What Is Copywriting? A Plain-English Guide for Business Owners
Copywriting is writing that makes people act: buy, book, enquire or click. What it covers, how it differs from content writing, the principles behind copy that sells, and examples you can use.
Copywriting is writing that persuades someone to take an action. Buy the product. Book the call. Send the WhatsApp message. Click the link.
The word comes from advertising, where the words in an advert were called "copy". Today it covers every piece of writing a business uses to sell, from a three-second video hook to a full sales page.
What counts as copy
- Advert headlines, text and video scripts.
- Website pages, especially the homepage and service pages.
- Landing pages and sales pages.
- Product descriptions.
- WhatsApp, SMS and email messages.
- Flyers, billboards and packaging.
- Sales scripts and talking points.
- Button text. Even "Order now" versus "Submit" is a copywriting decision.
Copywriting vs content writing
| Copywriting | Content writing | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Get an action now | Inform, educate or entertain |
| Length | Often short | Often long |
| Examples | Adverts, sales pages, product descriptions | Blog posts, guides, newsletters |
| Measured by | Sales, leads, clicks | Readers, time spent, rankings, trust |
They overlap. A good blog post, like this one, informs you and then invites you to act. But the mindset is different. Content earns attention and trust over time. Copy asks for the sale.
The principles of copy that sells
1. Know the buyer better than they know themselves
Great copy starts with research, not writing. What does the buyer want? What are they afraid of? What words do they use? Read your reviews and your WhatsApp chats. The best lines are often things customers already said.
2. Lead with the benefit, not the feature
Feature: "10,000mAh battery."
Benefit: "Charge your phone three times from one power bank. Light off or not."
People buy what the product does for them.
3. Be specific
Specific words are believable. Vague words are ignored.
Vague: "We deliver quickly nationwide."
Specific: "Accra and Tema in 24 hours. Kumasi and Takoradi in 48. Pay on delivery."
4. Answer the objection before it's asked
If buyers worry about fakes, show how to verify. If they worry about size, give measurements. If they worry about payment, offer MoMo and pay on delivery. See handling price objections.
5. Prove it
Reviews, numbers, photos of real deliveries, before-and-afters, guarantees. Claims without proof are just noise. See customer reviews and testimonials.
6. One clear action
Tell people exactly what to do next, and make it easy. One button, one link, one number.
7. Write how people talk
Short sentences. Common words. No "utilise", "leverage" or "esteemed customers". Read it out loud. If it sounds like a letter from a bank, rewrite it.
A simple before and after
Before:
We are a leading bakery in Accra offering quality cakes for all occasions at affordable prices. Contact us today for your orders.
After:
Wedding cakes that taste as good as they look. Tasting box delivered free in Accra, so you can try three flavours before you decide. Book your tasting on WhatsApp.
The second version names a specific buyer, removes the risk and gives one action.
Common copywriting formulas
Formulas help you structure copy quickly:
- PAS: Problem, Agitate, Solution.
- AIDA: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.
- Before, After, Bridge: life now, life with the product, how to get there.
We explain each with examples in ad copywriting formulas.
Where to start improving your copy
- Your WhatsApp reply to "how much?" See how to reply to "how much?".
- Your homepage headline. See headlines that sell.
- Your best-selling product's description. See how to write product descriptions.
- Your advert hooks. See ad hooks that stop the scroll.
Common questions
Is copywriting the same as copyright?
No. Copyright is the legal right to own creative work. Copywriting is writing that sells.
Can AI do copywriting?
AI can draft quickly, but without research and judgement it produces generic copy. See AI copywriting vs a human copywriter.
Do I need a copywriter?
If your adverts get attention but not sales, or your website gets visitors but not enquiries, the words are often the problem. See our copywriting service.