Magazine writer vs contributing writer

The differences between magazine writers and contributing 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 magazine writer and a contributing writer. Additionally, a magazine writer has an average salary of $54,951, which is higher than the $51,372 average annual salary of a contributing writer.

The top three skills for a magazine writer include photo shoots, writing articles and feature stories. The most important skills for a contributing writer are lifestyle, web content, and SEO.

Magazine writer vs contributing writer overview

	Magazine Writer	Contributing Writer
Yearly salary	$54,951	$51,372
Hourly rate	$26.42	$24.70
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	10,204	10,292
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

Magazine writer vs contributing writer salary

Magazine writers and contributing writers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Magazine Writer	Contributing Writer
Average salary	$54,951	$51,372
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $90,000	Between $34,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between magazine writer and contributing writer education

There are a few differences between a magazine writer and a contributing writer in terms of educational background:

	Magazine Writer	Contributing Writer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Most common major	Journalism	Journalism
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Magazine writer vs contributing writer demographics

Here are the differences between magazine writers' and contributing writers' demographics:

	Magazine Writer	Contributing Writer
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 31.2% Female, 68.8%	Male, 44.6% Female, 55.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 8.7% White, 71.4% 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 Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between magazine writer and contributing writer duties and responsibilities

Magazine writer example responsibilities.

Manage the Instagram account, which mean publishing and keeping up to date with the articles.
Pitch, write and photograph audience-aligned content, which are centered on the European-American luxury lifestyle in the greater Chicago area
Work with Microsoft programs, quark, and cash register.

Contributing writer example responsibilities.

Collaborate with overseas team and manage documents using SharePoint to conceptualize and generate new marketing content.
Pitch, write and photograph audience-aligned content, which are centered on the European-American luxury lifestyle in the greater Chicago area
Create SharePoint site for marketing and communications that include project tracking, document governance and collaboration space.

Magazine writer vs contributing writer skills

Common magazine writer skills

Photo Shoots, 18%
Writing Articles, 15%
Feature Stories, 11%
Alumni, 11%
Indesign, 9%
News Articles, 8%

Common contributing writer skills

Lifestyle, 13%
Web Content, 7%
SEO, 6%
Feature Stories, 6%
Conduct Interviews, 5%
Blog Posts, 5%

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Magazine Writer
Magazine Writer vs Contributing Writer

Updated January 8, 2025

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