I’ve been freelance writing for a long time at this point, but if I’m honest, when I started I also had no idea what the difference between copywriters and content writers was. Luckily, I have now more than figured it out, as well as realised which path I am personally way more suited to be on.

But, if you’re still figuring it out for yourself, or you’re working out which of the two you need to hire, then worry not. This guide is breaking down everything in the conversation of copywriting vs content writing, including what each career entails, and how to get started as a freelance writer.

• Copywriting vs Content Writing: The Basics
• So, Copywriting vs Content Writing? Which Should I Be…
  • Writing Projects
  • Building a Writing Career
  • Career Expectations
  • Responsibilities
• Want to Learn More About Freelance Writing?

Copywriting vs Content Writing: The Basics

The names are similar, both are writing gigs in the world of content marketing, and even executives seem pretty sure that they’re the same thing. Unfortunately, they’re not. At all.

Copywriting and content writing are two completely different writing roles that require you to work on completely different projects, timelines, and workflows. So, what are they actually? To be as specific as possible, copywriting refers to the shorter “copy” written on things like posters, landing pages, ads, or social media captions. Content writing, on the other hand, refers to long-form writing on projects such as blogs, how-to guides, web articles, and even sales scripts.

Personally, my experience is as a content writer. I’m used to working on blog posts, newsletters, substacks, YouTube video scripts…pretty much anything that’s 500 words or more. I wouldn’t know where to start with finding one sentence to sum up an entire product line and make it memorable enough for someone to go back and buy it days later.

So, Copywriting vs Content Writing? Which Should I Be…

I know you’re probably hoping someone can answer this question for you, but the truth is, the decision has to come from you. Finding which writing career you should go down can be tricky, and it takes trial and error (believe me, I’ve been there). However, seeing as copywriting and content writing are so utterly different, hopefully learning more about them can help you figure out which you would excel at.

Below, I’m diving even deeper into examples of the differences in the question of copywriting vs content writing.

Writing Projects

To reiterate what I mentioned above, generally speaking, copywriters deal with the short-form, whereas content writers work on the long-form. This is a pretty good rule of thumb, but we can get a little deeper into what these projects actually look like in real life:

Copywriting Examples

• Landing Pages: Designed to convince visitors to take a specific action, e.g., signing up, making a purchase, or booking a call
• Email Campaigns: Promotional emails that encourage you to click through or engage with a brand
• Social Media Advertisements: Short, punchy text written to stop the scroll and drive clicks, sales, or sign-up
• Product Descriptions: Persuasive descriptions that highlight benefits and help customers feel confident about making a purchase
• Sales Pages: Long-form copy focused entirely on overcoming objections and convincing readers to buy
• Google Ads: Every word has to work hard, with the goal of generating clicks and conversions within a limited character count

Content Writing Examples

• Blog Posts: Blog articles that educate, entertain, or answer a reader’s question while building trust with a brand
• Ultimate Guides: In-depth guides that explore a topic in a lot of detail to try and bring more web traffic to the page
• Case Studies: Detailed breakdowns of real results, projects, or customer experiences that demonstrate expertise
• News Articles: Time-sensitive content that reports on industry developments, trends, or important updates
• Web Articles: Long-form content published on a company’s website to help visitors learn more about a topic/product/event
• Ebooks: Super long-form downloadable PDFs (usually) that might be a how-to guide, or sometimes a fiction
• SEO Content: Search-optimised articles created to rank in Google and attract readers actively looking for information

Building a Writing Career

Getting started as a writer is always a bit of a daunting task. It has a less obvious entry point than other industries, and to be entirely honest, you’re going to need to be prepared to hustle. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth doing.

Getting Started as a Copywriter

1. Start by learning how persuasive writing works, focusing on clarity, emotion, and simple calls to action rather than overcomplicating your style.
2. Build a small portfolio of mock or volunteer projects such as landing pages, adverts, or email sequences so you have something tangible to show.
3. Practice rewriting existing content into more persuasive versions so you can train yourself to think in terms of conversions and outcomes.
4. Apply for junior in-house or agency copywriting roles where you can learn within a marketing team and get exposure to real campaigns, brand voice guidelines, and performance-driven writing.

Getting Started as a Content Writer

1. Research content writing and choose a writing niche you can write confidently about.
2. Learn the basics of SEO so your writing is not just readable, but also discoverable through search engines.
3. Launch a blog where you can practice writing, build your credibility as a professional, start building a writing portfolio, and give potential clients a way to find you.
4. Send out writing pitches by looking for companies with blogs that have a ‘write for us’ or ‘contribute’ page somewhere with instructions on how to pitch a post.

Career Expectations

It’s also super important to understand the long-term trajectory and differences between a copywriting and content writing career. They tend to differ from very early on, leading to different day-to-day lives, responsibilities, and even salaries.

Copywriter

Copywriting tends to lean more towards agency or in-house marketing roles, especially early on, where you work closely with brands to shape messaging and campaigns. Freelance copywriting does exist, but it’s often more competitive and usually comes later once you’ve built proven results.

In terms of salary, junior copywriters in the UK typically start around £22,000–£30,000, with mid-level roles moving into the £30,000–£45,000 range. Senior copywriters and creative leads in agencies or larger in-house teams can go beyond £50,000–£70,000+, particularly in London or in performance-driven industries.

The lifestyle can be fast-paced and structured. Agency environments especially can feel deadline-heavy, with bursts of intense creative work around campaign launches, followed by quieter periods. Freelance copywriting does exist, but it is usually more competitive and tends to come later once you’ve built a strong portfolio and proven commercial results.

Content Writer

Content writing, on the other hand, is often more naturally suited to freelance work, since businesses regularly outsource blogs and SEO content to writers on a flexible basis. There are also in-house SEO and content roles.

Salary-wise, junior content writers in the UK typically start around £20,000–£28,000, with mid-level roles sitting around £28,000–£40,000. Senior content writers, SEO content specialists, or content managers can earn £40,000–£60,000+, especially when strategy and SEO performance are part of the role.

The lifestyle tends to be more flexible compared to copywriting. Content writing often allows for remote work, freelance contracts, and asynchronous workflows, particularly when working with multiple clients or editorial calendars.

Responsibilities

At this point, I’m sure you won’t be surprised to learn that the responsibilities are also not at all the same for copywriting vs content writing. This helps to contextualise the writing roles as a whole, and get a better understanding of what each of them really does.

Copywriter Responsibilities

• Audience Research: Involves understanding customer motivations, purchasing behaviour, and emotional triggers that influence decision-making
• Idea Development & Pitching: Covers coming up with campaign ideas, shaping angles for ads or landing pages, and pitching persuasive concepts to clients or internal teams
• Conversion-Focused Writing: Includes writing headlines, ad copy, landing pages, and email sequences designed to drive clicks, sign-ups, or sales
• Brand Identity: Focuses on matching a brand’s tone of voice, writing consistently across campaigns, and turning brand values into clear, persuasive messaging
• Testing & Optimisation: Involves reviewing performance data, refining copy based on A/B testing, and improving messaging to increase conversions over time

Content Writer Responsibilities

• Research: Involves understanding target audience behaviour, researching topics for content, and fact-checking information to ensure accuracy and relevance
• Pitching: Covers proposing content ideas, writing persuasive blog pitches, and identifying or projecting relevant industry trends
• SEO: Includes keyword research, applying SEO-friendly formatting, and building internal linking strategies through topic clusters
• Brand Identity: Focuses on matching a brand’s tone of voice, following style guides, and communicating its mission and values through writing
• Content Management System (CMS): Involves uploading and scheduling content, adding metadata such as titles and descriptions, and embedding media like images, videos, and links

Want to Learn More About Freelance Writing?

You’ve come to the right place! I’ve spent years taking all the lessons I’ve learnt freelance writing and turning them into helpful resources for others wanting to follow in the same career. Start by checking out some of my recent posts below, or enter your name into my email list to get the latest updates straight to your inbox.