Writers are writers, right?

That’s the opinion that many people seem to have, assuming that all writers have the same general skill set and that one writer is more or less as good as another. This is often used to justify hiring a lower-priced creative writer to write content instead of going with a professional copywriter. The assumption is that even though the creative writer lacks specialized training or experience, they’re still a writer and should be able to handle the work.

Does this reasoning seem sound? Is there really a difference between a copywriter and a creative writer? You’d be surprised how many people ask themselves these questions when considering hiring a writer for a project. There is definitely a difference between the two types of writers, and if you try to use them interchangeably then you may not be satisfied with the results.

The Role of a Copywriter

Copywriters create copy, which is focused content that’s intended to fill a specific purpose.

It may be sales copy that’s intended to sell an item, web content that’s optimized to increase search engine rankings or some other content. To accomplish this, copywriters have to learn how to perform efficient research and write in ways that help them accomplish the task at hand. It can take a significant amount of time to learn all of the techniques involved in effective copywriting, and a lot of work goes into making sure that content is written so that it performs whatever the task at hand is.

The Role of a Creative Writer

Unlike copywriters, creative writers don’t focus on completing a task or fulfilling a purpose with the content they write.

Their content is focused more on interacting with the reader, giving them information and entertainment in a way that’s enjoyable to read. This often requires well-structured prose, though it isn’t structured in such a way that it increases search engine rankings or drives a sales pitch. This sort of reader-focused effort makes creative writers much more able to make an emotional connection with readers even if they aren’t trying to accomplish a specific goal.

Copywriting vs. Creative Writing

The big difference between a copywriter and a creative writer is that copywriters create task-focused content while creative writers create reader-focused content.

This may not seem like a big difference, but in actuality it’s huge. If you want content that gets results or accomplishes a specific task, go with a copywriter. If you want content that entertains and potentially makes a connection with the reader, go with a creative writer. Either way, choosing the right writer will help you to get the exact result you want from your content and copy.