Copywriting vs Copyediting: Top Insights From a Dual Expert

A content creator exploring copywriting vs copyediting

Many regard copywriting vs copyediting as distinct processes—one focused on writing and the other on reviewing. However, it’s not as straightforward as a linear progression. While they’re certainly two fundamental components of producing effective and persuasive written content, they’re not mutually exclusive. In my experience, they intersect and overlap, feeding off and into one another.

But before I get into the details, it’s important to understand the basics of the two disciplines.

Table of Content

Copywriting vs Copyediting: The Fundamentals

What Is Copywriting?

At its core, copywriting is written content that aims to persuade the reader to perform an action.

Whether you’re a freelance copywriter crafting engaging headlines or a seasoned professional working in a content writing agency, the goal remains the same: to communicate effectively and inspire action.

This could just be to read further, click a link, subscribe to a newsletter, or make a purchase. So, it plays a prominent role in advertising and marketing.

For example, it can be as short as a slogan, like Nike’s ‘Just Do It’, or a call-to-action button, like ‘Start Your Free Trial’. It can be a product description for a T-shirt on Amazon. It can be an email you don’t open because the subject line is ‘Congratulations, you’ve won the new iPhone 14’.

But to make a connection with readers, writing must be a science and an art. It’s a type of targeted, strategic, research-based, and goal-driven writing. However, it also calls for creativity, ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking, and playing with the nuances of words and language. These two dimensions need to work cohesively for the copy to be effective.

What Is Copyediting?

Copyediting is the careful review and revision of written content.

It takes a meticulous eye to detect spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors and a deep grasp of linguistics to correct these mistakes. Plus, the editor needs to have an impeccable understanding of the subject matter and any relevant style guides. They need to carefully fact-check the writer’s claims and make sure that the content meets all the necessary requirements of the brief. Hence, you need to understand the different types of editing and when to apply which type.

However, copyediting is just as much an art form. The copy editor has the challenging task of making sure the reader takes away the message the writer intended. So, between copywriting vs copyediting: copywriting creates persuasive content while copyediting ensures the content actually persuades.

How Editing Has Affected My Writing

In terms of my career as a copywriter, I started at the end. I began as a proofreader but soon found myself making changes that weren’t just cosmetic and moved into content and copyediting.

I spent more than a year honing my editing skills. But after reviewing, revising, and rewriting larger sections of text, my confidence as a writer grew. In fact, the transition from editing to writing seemed completely natural.

Editing did more than just build my confidence as a writer. It also gave me a clear sense of the big picture. Knowing what the end product needed to look like gave me a concrete goal to work towards. I could learn from the mistakes of the writers I had previously worked with.

…Long-winded sentences that are hard to follow

…The Oxford comma

…Sentence fragments like these.

To contextualise Shannon Hale’s quote, knowing editing has the power to shape a castle out of a pile of sand gave me unshakeable reassurance. So many writers struggle with writer’s block because they’re afraid of writing something bad. However, because I know firsthand what can be done during the editing process, getting something onto a blank piece of paper isn’t so daunting.

How Writing Has Affected My Editing

Copywriting vs copyediting have a symbiotic relationship. The more established I become as a writer, the better my editing gets too. Having experienced the challenges and frustrations that go into creating a piece of content has given me empathy as an editor, making me more appreciative and respectful of a writer’s craft.

I now understand that the role of the editor isn’t merely to correct mistakes but to help clear the ‘smoke’ that prevents readers from seeing the original ‘fire’ that was lit in the writer. An editor’s job is to clarify the writer’s point of view, strengthen their argument, and breathe life into their words.

When giving writers feedback, I’m more mindful of respecting their voice and vision. My feedback is also more constructive because I’m able to speak their language. Knowing what good copy looks like is just one facet of editing. You also need to know the steps involved in creating that copy and help the writer get there.

How AI Is Changing the Game

AI, especially ChatGPT, seemed to change the writing and editing landscape overnight. The fundamentals of content creation have changed. Admittedly, finding the prompts that produced the results I was looking for was a bit of a learning curve. But ChatGPT has quickly become an indispensable ally in my writing and editing work.

Do I think AI will replace writers and editors? 

Unfortunately, yes. 

It’s a real possibility that it could replace a small portion of writers and editors who don’t adapt to the industry’s changing realities. Take, for example, blog writers who merely summarise what they read online. The rise of AI means writers and editors need to raise the bar—offer value to the reader that chatbots like ChatGPT can’t.

However, I don’t think writers and editors, particularly copywriters and copy editors, have to fear AI. It’s a tool to boost productivity, spark creativity, and improve accuracy. Ultimately, we remain the ‘alchemists’ holding the reins of the content creation process.

Other Tools of the Trade

These are some of the other indispensable tools I regularly use:

    • Grammarly: Although there are many proofreading tools available, Grammarly is by far the most accurate and user-friendly. But use your discretion whether to implement its suggestions or not.
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    • Google Docs: This is great for collaborating with others on a document at the same time. Its ‘Version history’ feature is a godsend when you want to refer or revert to previous versions of your document.
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    • Wordtune: Simply right-click and get several alternative versions of your selected text. I find its free plan is perfect for my needs.
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    • QuillBot: An excellent tool for paraphrasing content. It also shortens, expands, and simplifies texts.
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    • RhymeZone: I find this site especially helpful with headlines and headings. It offers far more than just rhyming words. You can also find phrases containing a given word, related words, alliteration, homophones, and more.

Crack the Copy Code: Writing and Editing Tips

Copywriting Tips

Effective copywriting appeals to the target audience, speaking directly to a need, desire, or fear. It tells a story. It stirs something inside us to the extent that we do something about it.

Here are some other tips I’ve learnt from my experience:

    • Know who you’re writing for: Ensure you have a clear picture of your target audience, including their demographics, background, interests, pain points, and aspirations.
    • Speak like them: Have a good understanding of the language your target audience uses, and make sure your copy speaks this language. Also, if your writing sounds like writing, rewrite it.
    • Solve a problem: Always focus on how a product can benefit the reader rather than giving an overwhelming list of its features.
    • Less is more: A successful copywriter understands the value of brevity in capturing attention. Short sentences and paragraphs are far more likely to be read than longer ones.
    • Sometimes more is more too: Write as many variations of your text as you can. After writing 20 mediocre headlines, I usually end up with one that packs the punch I’m looking for.
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Copyediting Tips

Good copyediting can transform any content from bland and lifeless to text in technicolour. Never underestimate your role as a copy editor.

These are a few more editing principles to try:

    • Do your research: Know your subject matter and target audience well. You should know them even better than the copywriter.
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    • Know your style guide and/or brand guidelines inside out: This is essential to achieve consistency and for clients’ approval.
    • Edit in several rounds: I always find it best to edit content and then move on to something else for a few hours. A day or two is even better. When you return to your edited draft with fresh eyes, you’re almost guaranteed to find areas for improvement.
    • First impressions last: When you look at a piece of text for too long, you might start to second-guess yourself. Most of the time, your initial thoughts or gut reaction will be right.

When the Lines Get Blurred: A Word of Caution

Although my dual roles as a copywriter and copy editor have done a great deal to elevate each other, I have to add a disclaimer. Transitioning from copy editor to copywriter didn’t come without its hurdles. In particular, there came a time when I struggled with perfectionism. Essentially, I wanted to write something that wouldn’t need editing.

The final quote I want to leave you with is one of my own:

Don’t write with an eraser.

While self-editing is great, this needs to happen after the writing process. Don’t try to save yourself a step by writing something flawless straight off the bat. That’s a one-way ticket to curb your creativity. Let your ideas flow as they come to you. Even if it looks like a massacre on a page, skilled editing will clean up the crime scene.

If you don’t want to handle the dirty work yourself, or if you need a second pair of eyes on your writing, editing pros like Blue Leaf Editing will handle your creation with care. I know this firsthand because, after all, they edited this piece.

Kirsty Mac Dougall

Kirsty Mac Dougall is a psychology and linguistics graduate and qualified English teacher. She moved from a comfortable seven-year occupancy in academic work settings to the relatively unpredictable and dynamic world of writing and editing. Now Kirsty enjoys the daily blend of left- and right-brained thinking, navigating the shift between the big picture and fine details. When she's not at the beck and call of her cat, you'll find Kirsty immersed in music, lyrics, and poetry.