Copywriting is a critical marketing component but also an extensive field in its own right. Most people don’t realise just how many types of copywriting there are out there, each with a different writing style and a different goal.

If you’re looking to hire a copywriter to help improve your marketing strategy, understanding all the variants in the copywriting field can help you pick a copywriting strategy that aligns with your business objectives. Most professional copywriters excel at one or two types of copywriting, but you’ll soon learn why few can do it all.

In this article, we’ll review the core types of copywriting services available on the market today. From SEO copywriting, aimed at boosting search engine visibility, to direct response copywriting, designed to elicit a specific response from the reader, and brand copywriting, which focuses on crafting a brand’s identity and message – we’ll give you an in-depth overview of each type so that you can make an informed decision on which one best suits your business goals.

If you need a rundown on copywriting before we get started, check out our article explaining what copy is.

Sales Copywriting

Sales copy is a critical component of marketing and advertising material. It includes any type of copy designed to persuade the audience to take action, whether it’s making a purchase, subscribing to a mailing list, or clicking a link – essentially any action that increases sales or drives forward other business goals.

Sales writing is also often referred to as sales letters. The key to effectively delivering this type of copywriting is a concise and persuasive writing style that serves to grab the reader’s attention and hold it.

Sales Page Copywriting

For sales page copy to have the desired outcomes, it’s essential that the writer has a deep understanding of their target audience. This allows sales copywriters to tailor the wording to the target audience’s wants, needs, and pain points. By doing so, a successful copywriter can make the copy more relevant and compelling, increasing their chances of converting the audience to paying customers.

Application of Sales Copywriting

Sales copy is used in a multitude of different advertising and marketing campaigns, including online sales pages, radio commercials, product descriptions, and video sales letters.

SEO Copywriting

The success of a website today depends heavily on how well it’s optimised for search engines, and how far up a search engine results page your website appears – that’s where SEO copywriting comes in. It’s a highly specialised type of copywriting that involves a delicate balancing act between writing high-quality content that’s engaging and valuable for human readers, while still including as many relevant keywords as possible to rank higher on the search engine results page.

The Challenge of SEO Copywriting

Considering that most people don’t look beyond the first few search results on Google, let alone the second page, an effective SEO strategy is essential to getting your website in the eyes of potential customers. Add in the competition and increased push from Google for advertisers to do paid advertisements in search engine results pages (SERPs), and you’re suddenly fighting on two fronts – organic competition and paid advertisements. This is why good SEO copywriting, and marketing copywriting in general, is important.

Elements of SEO Copywriting

SEO copywriting projects require a few distinct elements, including a clear strategy, extensive keyword research, time, and expertise. While the results aren’t instant and SEO copywriting requires regular updating to stay fresh, hiring a professional SEO copywriter can make a huge difference to your ranking on search engines and your overall profits.

SEO copywriting might include the landing page of your website and any other website pages, as well as a blog post, product pages, and any other digital marketing materials. SEO copywriting usually requires the use of tools like the Google keyword planner, Surferseo, or WordPress SEO plugins.

Direct Response Copywriting

If the goal of a marketing campaign is to prompt immediate action from potential customers, direct response copywriting is the answer. Direct response marketing and copy are designed to prompt potential customers to take immediate action, whether it’s making a purchase, following your social media channels, or contacting you. This is the ‘direct response’ you’re trying to elicit from your audience.

Types of Direct Response Copywriting

This could be through direct mail, social media posts, sales pages, a Facebook ad or your more traditional marketing assets – no matter what the format, eliciting action through direct response copywriting can help achieve better outcomes.

As with many of the other types of copywriting on the list, knowing your target audience and how to best motivate them to take the next step after reading your content is the key to direct response copywriting. Direct response copywriting follows the AIDCA principle, which stands for ‘attention, interest, conviction, desire and action.’

It can be hard to incorporate all five things in a concise and entertaining way without being too transparent, but that skill is the essence of direct response copywriting.

Hiring freelance copywriters with great direct response copywriting skills can result in a huge jump in conversions and website traffic. Overall, direct response sales copy is hugely valuable for your marketing efforts.

Social Media Copywriting

Social media copywriting is a highly specialised type of copywriting that involves content writing for social media marketing posts that serve as the foundation of a social media marketing campaign. While the concept itself is pretty self-explanatory, social media copywriting comes with its own distinct set of rules and challenges.

The competition on social media platforms is fierce, and every word in the copy matters, particularly given the limited word count. Social media copywriters need to excel at crafting content with a few distinct elements: Similar to brand copywriting, communicating in a concise, engaging, and visually appealing all while incorporating a clear call to action is the goal.

Social media copywriting means the writer has to tailor their writing style to the platform they are writing for and the intended audience. Additionally, they should be skilled in writing for various social media formats, such as posts, stories, product descriptions, and ads.

The Challenge of Social Media Copywriting

All up, social media copywriting is a challenging task that requires creativity, attention to detail, and the ability to capture the reader’s attention within seconds. Marketing copy for social media has to be compelling enough to entice the audience to take action, such as clicking a link or making a purchase.

The constantly changing algorithms on each platform and rapidly moving social media trends also mean social media copywriting experts need to continually refine their skills to stay ahead of the competition and deliver the desired results for their clients: a loyal social media following, higher click-through rate, and more sales.

Email Marketing Copywriting

Email marketing campaigns and newsletters are important tools for businesses to communicate with their audience and promote their products or services. However, simply sending an email isn’t enough to guarantee success. Quality email copywriting is essential for the effectiveness of any email campaign.

Ensuring Your Emails Stand Out

Most people receive an overwhelming number of promotional emails in their inboxes every day. Email copywriting needs to be crafty and persuasive right from the subject line to ensure that your emails stand out from the crowd. The subject line is the first thing that the reader sees, and it needs to be interesting enough to encourage them to open the email.

The body of the email also needs to be carefully crafted to keep the reader engaged. The message should be structured in a way that is easy to read and understand. The language used should be simple and persuasive, encouraging the reader to take the desired action, such as clicking through to your website or making a purchase.

In conclusion, quality email copywriting is crucial for the success of any email marketing campaign or newsletter. This type of copywriting requires attention to detail, creativity, and a deep understanding of the audience. With the right approach, email copywriting can help businesses communicate with their audience and achieve their marketing goals effectively.

Technical Copywriting

Technical copywriting is a specialised skill that involves taking complex and technical information and presenting it in a way that is easily digestible for a broad audience. The goal of technical copywriting is to transform complex topics into clear, concise, and engaging content that any reader can understand.

Technical writing can be challenging because it requires the writer to have a thorough grasp of the topic they are writing about. They have to be able to break down complex ideas into simple, understandable language that is accessible to a general audience. Excellent communication skills and the ability to convey technical information in an engaging and interesting way is key.

Attention To Detail

Technical copywriting also requires strong attention to detail and the ability to organise information logically and coherently. The writer must also have a good understanding of the audience and be able to adapt their writing style to suit their needs. Overall, it’s a skill that plays a vital role in making complex topics accessible and understandable to a broader audience.

B2B Copywriting

B2B is a type of copywriting that focuses on creating persuasive and informative content tailored to the unique needs and dynamics of business interactions. In B2B transactions, the audience consists of other businesses rather than individual consumers. B2B copywriters play a crucial role in building strong business relationships and conveying value to other enterprises.

For this type of copywriting, writers need industry knowledge and to be well-versed in writing in a professional tone. It often includes educational content that addresses complex topics or provides in-depth information. Whitepapers, proposals, case studies, and reports are common formats B2B copywriters use.

A Unique Form of Marketing Copywriting

B2B copywriting often aims to generate leads from other businesses, so copywriters in this field have to be good at communicating Unique Value Propositions (UVPs). They need to be able to effectively communicate how a product or service can solve specific business problems, improve processes, or enhance productivity. In this way, B2B copywriting has a lot of overlap with outbound marketing copywriting.

The ultimate goal is to facilitate mutually beneficial partnerships and transactions. This form of copywriting serves as a bridge between businesses, effectively conveying the value proposition and expertise of one business to another.

By creating content that speaks directly to the needs, goals, and challenges of other businesses, B2B copywriters play a pivotal role in driving business-to-business success and fostering long-lasting professional relationships with business customers.

Content Marketing

Content copywriting for content marketing is one of the most popular types of copywriting. It’s all about educating and entertaining your target audience through inbound marketing and includes elements of leadership copywriting or thought leadership copywriting. It involves creating engaging and informative content such as blog posts, articles, and educational materials.

This form of content writing focuses on providing value to the reader, establishing authority, and building trust. Establishing authority can also be done through thought leadership copywriting on social media platforms. However, this can also be achieved through content marketing.

Web content marketing is highly useful for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) – having informative and useful content on your website is a great way to improve User Experience (UX) and naturally include relevant keywords in your website copywriting.

Creative Copywriting

Creative copywriting is often found in advertising campaigns. It uses storytelling, humour, and wordplay to create memorable and engaging content. The goal is to leave a lasting impression on your audience and increase brand memorability.

It’s especially useful for online ads and marketing copywriting- if you manage to craft an ad that your audience wants to share with their friends because it’s funny, that’s a lot more eyes on your business.

Video marketing and even radio commercials are two other forms of copywriting that can be considered marketing copywriting or digital copywriting. While both video marketing and radio commercials have visual and audio elements, ad copywriting through the script underpins the whole marketing campaign and can then be applied across other channels of a marketing campaign.

Brand Copywriting, Communicating Who You Are

Building and maintaining a successful brand identity can be a daunting task, requiring a deep understanding of your target audience, competitors, and market trends. One of the key elements of creating a strong brand identity is brand copywriting, which involves crafting purposeful and impactful content that resonates with your audience.

Brand copywriting encompasses a wide range of elements, including your brand’s tagline, business name, product descriptions, and the tone and language of your marketing materials. From the moment a potential customer comes into contact with your brand, copywriting plays a crucial role in shaping their perception of your business. It communicates your brand’s values, personality, and unique selling proposition in a way that captures attention and inspires action.

What is Brand Copywriting Communicating?

The power of effective brand copywriting cannot be overstated. It is a key factor in building brand recognition, loyalty, and differentiation. By creating consistent, compelling, and memorable content, you can establish your brand as a leader in your industry and build a loyal following of customers who identify with your brand’s values and message.

Public Relations Copywriting

Creating a positive image of your business is the main goal of public relations (PR) copywriting. Public relations copywriting aims to help you shape public perception, build trust, and manage your reputation. It’s an essential tool for businesses that want to establish themselves as industry leaders and gain the trust of their target audience.

How Can Public Relations Copywriting Help?

In today’s social media-driven world, a single misstep can quickly turn into a PR disaster. That’s where a PR copywriter comes in handy. They can help you navigate the complex world of social media and create a positive image for your business. They can also craft compelling press releases that announce major changes or new products that your business is bringing to the market.

Writing a press release that captures the attention of journalists and editors requires an understanding of strict editorial guidelines. Someone experienced in this type of copywriting can ensure that your press release meets these standards and gets as much visibility as possible. With their help, you can increase the chances of your press release being picked up by media outlets and reaching a broader audience.

UX Copywriting

The primary objective of a UX copywriter is to create content that facilitates a smooth and seamless user experience across the digital interface. This involves incorporating user-friendly language, clear and concise messaging, and intuitive navigation to guide users through the website.

Improve Your Website’s Performance

Good UX copywriting creates a positive and user-centric experience that not only keeps users engaged but also helps them accomplish their tasks efficiently. It involves taking into account the user’s needs and preferences and designing content that resonates with them.

Effective UX copywriting can also have a positive impact on a website’s ranking on search engines by keeping users engaged and on the site for longer periods of time, which leads to higher user retention rates.

Ad Copywriting

Ad copywriting, also known as marketing copywriting, is a type of copywriting that involves creating persuasive and attention-grabbing content for advertisements. Whether it’s digital ads, print ads, billboards, or TV commercials, ad copywriters are the masters of capturing the audience’s attention and motivating them to take a specific action, such as making a purchase, signing up, or clicking through to a website.

Effective ad copy often leverages emotional triggers to connect with the audience. It can evoke emotions such as excitement, fear, curiosity, or joy, depending on the campaign’s objectives. However, Ad copywriters have to be mindful of legal and ethical standards in advertising. They always ensure that claims are substantiated and that advertising complies with regulations in order to avoid getting in hot water.

Ad copywriters often work in collaboration with designers to ensure that the copy integrates seamlessly with visuals, such as images or graphics, creating a unified and persuasive message. Ad copy also needs to align with the brand’s tone and writing style, striking a balance between creativity and brand identity.

How To Choose The Right Type of Copywriting For Your Needs

From direct response to social media copywriting and technical copywriting – there are so many types of copywriting out there that it can be hard to choose a copywriter with the right skill set to help you.

The first step is to ask yourself what goals you’re trying to achieve by hiring a professional copywriter: is it to reach more potential customers by improving your ranking on search engines, improve your social media game or make your sales page more persuasive? Each of these different objectives involves a different type of copywriting with a few distinct elements.

By establishing your goals before you start looking, you can make a more informed choice about who you entrust your marketing copywriting, social media, website or public image to.

Expert Canberra Copywriting and Digital Marketing

Futuretheory is a digital marketing agency based in Canberra with over 15 years of experience. Along with our web design and development expertise, we also offer copywriting services. Our creative copywriters specialise in website copywriting, SEO copywriting, and content marketing.

Like everything we do at Futuretheory, every choice our copywriters make is deliberate and backed by strategy to drive your business goals forward. Our skilled team of copywriters is committed to creating words that tell your story and unique value proposition compellingly, generating tangible outcomes for your business.

The Different Types of Copywriting Services