It’s fairly common, but not necessarily universal, for technical writers to have degrees or other formal training in STEM fields.Īccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for technical writers was $74,650 per year in 2020. They write similar kinds of material as content writers, but the difference is that while content writers generally aim to engage readers, often as part of broader marketing strategies, technical writers write to explain how a product or system works.Ī technical writer’s work needs to be highly detailed and leave no room for misinterpretation or error. They do this by writing instruction manuals, how-to guides, articles, and product guides.
Technical writers create documentation that teaches people how to use applications and tech equipment. And just like copywriters, they can work in-house or freelance.Īccording to Glassdoor, the average annual salary for content writers in the United States is $47,233.
Even the ads you’ve watched on TV come from content writers-after all, somebody has to write the scripts.īloggers fall into the category of “content writer.” Just like copywriters, content writers typically specialize in one or a few specific industries. In fact, all the content you’ve ever read on a website, like how-to guides, informational articles, and the text on infographics, was written by content writers. The blog post you’re reading right now was written by a content writer. While plenty of copywriters are employed full-time, plenty more work for themselves, taking clients on a freelance basis.īeyond these specializations, copywriters typically focus on specific industries, like the medical industry, arts and entertainment, SAAS, pets, subscription services, and more-basically, any industry you can think of employs copywriters.Īccording to Glassdoor, the average annual salary for copywriters in the United States is $57,864.* Content writer Within this field, there are lots of specializations, like direct response copywriting, email copywriting, SEO copywriting, marketing copywriting, and brand copywriting. Take a look at a few of the most common career paths for writers: CopywriterĬopywriters write the taglines, product descriptions, ads, and other short, emotion-packed bits of writing (known in the biz as “copy”) that drive people to take specific actions.
If you’ve determined you want to become a professional writer, there are a lot of different career paths to choose from. Many, perhaps even most, professional writers also write for fun and personal fulfillment-but not every writer who does it as a hobby also does it for a living. Writers fall into two very broad categories: writers who write simply for personal enjoyment and writers who write professionally. Determine the kind of writer you want to be Read on to learn more about the different writing careers you can pursue and how to get started. And although writing a book is one way to become a professional writer, it’s hardly the only way. Even if it takes ten years to get your first book published, you’ve been a writer since you sketched out your very first book outline. As long as you’re writing, you’re a writer. The answer to all of the questions above is no.