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Contract writer vs technical writer

The differences between contract writers and technical writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a contract writer and a technical writer. Additionally, a contract writer has an average salary of $91,260, which is higher than the $65,329 average annual salary of a technical writer.

The top three skills for a contract writer include web content, SEO and press releases. The most important skills for a technical writer are technical documentation, subject matter experts, and powerpoint.

Contract writer vs technical writer overview

Contract WriterTechnical Writer
Yearly salary$91,260$65,329
Hourly rate$43.88$31.41
Growth rate4%6%
Number of jobs23,67175,090
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age4246
Years of experience22

Contract writer vs technical writer salary

Contract writers and technical writers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Contract WriterTechnical Writer
Average salary$91,260$65,329
Salary rangeBetween $61,000 And $136,000Between $48,000 And $87,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-Meta
Best paying industry-Finance

Differences between contract writer and technical writer education

There are a few differences between a contract writer and a technical writer in terms of educational background:

Contract WriterTechnical Writer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common majorEnglishEnglish
Most common collegeUniversity of HoustonUniversity of Houston

Contract writer vs technical writer demographics

Here are the differences between contract writers' and technical writers' demographics:

Contract WriterTechnical Writer
Average age4246
Gender ratioMale, 38.5% Female, 61.5%Male, 49.7% Female, 50.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.1% 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, 6.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 8.7% White, 71.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage16%11%

Differences between contract writer and technical writer duties and responsibilities

Contract writer example responsibilities.

  • Manage the proposal lifecycle, including RFP analysis, regular communications, proposal development and production consistent with branding strategies.
  • Manage the proposal lifecycle, including RFP analysis, regular communications, proposal development and production consistent with branding strategies.
  • Interview subject matter experts and process source data to write biographies and profiles.
  • Post social media and hospital promotional/patient testimonial YouTube videos.

Technical writer example responsibilities.

  • Analyze the requirements of the RFP to understand the customer s solution needs and to identify potential discriminators for competitive advantage.
  • Manage consulting projects including UNIX installation and maintenance on various engineering workstation platforms.
  • Create and manage print and online documentation for Linux and web-base security software.
  • Manage security program for DoD classify magnetic media, classify documents and physical security systems.
  • Develop software requirements documents for proprietary medical software device; manage documents through SDLC in fda-regulate environment.
  • Help company achieve ISO registration by determining best practices, writing ISO compliant manufacturing instructions and teaching best manufacturing processes.
  • Show more

Contract writer vs technical writer skills

Common contract writer skills
  • Web Content, 15%
  • SEO, 12%
  • Press Releases, 12%
  • Blog Posts, 12%
  • Website Copy, 4%
  • Copywriting, 4%
Common technical writer skills
  • Technical Documentation, 9%
  • Subject Matter Experts, 8%
  • PowerPoint, 6%
  • Visio, 4%
  • SharePoint, 4%
  • Test Procedures, 4%

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