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Senior editor vs writer

The differences between senior editors and writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a senior editor and a writer. Additionally, a senior editor has an average salary of $90,094, which is higher than the $66,143 average annual salary of a writer.

The top three skills for a senior editor include edit content, video content and SEO. The most important skills for a writer are work ethic, customer service, and web content.

Senior editor vs writer overview

Senior EditorWriter
Yearly salary$90,094$66,143
Hourly rate$43.31$31.80
Growth rate-5%4%
Number of jobs12,15013,931
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 79%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age4442
Years of experience44

What does a senior editor do?

A Senior Editor determines the editorial content for a publication. They supervise the content creation process and manage junior editors.

What does a writer do?

A writer can have different responsibilities depending on which industry or line of work they are involved. There are writers assigned in a corporate setting, some in journalism, while there are also writers in the entertainment Industry. Although they focus on varying types of writing, they all function to inform. Among the typical duties of writers involve producing content within allotted time or deadline, gather information and verify to ensure accuracy, proofread, and undergo review and revisions.

Senior editor vs writer salary

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

Senior EditorWriter
Average salary$90,094$66,143
Salary rangeBetween $66,000 And $121,000Between $40,000 And $107,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateConnecticutMassachusetts
Best paying companyAppleApple
Best paying industryFinance-

Differences between senior editor and writer education

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

Senior EditorWriter
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 79%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common majorEnglishEnglish
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Senior editor vs writer demographics

Here are the differences between senior editors' and writers' demographics:

Senior EditorWriter
Average age4442
Gender ratioMale, 51.7% Female, 48.3%Male, 46.2% Female, 53.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 7.2% White, 76.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 5.0% White, 75.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage12%16%

Differences between senior editor and writer duties and responsibilities

Senior editor example responsibilities.

  • Contract and manage editorial freelancers and full-service vendors for successful high school Spanish and Latin textbook and ancillary programs.
  • Post video to the Fox17 website and youtube.
  • Complete several robust DVD authoring projects for clients.
  • Redesign the look and the style of lifestyle magazine.
  • Double traffic on the Instagram page with newly implement marketing plan.
  • Content editing for automobile DVD user manuals (English, French and Spanish).
  • Show more

Writer example responsibilities.

  • Operate AP NEWSCENTER/ENPS and manage CNN feed services.
  • Manage the Instagram account, which mean publishing and keeping up to date with the articles.
  • Manage projects diligently under aggressive deadlines while maintaining editorial integrity and ensuring stories have entertainment and/or educational value.
  • Participate in roundtable discussions offering hot takes and opinions on NBA and NFL teams, players, and coaches.
  • Train all staff on using the CMS.
  • Place stories into CS3 InDesign pages.
  • Show more

Senior editor vs writer skills

Common senior editor skills
  • Edit Content, 11%
  • Video Content, 7%
  • SEO, 7%
  • Digital Content, 6%
  • Project Management, 4%
  • Facebook, 3%
Common writer skills
  • Work Ethic, 18%
  • Customer Service, 14%
  • Web Content, 8%
  • Math, 7%
  • SEO, 5%
  • SQL, 3%

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