Content strategy vs. UX writing: Does anyone know the difference?

I've been a full-time UX writer for a little over two years between Verizon and Dell. In numerous job descriptions and conversations at work, the terms "content strategist" and "UX writer" come up constantly. And sometimes, so do other variations. For instance, things like "content writer" or the especially-confusing "content designer." (If cropping pics on Photoshop constitutes design, then I'm a content designer, alright.) This myriad of terms leads me to believe that one or both of the following are taking place within the industry:

1) Organizations and companies have wildly divergent interpretations of roles like "content strategist" and "UX writer"

2) No one really knows what hell the difference is between the two

One pet peeve of mine is that people often conflate "content" with "copy" and vice versa. They're interrelated, though not interchangeable. And this causes numerous problems for me as a UX writer, because often, when someone brings up "content" in a meeting, I can't tell whether they're talking about the words that go on the page or something else, like images or video.

To be clear, "content" is basically anything that fits in a container: the design, visuals, words, etc. So it's a much more encompassing word than "copy." Put another way, all "copy" is "content," but not the other way around.

UX writing and its proud papa, Content Strategy. Actually, this diagram is off. Design should fall under Content Strategy, too. I would update the image myself, but hey, I have the design chops you'd expect from a writer.

So getting back to the point of this post, true "content strategists" don't focus solely on writing. They're responsible for sorting out the strategy for that entire digital experience – which includes writing – but also a whole lot more.

In talking with my UX peers, both at Dell and at other companies, it's a known, deep-seated problem that writers are often brought onto a project late in the game. Typically, already after the design has been largely established.

"Hey, [insert name of UX writer here]…can you replace this lorem ipsum with something?"

But another prevalent (though less-recognized) problem is the lumping together of content strategists and UX writers, when really, they have distinctly different roles. A content strategist should really begin his/her work at the outset of the project, to provide guidance on what everything in the "container" should, um, contain.

After that's been mapped out, the UX designer and UX writer should be brought on at the same time to execute the design and bring it to life as a wireframe that will eventually get tested. At least, that's how I believe it should be done. Doing so will make things dramatically clearer – not only for content strategists and writers, but for all stakeholders, as well

How's it being done where you work? Drop me a line at vikram@ghostmile.com and let me know!