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Content writer vs news editor

The differences between content writers and news editors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a content writer, becoming a news editor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a content writer has an average salary of $58,918, which is higher than the $53,822 average annual salary of a news editor.

The top three skills for a content writer include digital marketing, wordpress and web content. The most important skills for a news editor are news stories, news coverage, and instagram.

Content writer vs news editor overview

Content WriterNews Editor
Yearly salary$58,918$53,822
Hourly rate$28.33$25.88
Growth rate4%-5%
Number of jobs19,62112,484
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Average age4244
Years of experience24

What does a content writer do?

The job of content writers is to create the best possible written or visual content ranging from blog posts to press releases. They produce the content for various types of websites, including social networks, news aggregators, and e-commerce sites. The job of content writers is not limited to writing, but also ensuring that the content connects or is relevant to the website pages. They are expected to set the tone of the website and revise the content upon customers' or clients' requests. They are also responsible for assisting in the creation of style guides.

What does a news editor do?

A News Editor reviews and changes the content of a publication provided by writers and other contributors. They generally work for newspapers, magazines, and websites.

Content writer vs news editor salary

Content writers and news editors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Content WriterNews Editor
Average salary$58,918$53,822
Salary rangeBetween $40,000 And $84,000Between $35,000 And $81,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CANew York, NY
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew York
Best paying companyCiscoApple
Best paying industryFinanceProfessional

Differences between content writer and news editor education

There are a few differences between a content writer and a news editor in terms of educational background:

Content WriterNews Editor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Most common majorEnglishJournalism
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyNorthwestern University

Content writer vs news editor demographics

Here are the differences between content writers' and news editors' demographics:

Content WriterNews Editor
Average age4244
Gender ratioMale, 39.8% Female, 60.2%Male, 53.5% Female, 46.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 5.0% White, 75.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 7.3% White, 76.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage16%12%

Differences between content writer and news editor duties and responsibilities

Content writer example responsibilities.

  • Implement and manage Salesforce and Marketo for client to establish lead nurturing campaigns.
  • Maintain guest blogging strategy and policies to achieve a consistently diverse authorship and to grow readership.
  • Manage the editorial production of the pamphlets, brochures and graphic material to target worldwide audiences including china.
  • Manage proposal process from RFP (request for proposal) receipt to writing and editing various contributions to final RFP submission.
  • Collaborate with overseas team and manage documents using SharePoint to conceptualize and generate new marketing content.
  • Produce a wide array of literature ranging from poetry to short stories.
  • Show more

News editor example responsibilities.

  • Manage the day-to-day production of the Olympics section as needed.
  • Manage online web CMS, updating metadata, optimizing SEO, editing HTML/CSS, and directing UX/UI updates.
  • Manage content on various CMS systems, including HTML coding and training numerous staff members on various CMS systems.
  • Maintain editorial calendar, manage freelance budget and coordinate with photo editor and designers to help ensure optimal presentation of stories.
  • Cover NFL playoffs and NCAA tournament games.
  • Cover UConn s 2014 NCAA tournament championship run on site.
  • Show more

Content writer vs news editor skills

Common content writer skills
  • Digital Marketing, 10%
  • WordPress, 9%
  • Web Content, 6%
  • Blog Posts, 6%
  • Digital Content, 3%
  • Content Marketing, 3%
Common news editor skills
  • News Stories, 10%
  • News Coverage, 8%
  • Instagram, 8%
  • Twitter, 7%
  • SEO, 7%
  • Facebook, 7%

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