COPYWRITERS EXPLAINED: The Different Types of Copywriting

Conversion copywriter, sales copywriter, SEO copywriter, direct response copywriter, email copywriter, technical copywriter, website copywriter…

AHHHH – WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?!

I mean… is there even really a difference? Like really?

Should you be learning one type over another?

Does one type make more money than another?

You’ve got questions, I’ve got answers. 

Hey Posse, what’s up? It’s Alex

In this blog, I’m going to break down 7 different “types” of copywriters that you may commonly read about online.

Different Types of Copywriters

• Conversion copywriter
• Sales copywriter
• SEO copywriter
• Direct response copywriter
• Email copywriter
• Technical copywriter
• Website copywriter

If you’re a new copywriter – or someone who is interested in hiring a copywriter – chances are pretty good that you’ve fired up the good ‘ole Google machine a time or two. 

You might have typed in something like: “What is copywriting”, “How does copywriting work?”, “How to become a copywriter”, “How to make money as a copywriter” or “What type of copywriter do I need?”. 

But you end your search more confused than when you began because every article – and every person you follow online – praises some different form of copywriting. 

So I am here to set the record straight!

Let me just start by calming your nerves a little bit…

ALL of these “types” of copywriting are basically different flavors of the same thing.

Although some do have a more specific focus, like SEO copywriters, website copywriters, technical copywriters, or email copywriters. 

But in some cases… there is no “specialty”.

Just an extra word slapped in front of “copywriter” to make it sound more specific or to imply a benefit. 

For example… 

“Conversion copywriter” “sales copywriter” and “direct response copywriter” are the exact same thing as a regular no-fancy-word-in-front-of-it “copywriter”. 

I’ll tell you why people do that (and if YOU should be doing that) in a minute. 

But first… what IS copywriting? 

We need to have a solid understanding of that first and foremost – because everything else stems from here. 

And luckily for you, that’s exactly what my blog is here to help you do. 

So make sure to join the Copy Posse newsletter to get more lessons on TIMELESS & PROVEN copywriting, marketing, and branding strategies straight from behind the scenes of my own business.

What Is Copywriting?

Copywriting is clear and persuasive writing used (nowadays, mostly online) to inspire some sort of action or generate some sort of result (aka clicks, views, opt-ins, sales).

In a nutshell, great copywriting convinces people to take action. 

Whether that’s getting someone to click a link to read more, call a number, leave a comment, sign up with an email address, or buy something… it relies on WORDS. 

You see copy all day, every day. 

It’s on sales pages, websites, emails, promotional videos, mail flyers, catalogs, the ads you see online, billboards, even the packaging of products in grocery stores. 

This is ALL copywriting. 

And it ALL has the same goal – to attract eyeballs and inspire some form of action.

Now remember… I DID say that there are some specialties of copywriting.

So what exactly is a copywriting specialty? And do you need one?

Copywriting itself is pretty broad. Remember all the things I said a copywriter can write?

Sales pages, websites, emails, promotional videos, direct mail flyers, catalogs, ads, billboards, product packaging, product descriptions, commercials, and there is a lot more than that. 

A copywriting specialty is usually a specific niche, business model or form of copywriting that a COPYWRITER decides to “specialize” in, like…

What is an Email Copywriter? 

An email copywriter is a copywriter who specializes in writing emails. 

So they still have the role of a copywriter – which is to increase sales and conversions. But they spend all their time helping clients do this through EMAIL specifically. 

Because they are only focused on writing emails, they are able to dedicate all their time to perfecting emails. And getting really, really good at it. 

They have more time to sit down and study things like email deliverability, subject line split testing, and segmentation. 

They can write multiple versions of the same email for their clients to test and see which one performs better for their audience.  

What is a Website Copywriter?

A website copywriter focuses on creating great copy for websites. 

A website copywriter knows how to set up a great flow and user experience. 

They know how to immediately capture the attention of a visitor…

How to clearly communicate what the website is all about. 

And most importantly… how to weave in strong and compelling calls to action on each section of a website to keep visitors on the website and learning more. 

What is an SEO Copywriter?

An SEO copywriter focuses on incorporating very specific keywords and phrases into website copy to help them rank better on search engines. 

They know how all the very technical and ever-changing rules of SEO and how to do it right without keyword stuffing or other no-nos that will get you in trouble with Google. 

This can include sales pages, blogs, landing pages – anything you want to be easily searchable.

I’ll tell you a secret, I am NOT an SEO copywriter and never cared to learn it. It’s not why my clients hired me…

And I have a whole blog where I go deeper into the difference between SEO vs Conversion Copywriting and you can read it after this.

What is a Direct Response Copywriter?

A “direct response copywriter” specializes in writing sales assets and funnels that inspire people to take immediate action. This is the same thing as a conversion copywriter or sales copywriter, essentially.

Whereas most leads and customers take many days, weeks, or even months to convert… a direct response copywriter really focuses on the immediate action, sale, or conversion.

So direct response copywriters often specialize in writing ads, emails or pages for direct traffic funnels (or funnels that gets traffic from ads or paid media).

What is a Technical Copywriter?

Technical copywriting specializes in explaining complex benefits and solutions in a way that’s easy to understand for the everyday consumer. 

They might work in industries like medical, IT, manufacturing, tech, and law. 

And they might write things like brochures, case studies, blogs, and FAQs. 

Should You Specialize in a Single Type of Copywriting?

So those are some of the more common “types” of copywriting that you may see online…

And I didn’t even get into the other ways writers can specialize…

Like based on a copywriting niche…

• Health
• Travel
• Finance
• Fitness
• Vegan
• Music
• Business
• Pets
• Education
• Technology
• Sports
• Crypto

Or the type of business you serve…

• Coaching
• eCommerce
• B2B
• Non-Profit
• SaaS
• Services
• Local
• Agencies

So the big question is…

Does it really matter? Should YOU specialize in something?

Here’s where it gets a little complex. 

The answer is both yes and no. 

Here’s why… 

When you’re first starting out it is REALLY important to get a very solid foundation set up FIRST. 

You need to learn how to be a good “copywriter” in general before you try to specialize at one specific thing. 

And this is a huge mistake I see so many new copywriters making. 

They try to start too narrow. While it’s good to be clear on the direction you want to head in and you can absolutely tell people you have an area of focus, my advice is to not let that stop you from building your experience.

No matter what, take on as many opportunities as possible to get your feet wet and decide which direction you want to eventually head in…

And this is really important…

How To Become A Successful Copywriter

In order to become a successful copywriter, you need to understand how the entire sales funnel works before you zoom in on one area. 

Without this strong foundation, you’ll have a very difficult time “getting really good” at anything. 

That is why my 8-week copywriting course focuses on teaching you the FOUNDATIONS of copywriting FIRST. 

You learn how the entire sales funnel works – from start to finish. 

From researching customer avatars…

To writing ads…

Landing pages…

Sales pages…

Emails…

And so much more. 

This is the best first step for anyone interested in becoming a copywriter. 

FROM THERE you can start thinking about a specialty – if you want one. 

There are a lot more than the ones we talked about in this blog…

Once you learn the basics, get your feet wet, and try out a bunch of different stuff…

You’ll probably find that you NATURALLY gravitate towards something. 

Something you just enjoy writing the most.  

Or something you’re particularly good at. 

That’s what you specialize in. 

But let me be clear about this… 

You don’t NEED a specialty to start. 

So forget about adding the fancy word in front of “copywriter” for now…

And just get out there and LEARN COPYWRITING. You can learn more about my 8-week course that teaches the foundations of copywriting next.

I hope this was helpful! 

Until next time, I’m Alex. Ciao for now.

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