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The differences between content strategists and technical writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a content strategist, becoming a technical writer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a content strategist has an average salary of $93,672, which is higher than the $65,329 average annual salary of a technical writer.
The top three skills for a content strategist include content strategy, digital marketing and digital content. The most important skills for a technical writer are technical documentation, subject matter experts, and powerpoint.
| Content Strategist | Technical Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $93,672 | $65,329 |
| Hourly rate | $45.03 | $31.41 |
| Growth rate | 13% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 14,660 | 75,090 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 37 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
A content strategist specializes in creating engaging and captivating content to increase brand awareness and shape company image. One of their responsibilities is to conduct marketing research and analysis to understand the current trends among consumers and determine what kind of strategy would work best with the public. Moreover, a content strategist mainly coordinates with writers and content managers, collaborating with them in developing marketing materials. A content strategist may also perform administrative tasks such as managing schedules, producing progress reports, creating presentations, and maintaining the projects' documentation.
Technical Writers specialize in producing easy-to-understand instructional or informational written materials, such as media and journal articles, assessments and guidelines, and legal forms of documentation. For Technical Writers to develop well-versed content, one must conduct thorough research on the topic or idea to ensure factual legitimacy and communicate with those whose expertise aligns with the subject. Aside from producing, Technical Writers can also improve or convert complex written materials such as operating manuals or documents into one that can be easily understood by the general public.
Content strategists and technical writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Content Strategist | Technical Writer | |
| Average salary | $93,672 | $65,329 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $129,000 | Between $48,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a content strategist and a technical writer in terms of educational background:
| Content Strategist | Technical Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | English | English |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Houston |
Here are the differences between content strategists' and technical writers' demographics:
| Content Strategist | Technical Writer | |
| Average age | 37 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.3% Female, 55.7% | Male, 49.7% Female, 50.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.2% Unknown, 6.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.3% Asian, 10.6% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 8.7% White, 71.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 11% |