyone and their mom is on social media, it’s also a perfect place to post content that can be reposted and shared, thereby allowing you (and your followers) to spread awareness of your brand.
Social media posts are a different animal than other copywriting that you’d see on websites or in emails, so you or your copywriters need to change up your strategy when you’re writing captions or posts on social media. There’s so much for your customers to look at on the socials, it is imperative that social posts stand out by being creative, attention-catching, and engaging.
White Papers Writing and Ebook Writing
Ah, long-form content!
White papers and ebooks aren’t meant to directly promote your services or products, so the writing doesn’t need to be particularly salesy, though by educating your reader more in-depth about your offerings, this kind of content can certainly have a persuasive effect.
White papers and ebooks' main focus is meant to educate, but by no means should they be boring. Content like this must still be written in a way that is engaging to the reader and compels them to want to know more.
In addition to educating readers, white papers and ebooks are also very useful tools to offer as downloadable content in exchange for leads on your landing pages or website.
Some whitepapers and books also require the copywriter to have knowledge of a specific industry (or be prepared to do a lot of research), such as healthcare, manufacturing, banking, etc., so be sure you are hiring the right person for the job!
Technical Copywriting
Like white papers and ebooks, technical copywriting also requires the writer to have specific industry knowledge and be able to translate complicated industry jargon into layman’s terms.
Technical copywriting includes product manuals, user guides, tech specs, and whitepapers. It’s not meant so much to market your brand, but rather to educate and explain complex or technical concepts in a way that makes them easier to understand for an audience who may not have this industry knowledge.
So, if your services are rather complicated, it is essential you have a good technical copywriter on your team that knows how to take your complicated information and still make it engaging and accessible to your readers.
Email Copywriting for Marketing Communications
Customers get tons of emails a day and none of those subject lines have pictures, so if your email marketing is going to have any effect, then it’s got to lean on great copy to hook the recipient.
To write “un-trashable” emails, you’ve got to include the following:
- A catchy subject line.
- An intriguing preview sentence that entices your reader to want to click and read more.
- Entertaining and to-the-point body copy.
- An irresistible CTA.
Don’t forget to personalize those emails too! Studies show that personalized emails have 27% higher click rates and 11% higher open rates than those that aren’t!
Direct Response Email Copywriting
Direct copy is often the most persuasive copy of all.
Its job is to inspire immediate action with strong calls to action, like “BUY NOW”, “ONLY 3 SPOTS LEFT”, or “GET YOURS WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!”
You can also create urgency in your readers by using language like “now” “today” “last chance” or “limited offer.”
Direct response copy is often found in lead generators like marketing emails, landing pages, and pop-ups, so if you want to increase your conversion rates, it’s vital that you (or a copywriter on your team) be able to write it!
Copywriting Tips to Live By
Here are some expert tips to incorporate into your writing and help you master any kind of the above content you want to create!
Remember, your copy doesn’t have to follow this exact template to be great and effective, but it doesn’t hurt to remember the 4 pillars of copywriting whenever you’re in the content creation phase.
- Awareness — In this stage, the focus is on grabbing your audience’s attention and making them aware of your brand, and your products and services.
- Interest — Once you’ve caught their attention, the next step is to build up an interest in whatever you’re offering. Highlight its benefits, your brand’s differentiators, and share testimonials from other satisfied customers to help get potential customers excited.
- Desire — Interest is piqued and now it’s time to hammer home all the reasons your consumers’ life would be so much better with your product or service in it! Use your writing to tap into their emotions and showcase all of the ways you can solve their problems. And it doesn’t hurt if you inject a little urgency, to make your audience feel that not only would it be good to have this product, but they need to buy it now to take advantage of a promotion or limited supply.
- Action — All of this leads to your CTA and prompts your potential customer to click and purchase, subscribe, or follow through on whatever action you wanted them to take.
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Release Your Inner Creative Writer!
Remember, whether you’re the writer or you’re directing a copywriter to write for your brand, you must embrace your creativity!
Be creative!
Copywriters are writers, so don’t be afraid to unleash those creative writing skills to make your copy unique, funny, and unforgettable. Don’t be afraid to be a little different, a little out there! It’s what will make your written content head and shoulders above your competitors and have consumers flocking to your brand!
How many of these types of content does your brand use in your marketing efforts?
