{"id":6359,"date":"2022-03-22T16:32:33","date_gmt":"2022-03-22T16:32:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/?p=6359"},"modified":"2023-11-28T11:36:02","modified_gmt":"2023-11-28T11:36:02","slug":"ux-writing-copywriting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/ux-writing-copywriting\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s the difference between UX writing and copywriting?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX writing is a crucial subset of UX design and an increasingly popular discipline \u2014 but what exactly is it, and how is it different from copywriting?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this guide, we outline what is the difference between UX writing and copywriting, using real-world examples of each.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#what-is-ux-writing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is UX writing?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#examples-of-ux-writing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Examples of UX writing<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#what-is-copywriting\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is copywriting?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#examples-of-copywriting\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Examples of copywriting<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#what-are-the-main-differences\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are the main differences between UX writing and copywriting?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#ux-writers-vs-copywriters\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX writers vs. copywriters: Main tasks and skills<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s start with a definition of UX writing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<section id=\"promotion\" class=\"promotion-content-raw inlinepromo inlinepromo_professional-certificate-in-content-designp-1 my-4\" style=\"\">\n\t<div class=\"w-container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row align-items-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-md-12 promotion-info\">\n                <a class=\"link-content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/courses\/content-design?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=blog_panel_text&utm_campaign=blog_promo\" style=\"\">\n                    <p>[GET CERTIFIED IN CONTENT DESIGN]<\/p>\n                    <span>Take our Professional Certificate in Content Design course<\/span>\n                <\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<h2 id=\"what-is-ux-writing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>What is UX writing?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX writing is the art of writing copy to aid the user experience. It\u2019s the process of planning and writing all the text that features on a digital product interface such as error messages, menu labels and button copy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>UX writing is a subset of user experience (UX) design. As such, the goal of UX writing is to create copy that guides the user through an interface, helping them to navigate the product and complete their desired tasks.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX writing essentially covers all the words we see or hear when we use a digital product, like a website or an app. This includes:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The error messages that pop up when something goes wrong. For example: entering the wrong password or failing to\u00a0 complete a certain action<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The text you see on buttons and menus<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The messages you get when you interact with a chatbot<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instructions that prompt you on what to do next<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Success messages that inform you of the completion of a task. For example: \u201cYour form has been submitted. Thank you!\u201d or \u201cYou\u2019ve now completed level 2. Way to go!\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"examples-of-ux-writing\"><strong>UX writing examples<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The best way to understand what UX writing is is to see it in action. Here are some real-world examples of UX writing.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>UX writing example: The Ada health app<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ada is an app for tracking and assessing health symptoms. Here is some of the copy you might encounter when using the Ada app. You can see how the UX writer has written the copy to guide the user through the process of assessing their symptom(s).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/01_ada_app.png\" alt=\"who symptoms are you tracking\" width=\"366\" height=\"282\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6361\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/02_ada_app.png\" alt=\"troubling symptoms\" width=\"338\" height=\"263\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h3><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6362\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/03_ada_app.png\" alt=\"how long has this been troubling you\" width=\"352\" height=\"441\" title=\"\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6363\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/04_ada_app.png\" alt=\"don&#039;t forget that\" width=\"362\" height=\"373\" title=\"\"><\/h3>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3><strong>UX writing example: The Airbnb app<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here you can see how UX writing guides the user through the process of finding a place to stay via the Airbnb app. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-6364\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/05_airbnb.png\" alt=\"airbnb - what are you looking for\" width=\"511\" height=\"790\" title=\"\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-6365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/06_airbnb.png\" alt=\"when will you be there calendar\" width=\"501\" height=\"821\" title=\"\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-6366\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/07_airbnb.png\" alt=\"whos coming - airbnb\" width=\"496\" height=\"873\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-is-copywriting\"><strong>What is copywriting?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Copywriting is a marketing discipline. It\u2019s the process of writing copy that is used in marketing and advertising materials, with the main goal of attracting new customers or users and persuading them to take a certain action, such as buying or subscribing to something.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Copywriting can cover anything from:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Landing page copy. For example: the text you find on a company website telling you about their product or service<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blog articles<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The copy for marketing emails<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ad copy<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Social media posts<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Advertising slogans<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whitepapers and downloadable content pieces<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"examples-of-copywriting\"><strong>Copywriting examples<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s consider some real-world examples of copywriting and how they differ from the UX writing examples we looked at earlier on.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Copywriting example: The Ada website<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The following screenshots contain copy from the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ada.com\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAbout us\u201d page of the Ada website<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This copy, likely written by a marketing copywriter, explains who Ada is, what they do and why they should be considered experts in their field.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The goal of this website copy is to convince the user of the value that Ada can offer, encouraging them to learn more about Ada and, ultimately, persuade them to download the Ada app.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6367\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/08_ada_website.png\" alt=\"ada image\" width=\"841\" height=\"505\" title=\"\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6368\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/09_ada_website.png\" alt=\"why ada \" width=\"839\" height=\"397\" title=\"\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This webpage copy is very different to the app copy we looked at earlier, which has been written not to persuade new users of Ada\u2019s value but to guide existing users through a specific process. That\u2019s the difference between UX writing and copywriting.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Copywriting example: gr\u00fcum marketing email<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The copy you see in marketing emails is also a form of copywriting. Here we have an email from skincare company <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gruum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">gr\u00fcum<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. In this case, the goal of the copy is to encourage the recipient to visit the gr\u00fcum website and make a purchase.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-6369\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/10_gruum_email.png\" alt=\"world sleep day\" width=\"472\" height=\"660\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-are-the-main-differences\"><strong>What is the difference between UX writing and copywriting?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now that we have a definition of both UX writing and copywriting, let\u2019s consider the most important differences between the two.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<section id=\"promotion\" class=\"promotion-content-raw inlinepromo inlinepromo_professional-diploma-in-ux-designp-1 my-4\" style=\"\">\n\t<div class=\"w-container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row align-items-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-md-12 promotion-info\">\n                <a class=\"link-content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/courses\/ux-design?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=blog_panel_pdux&amp;utm_campaign=blog_promo\" style=\"\">\n                    <p>[GET CERTIFIED IN UX]<\/p>\n                    <span>Take our Professional Diploma in UX Design course<\/span>\n                <\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<h3><strong>UX writing and copywriting serve different purposes<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The main goal of UX writing is to facilitate the user experience of a digital product or service. UX writers write copy that helps the user find their way around the product and guides them through the steps of a specific process. UX writing is <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">not <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">about persuading, converting or selling. It\u2019s about enhancing the user experience, providing clarity and guidance while ultimately making things easier for the user.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The main goal of copywriting is to attract new users or customers and to persuade people to convert in some way. The exact goal of the copy depends on the context but it\u2019s usually to promote a product or service and to help fulfil sales and marketing goals, such as increasing traffic (blog posts) or boosting sales (marketing emails).<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>UX writing and copywriting belong to different disciplines<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX writing belongs under the UX design umbrella. UX writers are an integral part of the product team, working in collaboration with product managers and UX and UI designers to ensure that good copy is designed into the product from the very start.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Copywriting, on the other hand, sits within marketing. Copywriters aren\u2019t typically involved with the design of the product itself. Rather, they produce materials to market the product. Copywriters are an integral part of the marketing team, working closely with email marketers, social media managers and performance marketers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>UX writing and copywriting are encountered in different places<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the easiest ways to distinguish between UX writing and copywriting is to think about where you encounter the copy. UX writing features within and across the digital product itself, while copywriting is encountered in materials that are written <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">about <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the product or service.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you read blog articles, receive a marketing email, download an ebook or browse a company website, you\u2019re reading the work of a copywriter. When you download an app and use it to complete a certain task, like booking flights, you\u2019re guided by the words of a UX writer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>UX writing and copywriting (usually) sound different<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX writing and copywriting are informed by different principles, so they tend to sound different. UX writing is all about clarity and usability and it\u2019s typically very concise and to-the-point.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The same can be said for some types of copywriting too but marketing copy has more scope to be longer and more descriptive, informative or persuasive, depending on the type of copy and its purpose.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"ux-writers-vs-copywriters\"><strong>UX writers vs. copywriters: What are the main tasks and skills associated with each?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to distinguishing between UX writing and copywriting in terms of output, it\u2019s useful to consider the role of the UX writer versus that of a copywriter in terms of day-to-day tasks and core skills.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>UX writers vs. copywriters: Main tasks<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX writers sit in the product team, so their tasks are typically related to the product design and development process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX writers may be responsible for:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conducting <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/ux-research\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX research<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in collaboration with UX designers and researchers<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Writing microcopy for apps, websites and other digital products<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Developing and overseeing the content strategy for all product-related copy<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Running A\/B tests to test different copy variations<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Copywriters are part of the marketing department, so their day-to-day tasks contribute to the achievement of marketing and sales goals. Copywriters can expect some or all of the following tasks:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Writing copy for a variety of marketing channels, including email copy, ads, social posts and long-form content like blog articles and whitepapers<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Developing a marketing content style guide in collaboration with other marketers<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brainstorming and coming up with new ideas and concepts for marketing and advertising campaigns<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Analysing performance data to measure the success of different content types and formats<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Proofreading and editing other copywriters\u2019 work<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>UX writers vs. copywriters: Main skills<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both UX writers and copywriters need to be excellent writers who can adapt their style and tone depending on the context, the audience and the brand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Besides first-class writing skills, UX writers must have a thorough understanding of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/ux-process\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX design process<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and key UX principles. This includes being well-versed in concepts such as usability, accessibility, information architecture, user flows and mental models.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just like UX designers (and anyone else working in the UX field), UX writers must demonstrate soft skills such as empathy, collaboration and communication.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And what about copywriters?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While UX writers are knowledgeable about UX, copywriters must develop their expertise in marketing. This includes understanding different marketing channels and how they work as well as being able to identify and then track the right performance metrics for different types of content.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Copywriters also need a good dose of creativity, as well as the ability to proofread and edit other people\u2019s work. And, just like UX writers, strong research, collaboration and communication skills go a long way in the copywriting industry.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you can see, there\u2019s considerable overlap between UX writers and copywriters in terms of skills. It\u2019s entirely possible for copywriters to cross over into UX writing, as long as they are familiar with the product design process and are able to adapt to the unique art of writing for the user experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We hope you found this guide useful. If you\u2019re a copywriter looking to learn more about UX design, here are <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/must-read-books-for-ux-designers\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">8 must-read UX design books to get you started<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What\u2019s the difference between UX writing &#038; copywriting? Do they require different skills? Learn all you need to know about UX writing vs. copywriting here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":9525,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[265,267],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career","category-ux-career-advice"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6359"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6359\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9383,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6359\/revisions\/9383"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}