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The differences between staff writers and content 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 staff writer and a content writer. Additionally, a content writer has an average salary of $58,918, which is higher than the $44,844 average annual salary of a staff writer.
The top three skills for a staff writer include feature stories, news stories and event coverage. The most important skills for a content writer are digital marketing, wordpress, and web content.
| Staff Writer | Content Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $44,844 | $58,918 |
| Hourly rate | $21.56 | $28.33 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 80,547 | 19,621 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 82% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 46 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
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.
Staff writers and content writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Staff Writer | Content Writer | |
| Average salary | $44,844 | $58,918 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $68,000 | Between $40,000 And $84,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | The New York Times Company | Cisco |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Finance |
There are a few differences between a staff writer and a content writer in terms of educational background:
| Staff Writer | Content Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 82% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Journalism | English |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between staff writers' and content writers' demographics:
| Staff Writer | Content Writer | |
| Average age | 46 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8% | Male, 39.8% Female, 60.2% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 11% | 16% |