What's the difference between online and offline copywriting

[Jasper]

Are they same thing or different?

[Franklin]

Offline is dead. Everyone is online these days with social media. Don’t waste your time worrying about offline!

[SARubin]

Are they same thing or different?

A few years ago I got asked this question a lot. Not so much anymore because most people seem to feel the same as Franklin (that offline is dead or dying)

But the truth is, when it comes to sales copy… I still get a lot of “junk mail” everyday from credit card companies, insurance companies, magazines (that I never subscribed to), sales fliers and catalogs… And more.

So a lot of money is still being spent with offline copywriting, which tells me it’s still profitable for many businesses. (if it wasn’t profitable, they wouldn’t keep doing it)


Now, on to your question…

This question has been batted around by many marketers over the past couple decades. And I don’t have a ton of new insights (mostly because there really isn’t a ton of difference between the two)

But what I will do for you is lay it down as simply as possible, so you can have an easy to understand grasp of the concept.

So if that sounds good to you, then here’s my short and sweet comparison between online and offline copywriting…


Basically, when it comes to selling with the written word… Both online and offline copy needs to…

– speak to your audience about something that interests them
– be easy to read, and understand
– engage your audience
– present a compelling offer, and a call to action

The principles that sell products offline are the same principles that sell online. The main difference comes down to how you structure and format the piece.


One difference is that offline is more limited by space and cost restrictions. A web page can potentially scroll on forever without the price going up. But with a printed piece (in a magazine, newspaper, direct mail, etc.) the bigger it gets… the more expensive it gets to print and distribute.


Another difference (and this is the big one) is the eye strain factor

Take a look at any book, magazine, newspaper or piece of mail. Then compare it to your digital screens.

A printed page is easier on the eyes, which means we can often use a smaller font… longer sentences… bigger paragraphs… and tighter grouping in our structure.


But online, we’re reading the words on a back-lit screen, which puts a lot more strain on our eyes. And that alone is enough to warrant different formatting.

When someone lands on our page, or opens our email, if they see big blocks of text that look like it will take a lot of effort to focus on… most people will click away, or hit delete.

So we need to use shorter sentences, and break up the paragraphs with more whitespace and subheads. This type of format is easy to look at, and there’s lots of resting places along the page which makes it easy for you to take a breather, without losing your place.


OK, I don’t want to turn this reply into a full length article, so I’ll end it here.

Hopefully I’ve helped you see how online copywriting is really only different from offline when it comes to the basic structure and formatting of the piece. Other than that, they both serve the same purpose. And that’s to present your offer in the best way possible for your target audience.

[Rhonda]

In my experience I’ve learnt that online copy works better when it’s more direct, faster paced and to the point. There are too many distractions online and it’s too easy to lose focus.

When we read a newspaper or magazine while sitting quietly we can remain focused on the article, but online an incoming email or popup ad can distract us and steal our concentration.