Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between editorial directors and staff writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an editorial director, becoming a staff writer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an editorial director has an average salary of $99,934, which is higher than the $44,844 average annual salary of a staff writer.
The top three skills for an editorial director include editorial content, web content and editorial strategy. The most important skills for a staff writer are feature stories, news stories, and event coverage.
| Editorial Director | Staff Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $99,934 | $44,844 |
| Hourly rate | $48.05 | $21.56 |
| Growth rate | -5% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 11,143 | 80,547 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
An Editorial Director will plan, coordinate, and edit all written content for a publication or a website. As the Editorial Director, they are responsible for planning the company's vision for the publication, including its short- and long-term goals. They are also responsible for supervising other editors and developing the guidelines on the types of manuscripts they should seek. Other duties that Editorial Directors perform include planning the publication's contents, allocating work to editors-in-chief and editorial managers, and coordinating other departments' work as needed.
A staff writer is an individual who works in the television (TV) or entertainment industry to provide standard content such as news reports, reviews, and features. Since writing content is important, staff writers must be able to collaborate and brainstorm ideas with other staff members in the production process. They must attend conferences, events, or seminars to meet other people in the industry. Staff writers must also possess knowledge in scriptwriting and an in-depth understanding of the entertainment industry.
Editorial directors and staff writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Editorial Director | Staff Writer | |
| Average salary | $99,934 | $44,844 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $144,000 | Between $29,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | New Haven, CT | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | The New York Times Company |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between an editorial director and a staff writer in terms of educational background:
| Editorial Director | Staff Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Most common major | English | Journalism |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between editorial directors' and staff writers' demographics:
| Editorial Director | Staff Writer | |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 48.3% Female, 51.7% | Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 7.2% White, 76.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 8.8% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 11% |