WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WEB WRITING, COPYWRITING AND STORYTELLING?
We often hear about web writing, copywriting and storytelling, as if these activities are fundamentally different. This is not the case. Copywriting and storytelling are an integral part of web writing.
They all consist in writing texts of a different nature, which requires having an excellent knowledge of the language, perfect spelling and syntax. To put it simply, we could compare web writing to general medicine, while copywriting and storytelling would be specialties.
You can start by learning an online copywriting course to become a web copywriter, then train in copywriting and / or storytelling.
Web writing
It includes everything that is written for the purpose of being put online. It’s content production. A web editor can be called upon to write articles for blogs, for e-commerce stores, for companies, for associations…
A web writer job is to write a text based on a briefing provided by the client. It must be structured and clear, that its content is interesting so that the Internet user takes the time to read it and that it is especially not a simple copy and paste of another text. Search engines hate duplicate content.
The web editor must incorporate keywords to allow indexing by search engines like Google. The objective is to appear in the first results of the SERP (Search Engine Result Page), that is to say the page which displays the results. The ideal is to be on SERP1 (page 1) and to rank well (to be in the best possible position).
Good knowledge of SEO (Search Engine Optimization), that is to say optimization for search engines, is essential to obtain this result. They are acquired with appropriate training.
Writing an article requires documentary research from reliable and overlapping sources. The information communicated must be correct and up-to-date. They need to be reworked to avoid plagiarism. Formulations must take into account the audience for which they are intended. If it is popularization, the Web editor must have sufficient knowledge of the subject to transmit data within the reach of beginners.
Web writing is also about writing for e-commerce. It can be pages describing products to inform readers. However, the description is often not enough to drive the purchase and this is where copywriting comes in.
Copywriting
Today, competition on the net is increasingly and online stores are trying to stand out in order to increase their turnover.
Writing a page describing the qualities of a product and its functionalities or the advantages of a certain service is often not enough for the Internet user to take action. You have to add a content marketing strategy to increase the conversion rate.
Copywriting requires special skills that can be learned with training. It requires a great faculty of inventiveness to find the right hook. This is the title that will appear first on the Web and that will or will not hold the attention of the Internet user. It must therefore be striking, intriguing, promising… because its objective is to make the reader click. A few words must be enough to arouse curiosity and the irrepressible desire to know more.
The techniques used are based on the different motivations to buy. They are about reaching the potential customer on an emotional level. The field is vast in this area and depending on the products or services to sell, copywriters will play on several emotions, such as bitterness, fear, the desire to stand out …
Once he has clicked on the title, the Internet user will be tempted to continue reading thanks to enticing subtitles which should make him want to go further, until the copywriter will bring his reader to take action, that is to say to order .
The copywriter builds a script designed to guide the reader from center of interest to center of interest until they are convinced that the product or service being sold is exactly what they need.
Some copy written texts are written in the first person. The reader is then considered as a friend to whom we will explain how we got out of a difficult situation thanks to product X or service Y. But this type of article is then similar to storytelling, another branch of web writing. To learn such skills you can start learning here https://maginesolutions.com/p/best-online-copywriting-course-and-training-certificate/.
Storytelling
The storyteller departs from the traditional sales technique of praising the merits of a product or service. He will hook the Internet user by telling him a beautiful story in which all kinds of characters, good guys and bad guys evolve and which, after many adventures, will end well.
It can be a true story. This is the case, for example, with the “About” or “Who am I” pages that you find in blogs, but also increasingly on corporate sites. It is then a question of creating a link between the reader and the author. It is the boss of an SME who will tell you how, starting from almost nothing, he succeeded after many difficulties in setting up his business. By opening his heart, he creates a relationship of trust between you and him.
The storyteller can feature a fictional character who was in a difficult situation that he was able to get out of thanks to the product or service being sold. He will take care beforehand to verify that this situation is relatively common and that many readers encounter the same difficulties.
The storyteller leaves aside all objective commercial arguments to convince you in favor of narrative communication. He plays on the same emotions as the copywriter, but he takes them through a story that must touch you, make you dream and allow you to identify with the product. Like copywriting, this way of writing requires training. You don’t improvise yourself as the author of tales like those you read to your children at night so that they fall asleep reassured.