Desk editor vs content writer

The differences between desk editors and content 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 desk editor, becoming a content writer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a content writer has an average salary of $58,918, which is higher than the $53,061 average annual salary of a desk editor.

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

Desk editor vs content writer overview

	Desk Editor	Content Writer
Yearly salary	$53,061	$58,918
Hourly rate	$25.51	$28.33
Growth rate	-5%	4%
Number of jobs	29,023	19,621
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	44	42
Years of experience	4	2

What does a desk editor do?

In journalism, a desk editor is in charge of performing extensive research to find new leads and potential stories for news outlets. Among their responsibilities include monitoring mediums such as the internet and police scanners, communicating with tipsters through calls and correspondence, coordinating with police officers and witnesses, and conducting interviews when necessary. Furthermore, as a desk editor, it is essential to be proactive and alert in order to produce quality materials in a timely and efficient manner, all while adhering to the station's policies and regulations.

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.

Desk editor vs content writer salary

Desk editors and content writers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Desk Editor	Content Writer
Average salary	$53,061	$58,918
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $81,000	Between $40,000 And $84,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Cisco
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between desk editor and content writer education

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

	Desk Editor	Content Writer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Journalism	English
Most common college	Northwestern University	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Desk editor vs content writer demographics

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

	Desk Editor	Content Writer
Average age	44	42
Gender ratio	Male, 49.4% Female, 50.6%	Male, 39.8% Female, 60.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 7.0% White, 76.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black 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%
LGBT Percentage	12%	16%

Differences between desk editor and content writer duties and responsibilities

Desk editor example responsibilities.

Manage and create newsletter archives for NASA: http: //www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/home/index.html
Assign and coordinate the distribution of newsgathering equipment.
Provide research and fact checking services to assist platform producers with newsgathering.
Compose sales- and customer-facing technical documentation, PowerPoint presentations, and training guides to enhance user experience and knowledge.
Provide clips and graphics for written stories.
Coordinate graphics, choose video clips and sound bites for newscasts.

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.

Desk editor vs content writer skills

Common desk editor skills

Assignment Desk, 12%
News Stories, 10%
Facebook, 7%
Twitter, 7%
News Coverage, 6%
Phone Calls, 5%

Common content writer skills

Digital Marketing, 10%
WordPress, 9%
Web Content, 6%
Blog Posts, 6%
Digital Content, 3%
Content Marketing, 3%

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Desk Editor
Desk Editor vs Content Writer

Updated January 8, 2025

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