Copywriters, like ice-cream, come in all different flavours. Though there are two overarching branches of copywriting, the technical vs. the creative copywriter, there are certain copywriters that specialise in certain media, topics, or forms of writing. Here are the types of copywriters that exist in the workforce - although there is significant overlap - and a copywriter who is good at one form of writing can often do both - or many (like me!)
Marketing Copywriter
Marketing copywriting is the most common form of copywriting - I Sell Words is primarily a marketing copywriting firm, specialising in a variety of written content intended to sell your products and services. (I sell words because my words sell!) Marketing copywriting may extend to all types of written communication - blog posts, web content, flyers, YouTube video scripts, flyers, and so on. This is the most versatile type of copywriter who can work across different campaigns, media, and subjects. Some marketing copywriters may work certain “niches” while others will happily write about any topic, given the right research. Every business should hire a marketing copywriter - at least to get started!
Direct Response Copywriter
Direct response copywriting is copywriting that’s engineered to elicit some kind of action from the reader. Direct response copywriters often work on sales funnels, landing pages, pop-up ads, eDMs, and webforms that require a user to take an action (e.g. buy now, sign up now, open this email, click here.) Direct response copywriting is the domain of the “long-form sales letter” which requires a knowledge of sales techniques to truly master. Copywriters such as Dan Kennedy are known as expert Direct Response Copywriters. This type of copywriting is known to produce quick results, usually for consumer products, e-learning platforms, and other systematic marketing “machines.”
Advertising Copywriter
Advertising copywriters these days are found in agencies or as freelancers attached to agencies, coming up with taglines, creative content for social media, create brand “personas,” concepts for videos or images, and overarching campaign concepts. Advertising copywriters are creative in nature, and their skill set doesn’t necessarily mean every ad needs to sell something. Advertising copywriters need to be mindful of a brand’s image, tone of voice, style, and intended audience.
SEO Copywriter
SEO copywriters are copywriters focused on writing for search engine optimisation (SEO.) Although it’s rare to find a copywriter who isn’t an SEO copywriter in 2022, these copywriters are often involved with keyword research, link building, ghostwriting, and producing new and interesting angles for copy while staying focused on the ultimate objective: increasing a site’s search engine page results. SEO copywriters usually have skills in off-page SEO - optimising meta tags, descriptions, etc. SEO copywriting is everywhere - and a business that hires an SEO copywriter is after an increase in their organic traffic and eventually, conversions. SEO copywriters are also often referred to as “content writers.”
Social Media Copywriter
A social media copywriter works primarily in - you guessed it - social media. That means maintaining a consistent tone of voice, engaging with community, and conducting hashtag research. They may work in tandem with graphic designers or videographers to create compelling social media content for business. Social media copywriters may also write blog posts from time to time as part of a sales funnel.
Conversion/UX Copywriter
A relatively new type of copywriter, a conversion or UX copywriter is focused more on Conversion Rate Optimisation, A/B testing, and writing copy that serves to enhance a User Experience (UX.) CRO is a more systematic approach to copywriting, which requires a copywriter to write at least two variations of headlines, straplines, body copy, etc. to determine which attracts or converts the most amount of visitors to a desired action (e.g. signing up to a mailing list, buying a product, organising a meeting, etc.) Conversion-oriented copywriters may also be adept at writing sales scripts, chatbot scripts, onboarding email campaigns, and sales funnels or landing pages.
Technical Copywriter
As I’ve explained in this post, a technical copywriter primarily deals with informing rather than instructing. There’s little creativity involved in technical copywriting - the copy may be “mission critical” to the operation of a piece of hardware, explaining a policy, or implementing a consistent process. A technical copywriter may write white papers, research reports, or annual reports for companies that require accuracy in their copy.
What Kind of Copywriter Should I Hire?
This all depends on your business needs. If you need copy for a website, an SEO copywriter should be your first choice. If you need a copywriter to run your socials, then a social media copywriter is best. However, a good copywriter can fulfil multiple roles - just like me!
I am an expert in all forms of copywriting, informed by journalistic experience, continuous improvement, and constant research and refinement of my skills. Do you want to reach more people, sell more of your offering, and grow your business? Contact me below.