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The differences between digital content specialists and content writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a digital content specialist, 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 $54,127 average annual salary of a digital content specialist.
The top three skills for a digital content specialist include digital content, digital marketing and content strategy. The most important skills for a content writer are digital marketing, wordpress, and web content.
| Digital Content Specialist | Content Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $54,127 | $58,918 |
| Hourly rate | $26.02 | $28.33 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 45,100 | 19,621 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 37 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
Digital content specialists are employees who work on the writings and posts that an official company page publishes digitally. This content may be posted on the company website or social media pages. Digital content specialists should be able to write, edit, and proofread posts before publishing them. They should also be familiar with the company's branding so that the contents they publish are consistent with the branding and overall image of the company. They carefully curate posts to ensure that every content they have is in line with the company image. Digital content specialists should be familiar with the current trends in the digital landscape and should also be technologically-savvy.
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.
Digital content specialists and content writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Digital Content Specialist | Content Writer | |
| Average salary | $54,127 | $58,918 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $74,000 | Between $40,000 And $84,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | National Railroad Passenger Corporation | Cisco |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Finance |
There are a few differences between a digital content specialist and a content writer in terms of educational background:
| Digital Content Specialist | Content Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Communication | English |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between digital content specialists' and content writers' demographics:
| Digital Content Specialist | Content Writer | |
| Average age | 37 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.4% Female, 52.6% | Male, 39.8% Female, 60.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 9.7% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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 | 10% | 16% |