Is a good writer always a good copywriter?

(Spoiler: No. Here’s why…)

“You know I’m actually a writer, too.”

I hear this from a lot of my clients. Sometimes it’s a huge red flag—us writers can be an awfully picky bunch—almost impossible to satisfy at times when it comes to words. But typically, this sentiment from a client is just a nod to our shared affection for writing. And that’s something I can always appreciate.

But it does raise an important question: is there a difference between a person who writes well…and a good copywriter? If so, what is it?

A good writer ≠ a good copywriter

Sure, good writers and copywriters share many similarities. They’re sticklers for grammar and punctuation. Almost to a point of snobbery at times. Both know how to express themselves clearly on paper. They know how to inform and entertain.

But there is one major difference between a professional copywriter and a straight-A writing enthusiast with a keen eye for clichés and bad grammar: Copywriters are trained to sell products and services. All the other writers, even the best ones, are not.

To quote Raymond Rubicam, one of the great ad execs from the 70s, “The object of advertising is to sell goods. It has no other justification”.

Think about that. It really puts advertising into perspective. What’s the point of your website, brochure, blog, or whatever marketing material you’re paying for? To increase sales. Keeping that in mind, there’s really only one point to hiring a copywriter: to help with the increase of those sales.

A copywriter is really like a salesperson behind a computer. Sure, they should be good editors with excellent spelling and attention to detail. But that is not the real challenge of a copywriter. The real challenge is being able to write words that convince readers to buy your products and services. And that is what copywriters, like myself, are trained to do.