Post job

Writer and editor vs content editor

The differences between writer and editors and content editors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a writer and editor and a content editor. Additionally, a content editor has an average salary of $61,694, which is higher than the $61,482 average annual salary of a writer and editor.

The top three skills for a writer and editor include web content, blog posts and press releases. The most important skills for a content editor are digital content, web content, and digital marketing.

Writer and editor vs content editor overview

Writer And EditorContent Editor
Yearly salary$61,482$61,694
Hourly rate$29.56$29.66
Growth rate-5%-5%
Number of jobs14,86518,586
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

What does a writer and editor do?

Writing is not an easy task, so a Writer and an Editor must work together to deliver quality content. A writer's role is to gather information to create a structured written material that would serve its purpose, whether for recreational or informational. Moreover, it is the Editor's responsibility to oversee and examine what the Writer has produced. From this, the Editor will provide feedback, corrections or suggestions, and guidelines that the Writer can follow to improve the material.

What does a content editor do?

A content editor is an individual who is responsible for proof-reading articles written by content writers and write blog posts to promote the products and services of an organization. Content editors are responsible for producing monthly newsletters and optimize written pieces to increase user engagement. They need to interact with the consumers with the purpose of sourcing feedback on the content's impact actively. Content editors must also conduct business research on current trends to give the company an edge over the competition.

Writer and editor vs content editor salary

Writer and editors and content editors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Writer And EditorContent Editor
Average salary$61,482$61,694
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $103,000Between $41,000 And $91,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCNew York, NY
Highest paying stateConnecticutNew York
Best paying companyAppleApple
Best paying industryInternetTechnology

Differences between writer and editor and content editor education

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

Writer And EditorContent Editor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common majorEnglishEnglish
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Writer and editor vs content editor demographics

Here are the differences between writer and editors' and content editors' demographics:

Writer And EditorContent Editor
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 40.0% Female, 60.0%Male, 43.5% Female, 56.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 7.3% White, 76.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 7.1% White, 76.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between writer and editor and content editor duties and responsibilities

Writer and editor example responsibilities.

  • Update website daily, manage Facebook/Twitter/ Instagram accounts.
  • Create articles featuring campus faculty and students, as well as lifestyle tips, and opinion editorials.
  • Work closely with magazine's editor-in-chief to hash out design ideas and content.
  • Gain 9k twitter followers in four months, and create a consistent fan base.
  • Assign stories to writers, edit them with SEO in mind, then post to proprietary CMS.
  • Pitch, write, and publish full length book/news relate articles-Edit and format images, SEO, HTML formatting
  • Show more

Content editor example responsibilities.

  • Work with W3C standardize CSS to achieve design goals.
  • Coordinate and manage a team of photographers who work on NBA games throughout the league.
  • Identify, create and manage QA projects to improve data consistency and accuracy using SQL to extract data.
  • Manage editorial department by editing and publishing daily content for website and daily e-newsletter.
  • Develop SEO strategies to increase profitability and manage social media to spread brand awareness and bolster readership.
  • Develop social media content for different outlets such as Facebook, Instagram, Youtube channel and the blog's webpage.
  • Show more

Writer and editor vs content editor skills

Common writer and editor skills
  • Web Content, 23%
  • Blog Posts, 8%
  • Press Releases, 8%
  • Writing Articles, 3%
  • Feature Stories, 3%
  • Photography, 3%
Common content editor skills
  • Digital Content, 8%
  • Web Content, 7%
  • Digital Marketing, 4%
  • WordPress, 4%
  • Video Content, 4%
  • Content Marketing, 4%

Browse arts, entertainment, sports, and media jobs