When investing in marketing and outsourcing freelance copywriters, it’s important to determine whether you need conversion copywriting or brand copywriting. Ultimately, hiring a conversion copywriter or a brand copywriter depends on your specific business goals, target audience, and marketing strategy.
What’s the difference between conversion copywriting vs. brand copywriting?
Conversion copywriting focuses on persuading potential customers to take action immediately (purchase, download, book a demo.) Brand copywriting is about building your brand identity and influencing how your audience perceives your brand in the long term.
Think about the difference between buying a product after reading a sales page for a gym membership versus watching an ad for Nike. (The action and dialogue are written by copywriters, btw.) One tells you to “Buy this thing right now” and the other says “This is what we represent, and the type of person who buys our products and we’re inviting you to be a part of it.”
Conversion copywriting can help you achieve measurable, focused results whereas brand copywriting establishes your authority, makes your brand recognizable, and builds customer loyalty over time.
And, while they may seem distinct, they often work together. A strong brand identity can make conversion copywriting more effective, and well-crafted conversion copy can reinforce a brand’s message.
Do you need conversion copywriting or brand copywriting?
The best approach often involves a combination of both conversion and brand copywriting. For example, a product launch might require conversion copywriting for immediate sales and brand copywriting to reinforce the brand’s message and encourage repeat buyers or members. But for simplicity’s sake:
You need conversion copywriting if:
- Your primary goal is to drive immediate sales or generate leads quickly.
- You’re running targeted marketing campaigns with clear objectives, such as product launches or promotions.
- You have short-term objectives like increasing website traffic or boosting sign-ups.
You need brand copywriting if:
- You’re trying to establish a strong brand identity and build customer loyalty over time.
- You’re maintaining your brand’s message and voice across all marketing channels.
- You want to create an emotional connection with your target audience and build brand affinity.
- You want to position your business as an industry leader or expert.
What are some conversion copywriting content examples?
Examples of conversion copywriting include:
- Product descriptions
- Landing page copy
- Sales page copy
- Services page copy
- Contact page copy
- Email subject lines
- Call-to-action buttons
- Facebook ads
You can recognize conversion copy by:
- Strong calls-to-action (CTA)
- Use of persuasive language
- Social proof sections
- Scarcity and urgency language
- Benefit-focused copy
What are some brand copywriting content examples?
Examples of brand copywriting include:
- Slogans
- Brand stories
- Brand awareness campaigns
- Homepage website copy
- About page website copy
- Pre-sale teaser campaigns or feature releases
- Out of Home (OOH) advertising
You can recognize brand copy by:
- A tone that reflects your brand’s personality and values
- Storytelling or narrative sections
- Use of emotion and empathy to build a connection
- Brand values-focused (mission and purpose)
- Complements the brand’s visual identity (the words feel like they belong with the visuals)
Is conversion copywriting bad?
At its best, conversion copy positions your product or service as a solution to a problem and the copy meets your audience where they’re at. It helps your audience make an informed decision, acknowledges objections or the elephant in the room, and provides social “proof” showing how your products and services do what they say they’re going to do and that your brand is trustworthy.
Conversion copywriting should advocate for your audience’s needs, not act like a bully. At its worst, conversion copy uses false urgency and scarcity tactics to create a sense of FOMO or a missed opportunity. (Example: fake countdown timers for an on-demand product.)
I love the simplicity of conversion copywriting—but simplicity doesn’t mean easy. Far from it. You have to translate the voice of customer data to land on the right “hook” or buyer motivation and then craft a logical sales argument in a way that doesn’t bore your audience’s socks off or worse, makes them feel like they’re being sold to. You also have to write in your brand’s tone of voice.
Lucky for you, I do this all the time:
Can you use brand copywriting to sell your products and services?
Just because brand copy is a long-term strategy doesn’t mean it doesn’t result in sales. Brand copy sweeps up and converts the customers for whom an immediate purchase wasn’t possible:
- it wasn’t the right time
- they didn’t have the money
- they were on the fence and needed reasons to know, like, trust you
- They are The Thinker buyer type afraid of buyer’s remorse who needs you to de-risk their purchase decision.
Brand copywriting is storytelling, but a lot of work goes into finding the right story to tell.
Think Nike, Apple, or WeWork. They use storytelling to make you feel like your daily workout is an act of bravery. The phone in your pocket symbolizes that you value impeccable design and are technologically savvy. That your work environment and network are the key to your success.
They sell a sh*t ton of products and memberships telling those stories because they make you feel a kind of way, without telling you to buy anything at all. Just a subtle flash of a logo or slogan and a wink to say, whatever you do next is a reflection of the person you are.
Brand copywriting motivates, inspires, entertains, and invites your readers to see themselves (often their “best selves”) in your world. Like Ariel, effective brand copy leaves your audience thinking, “I want to be part of your world.”
Brand copy uses your pillar content/messaging points, slogans, and mission statements over and over again to paint a cohesive picture and keep you top of mind. Brand copy gets incorporated into your website copy, social media posts, blog articles, marketing brochures, and advertising campaigns to convey your brand’s personality and values.
I freaking love brand copywriting. Yes, it is still working to sell something at the end of the day, but it adds soul to your business. It gives your audience a reason to care. It gives your audience the ability to buy with their values.
In the end, which do I recommend?
You need both to create awareness, engage, convert, and invite repeat purchases, or keep them actively using your product.
You need creativity and big-picture strategic thinking to keep people coming back—to make them open your email, tap into your app, not dread opening your online course portal because it means facing a checklist of unfinished modules and “work”.
Landing pages and sales pages laser-focused on conversion can nail the sale, but once someone downloads your app, unboxes your product, uses your template, or logs into the course platform, what stops them from consuming your content once and forgetting about you forever? Feeling a part of something bigger than yourself—something only brand copywriting can create.
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