Content marketing and copywriting terms

Content pillars, repurposing, copywriting formulas, audiences, funnels and conversion. 29 terms, each with what it means, why it matters and what to do about it.

AIDA model

The AIDA model is a copywriting framework: grab Attention, build Interest, create Desire, then ask for Action.

Buyer persona

A buyer persona is a fictional profile of an ideal customer, based on research, that helps a business write and plan for real people.

Case study

A case study is a detailed story of how a real customer used a product or service to solve a problem, with the results.

Click-through rate (CTR)

Click-through rate (CTR) is the percentage of people who click a link, ad or button after seeing it: clicks divided by impressions.

Content batching

Content batching is making many pieces of content in one focused session, such as filming a month of reels in an afternoon.

Content brief

A content brief is a short document telling a writer, designer or creator what a piece of content is for, who it is for and what it must say.

Content creator

A content creator is a person who makes and publishes videos, posts, photos or writing for an online audience, often for brands too.

Content marketing

Content marketing is attracting and keeping customers by publishing useful posts, videos, articles and guides instead of only running ads.

Content pillars

Content pillars are the three to five core topics a brand posts about again and again, giving its content a clear focus and variety.

Content repurposing

Content repurposing is turning one piece of content into several formats, like a blog post into a carousel, a reel and an email.

Content strategy

A content strategy is the plan for what content you make, who it is for, where it goes and how you will judge whether it works.

Conversion rate

Conversion rate is the percentage of people who take a desired action, like buying or signing up, out of everyone who could have.

Copywriting

Copywriting is writing words meant to make people take an action: buy, sign up, click, book or remember a brand.

Customer journey

The customer journey is the full path a person takes with a brand, from first hearing about it to buying and coming back.

Features vs benefits

Features are what a product has or does; benefits are what the customer gains from them. Good marketing leads with benefits.

Headline

A headline is the main line of text at the top of a post, ad, page or article, written to grab attention and make people read on.

Ideal customer profile (ICP)

An ideal customer profile (ICP) describes the type of customer, usually a company, that gets the most value from you and is most valuable to you.

Landing page

A landing page is a web page built for one goal, like a signup or booking, that visitors reach from an ad, post or email.

Lead magnet

A lead magnet is something free and useful, like a guide, checklist or discount, offered in exchange for a person’s email address.

Marketing funnel

A marketing funnel models how people move from first hearing about a brand to buying, with fewer people at each stage.

Microcopy

Microcopy is the small text in a product or page, like button labels, form hints and error messages, that guides people to act.

Newsjacking

Newsjacking is creating content that ties your brand to a breaking news story or trend while people are actively paying attention to it.

Objection handling

Objection handling is answering the doubts that stop people buying, such as price, trust or timing, before or when they come up.

Pain points

Pain points are the specific problems, frustrations and costs your customers face that your product or service can solve.

PAS framework

The PAS framework is a copywriting formula: name the Problem, Agitate it so it feels urgent, then present your Solution.

Storytelling

Storytelling in marketing is using stories, with a character, a problem and a change, to make a brand’s message memorable.

Target audience

A target audience is the specific group of people a business wants to reach with its marketing, defined by needs, traits and behavior.

Testimonial

A testimonial is a statement from a real customer about their experience with a business, used in marketing as proof.

Thought leadership

Thought leadership is content that shares original expertise, opinions or insights to make a person or brand a trusted voice in its field.