What defines copywriting? How can we tell it apart from other types of writing?  

 

You wouldn't, probably, confuse a novelist for a copywriter, but most likely, you may not distinguish one from a content writer.  

 

To really understand what copywriting entails, we need to find out what makes it distinct. What does a piece of written copy have that other types of writing don't?  

 

The short and straightforward answer to this question: benefit-focus content and the CTA.  

 

If you think about it, no other forms of writing have these two. And if they have them, they aren't mandatory to the piece.  

 

The Benefits Make the Sale  

 

In copywriting, you don't necessarily need to describe and paint pictures with your words. Sure, you can do that, but only with the goal in mind of persuading your reader. That's why focusing on what the product can do for the client, i.e., its benefits, is something that you will see time and time again in copywriting. If you've gone through a crash course on copywriting, the author highlighted time and time again that the benefits on a product beat its features.  

 

Are you promoting a pair of noise-cancelling headphones? Well, the client doesn't care that much about this feature as much as they care that they will hear music on the airplane.  

 

When a client is looking for a blender, it makes no difference whether the piece is powerful or not. What makes the client order the blender is whether it can make great smoothies every morning.  

 

Benefits beat features, and this may be the most important copywriting lesson for you.  

 

CTA—Why You Need to Tell Them What to Do 

 

The other distinct feature of copywriting is its use of CTAs, short for call-to-action.  

 

In copywriting, you don't write to impress with your beautiful writing. You write to make the reader take a certain action, often, to purchase something. However, what you need to keep in mind as a copywriter is that your prospect often is confused and undecided.  

 

You need to tell your reader what to do every single step. That's why, after you have completed a piece of copy, you need to end it with a strong "click here," "shop now," or "take the next step."  

 

No other form of writing tells the reader what to do, and this is what sets out copywriting apart.  

 

Copywriting is writing with the goal to make the reader take a specific action. 

 

In what other ways is copywriting different from other types of writing?