Finally! Someone said it! Don’t you love when you read something amazing and immediately have to write in response to it? No? Just us. Hm. Okay. Well, here we go anyway.
Abbey Woodcock, in her article “Confessions of a 6-figure Copywriter: Here’s how to hire me,” revealed:
Critical differences between copy and content,
How buyers may become overwhelmed with the need for effective copy and compelling content, and
Price ranges for several types.
The article is revolutionary in its transparency and potential benefits to businesses in search of writers and the writers themselves. Feel free to pop over there and read it. Or you can stay here for the “What does this mean to you?” part.
Do you lead a business in need of writers? Or are you in the business of writing? Here is what you need to know, summed up in a two-minute read.
Buyers
Businesses, before you go looking for a writer, define your needs. If you need ad copy, sales emails, and web sales pages, hire a copywriter. You need someone skilled in converting readers and onlookers to buyers.
If you want to prove your industry expert status with a blog, but have no time to write about your professional badass-ery, hire a content writer. Look to content writers for articles, newsletter content, storytelling, basically content that, “summarizes, engages, introduces, and educates,” according to Woodcock.
Writers
If you are in the business of writing, as CRC is, know what you do and the value of what you do. As Woodcock explains and CRC practices, content and copy have different monetary values.
Great copywriters combine psychology, behavior, and marketing tools to create copy that sells. Great copy makes money. Therefore, copywriters charge clients not only for their perfectly strung sentences, but also for the knowledge and ability to crawl inside customers’ brains and put that trickery into words resulting in dollar signs.
Make the Choice
Quality content can also result in sales, but that is not the direct mission. And, according to Woodcock, most businesses actually need content rather than copy. Why? Because content proves that a business is worthy of customers time and money. None of us want to select a brain surgeon based on price. We all want the smartest brain surgeon with hands as steady as Gibraltar. Content detailing Dr. Steady Hand’s scalpel skills educates consumers, convincing them that Dr. Steady Hands is the best choice for them. Content is educational, not necessarily persuasive and for that reason, content prices are generally lower than copy prices.
That’s capitalism, folks. Our economic system values making sales over sharing knowledge any day of the week.
Although copy costs more than content, most businesses need both: Copy to keep the lights on and Content to establish reputation and relationships.
We do both! We write copy for organizations, candidates, and businesses looking to stimulate action from their reader. And we write content for experts, experiences, and educators to tell stories and build relationships.
Now that we all know this, let’s not charge for content as if we’re writing copy. And, business leaders, know the type of writer you need before you approach that writer with one year of experience on Fivvr.
If you need Copy or Content, head to our Contact Us page and drop us a note.