There are many different types of copywriting, all with their unique applications. Some are more suitable for specific industries, while others can be applied to multiple niches. Knowing how to choose the right type of copywriting for your campaign can help you write stellar content that will engage your audience and boost your conversion rates.
In this article, we will discuss the various types of copywriting and how you can choose the right one for your next campaign.
The Basics Of Copywriting
At the most basic level, copywriting is simply using words to persuade or convince someone to take action. This could include writing product descriptions or marketing copy for website content, brochures, or sales emails. It can also be used to generate press releases, ad copy, or tweet pitches.
In general, copywriting that appeals to emotion triggers the imagination of the reader more easily than rational thought. This makes it an easier sell, whether the reader is a human or a machine. If you want to convince someone to buy your product or service, you’re going to need to use language that they can relate to. In many cases, this will involve using words that evoke positive emotions (e.g., joy, enthusiasm, love) or avoiding negative ones (e.g., fear, sadness, anger).
Content Marketing Vs. SEO Copywriting
In the content marketing world, copywriting is often referred to as “inbound copy” and is used to create content that is both educational and inspiring. This content takes the form of marketing material like blogs, e-books, case studies, and more. Some content marketers even develop digital products that they can distribute online (e.g., e-cards, web forms, quizzes, and more).
The main goal of content marketing is to attract, engage, and motivate audiences to take action in some way (e.g., make a purchase, subscribe, or seek further information). To achieve this goal, marketers should look at content as a strategy rather than as an afterthought. This means that they should consider the who, what, when, and where of each piece of content as part of the whole campaign rather than as a series of disconnected events.
SEO copywriting focuses on increasing the exposure of a website or blog to search engines. The SEO techniques used to optimize websites for search engines include things like content optimization, linking, and ranking factors (e.g., content management system, meta tags, and more).
SEO copywriting is used to ensure that websites comply with the guidelines set by search engines like Google. This usually means creating content that is very relevant to a given keyword or phrase. It also involves using different variations of the same keyword or phrase within a document, heading, or URL (Uniform Resource Locator). When a user searches for this content, they will see your website or blog content ranked alongside the results of a search engine.
Fun Stuff: The History Of Copywriting
Fun fact: Copywriting is actually a combination of two words—“copy” and “writing”—and has been around since the beginning of time. (Try saying that three times fast.)
The first copywriters were scribes employed by the Catholic Church (i.e., the holy men who wrote the Bible and other religious texts). They were often also professional letter writers and court reporters—basically, anyone who was skilled in creating legible copy using words.
Fast-forward to the late 1800s, and you’ll find “copywriters” being used to describe journalists who wrote campaign material for politicians. These days, copywriting is a largely honorary position that is often given to anyone who can cobble together a pitch deck or marketing plan. (If you’re wondering, a “pitch deck” is a salesperson’s term for the information products and media that they use to propose a deal to a client. Essentially, a pitch deck is the “rough draft” of a business plan.)
Choosing The Right Niche With Your Copywriting
When you choose a niche for your copywriting, you are narrowing your scope to a specific market or audience. For example, “gym wear for women” is a niche, while “fitness wear” is a bigger (and more general) scope. If you are writing for a specific company or brand, try browsing through their existing material to get an idea of what they are looking for. This will help you choose the right niche and avoid clashing stylistically with their existing material.
When choosing a niche for your copywriting, you need to consider two things:
- Your existing knowledge (i.e., what do you know already about this topic)
- What do you need to know to be able to write convincingly about this topic (e.g., how to communicate effectively in written form)
The Many Uses Of Copywriting
As you might imagine, copywriting has many uses beyond marketing and sales. Here are just a few examples of where you can put this versatile skill to work:
- Repurposing Content For A Variety Of Platforms
- Web Content Personalization (i.e., using data to create relevant content for specific individuals)
- Content Strategy And Planning
- Compelling Reasoning
- Product Descriptions (e.g., for e-commerce websites)
- Advertising (e.g., for web banner ads and social media campaigns)
- Press Releases (e.g., for journalists)
- Technical Documents (e.g., for software developers)
- Content Curation (i.e., gathering and organizing information from various sources for easy access)
- White Paper Proposal (e.g., for business strategists)
- Email Marketing (e.g., for marketers)
- And Much More
Types Of Copywriting
So you’re probably wondering, “what type of copywriting am I going to need to choose from?” Let’s dive into the pool. Keep in mind: There is no typical “copywriting” role. Every company is different, which means you will have to learn to craft unique messages for each customer segment.
As a general rule, you should look for three things when choosing a type of copywriting:
- Punctuation
- Capitalization
- Simple words
Punctuation refers to the small parts of speech that can be used to connect phrases, sentences, and thoughts together. These include commas, semicolons, and exclamation points. When using these elements, make sure that you vary your punctuation according to the mood and tone of the text.
In the same way, proper capitalization is vital in displaying the right amount of respect for a given letter or set of letters. For example, in British English, the proper capitalization of words like “the” and “AND” would be “The And…” You can also find guidelines for proper capitalization on the American Institute of Stress’s website. As a general rule, begin each sentence with a capital letter and connect two complete thoughts with a conjunction (e.g., “but”, “and”, “or”).
The third item to check for in choosing a type of copywriting is word choice. This includes considering both the individual words that you are using and the broader “trendiness” of a given term. When choosing words, make sure that they are easy for the reader to understand and relate to. If you are unsure of what words would be appropriate in a certain context, look for a thesaurus or dictionary to find alternate terms.
Now that you’re equipped with the basics of copywriting, you can begin your search for the right type of writing for your next marketing or sales project.