Businesses need copywriters for everything from marketing campaigns to boosting their websites’ visibility. Many types of copywriting exist, each with different goals and writing styles. If you understand the wide range of copyrighting services out there, then it’s easier to make an informed decision about the type that best matches your business goals.
In this article, we’ll review common types of copywriting services. We’ve organised them around six different business goals. You’ll notice there’s some overlap between categories. Most copywriters are experts at one or two types. Because of all the diverse skills needed, few writers excel at all of them.
To persuade
The goal of at least four common types of copywriting is to persuade a potential client or customer to do something:
- Marketing
- Direct response
- Product and sales
- Social media
Marketing
Marketing covers any promotional effort – whether you’re trying to sell a product, service, or brand. Marketing copywriting spans different platforms, including print, digital, and broadcast. Examples of marketing products include online display ads, About pages, slogans, YouTube videos, radio and TV commercials, flyers, billboards, and direct mail.
Marketing aims to build an ongoing relationship with the target audience. For immediate action, direct response copywriting takes over.
Direct response
Direct response copywriting works by compelling the target audience to take immediate action. It relies on strong headlines, psychological triggers, and powerful calls-to-action (CTAs).
Call-to-action
GLOSSARYCall-to-action, abbreviated as CTA, is an action prompt on a webpage, email, ad, push notification, or any other assets that urge a user to take a specified action. They can be short, like ‘Buy Now’ or longer and more detailed, like ‘Subscribe for insider updates, news and tips’.
See also: Direct response copy, Sales copy
Examples of direct response copywriting include persuading the audience to follow social media channels, download a resource, click a button, claim a coupon, and sign up for membership. Direct sales copywriting is crucial for your ongoing marketing.
Effective direct sales copy depends on knowing your target audience in depth, including how best to motivate them. You’ll see that knowing your audience is a recurring theme in many of the copywriting types we cover.
Direct response copywriters follow the AIDCA principle, which stands for attention, interest, conviction, desire, and action. It’s tough to include all five principles while still being concise and entertaining, but being able to do so is the mark of a truly great direct response copywriter.
Product and sales
Any writing that results in the purchase of a product or service can be considered product and sales copy. This type of copywriting includes product and service descriptions in brochures and catalogues, as well as the copy on labels and packaging.
The challenge in this kind of copywriting is combining technical accuracy with brevity and engagement.
Social media
The goal of social media copywriting is to persuade your target audience to keep scrolling, clicking, swiping, and otherwise engaging with your business, brand, and website.
Talented social media copywriters use short, punchy language and striking visual images that encourage the audience to keep engaging. The tone is informal but consistent with the business’ brand. In this competitive field, social media copywriters must know all the platforms and their intended audiences. They must excel at writing posts, stories, product descriptions, and ads. Rapidly changing trends and algorithms make social media copywriting challenging.
To nurture a relationship
The goal of email marketing is to build and nurture relationships with the target audience with the longer view of converting them to customers.
Conversion
GLOSSARYConversion is when a website visitor completes a desired action. This could be buying a product, signing up for a newsletter, downloading a guide, or filling out a contact form. It’s an important goal for most marketing efforts. The percentage of visitors who convert is called the conversion rate. Marketers aim to improve this rate by changing website design, writing clear calls to action, and reaching the right audience.
See also: Conversion rate, Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO)
Further reading: What is Website Conversion?
Email marketing
Email marketing copy is still one of the most effective means of conversion. According to Campaign Monitor, email marketing produces 174% more conversions than social media. Examples of email marketing are newsletters, abandoned cart reminders, and product launches.
These copywriters must create in their email:
- Catchy subject line
- Thought-provoking first sentence
- Engaging introduction to the email’s body that makes the audience keep reading
- Compelling CTA
To raise awareness and build loyalty
The purpose of brand copywriting is to connect with customers to shape their experience with your business.
Branding
GLOSSARYBranding is the strategic process of shaping how people perceive and experience your business. This includes developing and managing your visual identity, tone of voice, values, and messaging to create a distinct market position. Good branding builds recognition and trust with your target audience while setting you apart from competitors in meaningful ways.
See also: Brand, Marketing channel
Brand
This kind of copywriting focuses on identity and connection. It reinforces your mission and values and communicates your uniqueness and personality in a way that resonates with your audience.
Brand copywriting includes the tagline, business name, product or service descriptions, and the tone and language used. It appears on packaging, your website, and social media channels.
These copywriters also need a deep understanding of the audience. The challenges of brand copywriting include changing market trends and emerging competitors.
To improve the user journey
User experience (UX) copywriting, also known as website writing, guides users through your website.
User Experience (UX) design
GLOSSARYUser experience (UX) design focuses on optimising the entire user journey throughout a website. It goes beyond how things look and instead focuses on how they work for end users.
UX designers use methods like user interviews, A/B testing, and analytics to inform decisions. They create detailed user personas, map out complex user flows, and develop information architectures. The goal is to improve the overall experience people have when using a website, from start to finish.
See also: User psychology, Responsive design, User interface
Further reading: The Difference Between Web Design, UI and UX Design
UX or website writing
The goal of this type of copywriting is to make it as easy as possible for the user to take the next step toward their final destination. That destination may be to subscribe, join the organisation, sign up for an email, contact the organisation, or buy something.
An effective website copywriter needs a bone-deep understanding of the end user, what they want to do on the website, and what content resonates with them. Website copywriting features user-friendly language to engage them, clear and concise messages, and intuitive navigation that helps them complete their tasks efficiently.
Good UX copywriting can keep users on the website longer, which can affect its ranking on search engines. But we’ll cover more about improving search engine rankings with our next type of copywriting.
To raise search engine rankings
The aim of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) copywriting is to help search engines like Google understand the relevance of your website and its value to users.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
When your target audience types in a search engine query, most of them won’t look past the first page of results. And you’re competing with paid ads too. How to get your website on that first page of results? SEO copywriting raises a website’s search engine rankings by making sure the keywords used in common search queries for a particular product or service are included on the website – in headings, descriptions, meta descriptions, landing pages, blog posts, and other important pages.
SEO copywriters walk a tightrope as they try to balance writing engaging content that’s valuable to human readers with using high-value keywords to improve rankings on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)
GLOSSARYSearch Engine Results Pages (SERPs) are the pages displayed by search engines in response to a user’s query. These pages list websites and other content types like images or videos that the search engine deems relevant to the user’s search. SERPs typically include both organic results and paid ads. The layout and content of SERPs vary based on the search term, user location, and search engine algorithms.
See also: Average position, Featured snippet
Further reading: How We Measure SEO Campaigns
These copywriters must develop a clear content strategy and have the expertise and time to do keyword research and adjust the copy as trends and search algorithms change. They often use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SurferSEO, or WordPress SEO plugins.
To inform
When the business goal is to inform the target audience by explaining complex content, two types of copywriting can help: Technical copywriting and content or thought leadership.
Technical copywriting
People need to understand a product or service before they can decide whether to buy it. Technical copywriting describes complex content and data in a clear, engaging way.
Data-driven products like case studies, white papers, and industry reports are examples of technical copywriting. This type of copywriting explains technical information to potential customers in both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing.
These copywriters have to put themselves in the users’ shoes to understand what the target audience needs to know and when they need to know it. Technical copywriters must have a clear, direct style of writing as well as solid organisational skills and the ability to cut extraneous information.
Content marketing
This type of copywriting aims to build the authority and credibility of an individual or organisation on a topic in a particular field. You may also hear this type of writing referred to as thought leadership. It educates and entertains the audience by offering insights, in-depth knowledge, or a fresh perspective.
Examples include articles and posts on LinkedIn, articles in trade publications, and blog posts. Thought leadership pieces also appear on social media platforms.
Effective content marketing copywriters focus on what’s of value to the target audience rather than what the business wants to talk about. When the content comes from a prominent person in the organisation, the copywriter can take on the roles of reporter, collaborator, and ghostwriter.
Web content marketing goes hand-in-hand with SEO efforts. Useful, informative content on a website improves the UX and naturally includes relevant keywords.
To shape perception
Business owners and other principals want to shape public perception, build trust, and manage reputations. Public relations (PR) copywriters can help.
Public Relations
Getting your narrative out there is critical in a world propelled by 24/7 news and social media. Public relations copywriting can inform the public and promote a business, product, or service from your point of view. It’s often used to announce big changes or new products. And if something bad happens – public relations copywriting can help there too by rebuilding public trust and boosting your image through transparent communications.
This copy is shared with media outlets in hopes of reaching a broader audience. Examples include press releases, email media pitches, op-eds, press kits, and social media copy.
PR copywriters need a journalistic voice and an eye to what makes news. They must understand editorial guidelines for different media platforms and may have their own contacts in the news media.
How to choose the right copywriter
First, figure out what you’re trying to achieve with this copywriting. Use our list of six business goals to narrow your requirements. Are you trying to improve the user’s journey on your website, build awareness and loyalty, or raise search engine rankings? Each of these goals points to a particular type of writing and set of skills.
By knowing your business goals before you start looking, you can make a more informed choice about who will be the most effective copywriter for your situation.
Expert Canberra Copywriting and Digital Marketing
Futuretheory is a digital marketing agency based in Canberra with more than 15 years of experience. Along with our web design and development expertise, we 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.
Contact us today to discuss how our wordsmiths can help you and get an obligation-free quote.
