What’s the Difference Between Brand Messaging and Copywriting?

Somewhere between your mission statement and your last sales email, the words packed their bags and moved to different zip codes. Your marketing says you’re innovative, your sales say you’re heritage, and your voicemail says ‘the caller you have reached is not available right now.’

You know you need better messaging, but do you need better brand messaging or better copywriting? Here's how to know the difference.

Brand messaging and copywriting are not the same thing. They work together, and sometimes they overlap, but if you skip one or confuse them, your marketing ends up sounding inconsistent, unfocused, or worse, forgettable. Here’s the difference and why you need clear strategies for both.

What is brand messaging?

Brand messaging is the foundation. It’s the strategy behind what you say and how you say it. Brand messaging defines:

• Your value proposition

• Your key messages

• Your brand voice and tone

• Your elevator pitch, taglines, and positioning

• What makes you different (and why that matters)

It’s the cheat sheet for anyone writing on your behalf, so website copy, email campaigns, sales decks, and LinkedIn posts are all consistent and all sound like you. Without clearly defining your brand messaging, every piece of content feels like it was written by a different person on a different day, hoping something will stick.

What is copywriting?

Copywriting is the execution. It’s the actual words on the page. Copywriting includes:

• Headlines and CTAs

• Website content

• Ads and landing pages

• Email nurture sequences

• Case studies, brochures, product descriptions, and more

A good copywriter can make anything sound good. However, without the right brand messaging underneath, even great writing can fall flat.

Think of it like this:

• Brand messaging is the blueprint.

• Copywriting is the building.

Why the distinction matters

If you hire a copywriter and ask them to “write the homepage,” but you don’t have messaging defined, you’re asking them to build the house without a blueprint. Yes, a good copywriter can help you uncover and clarify your messaging as they go. However, it takes longer, costs more, and often results in mismatched tone and muddled strategy.

When you define your brand messaging first:

• Copy is faster to write

• The tone stays consistent

• Your content supports your business goals

• You sound more confident and more like you

Here’s a real-world example: 

Let’s say you run a SaaS company that helps manufacturing teams streamline operations. Your brand messaging might say:

“We help lean manufacturing teams eliminate bottlenecks and improve throughput without adding complexity.”

That’s a message.

Your homepage hero copy might say:

“Faster Ops. Less Waste. Zero Chaos.”

Followed by: “Our platform helps manufacturers increase production flow without new headcount or software sprawl.”

That’s copywriting. The copy reflects the messaging. It’s tight, targeted, and built on a strategic foundation.

Can one person do both?

Yes. At Borrowed Pen, we do both, but we treat them as distinct steps:

• We define the brand messaging.

• Then we write copy based on that messaging.

• That way, the work is cleaner, faster, and easier to scale.

Simply put:

• Strategy: Brand messaging is what you say and how you say it. 

• Execution: Copywriting is the words you use to say it. 

You need both, and in the right order.

Do you need one or the other or both? We do messaging frameworks, tone-of-voice guides, and the copy that brings them to life. Let’s make your brand sound like your best self.