Writers and Authors
Originate and prepare written material, such as scripts, stories, advertisements, and other material.
Also called: Advertisement Agency Copywriter (Ad Agency Copywriter) · Advertising Associate · Advertising Copywriter · Advertising Writer · Communications Specialist · Copywriter
Median pay (national)
$72,270
$41,080–$133,680 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
47,800
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+3.6%
~13,400 openings/yr
Typical entry
Bachelor's degree
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for writers and authors shows an unusually wide range: the top 10% earn $133,680 versus $41,080 at the bottom 10% — 3.3x. The median of $72,270 leaves roughly 85% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +3.6% from 2024 to 2034 — about as fast as the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 13,400 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 47 states with released data, District of Columbia pays the most for this role (median $121,160, +68% vs the national median), while Puerto Rico sits lowest at $37,190 — a 226% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Writing, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro, Canva as in-demand technologies for this role.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Writing
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
- Monitoring
- Learning Strategies
- Mathematics
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Develop advertising campaigns for a wide range of clients, working with an advertising agency's creative director and art director to determine the best way to present advertising information.
- Vary language and tone of messages based on product and medium.
- Present drafts and ideas to clients.
- Discuss with the client the product, advertising themes and methods, and any changes that should be made in advertising copy.
- Review advertising trends, consumer surveys, and other data regarding marketing of goods and services to determine the best way to promote products.
- Write articles, bulletins, sales letters, speeches, and other related informative, marketing and promotional material.
- Conduct research and interviews to determine which of a product's selling features should be promoted.
- Invent names for products and write the slogans that appear on packaging, brochures and other promotional material.
- Collaborate with other writers on specific projects.
- Conduct research to obtain factual information and authentic detail, using sources such as newspaper accounts, diaries, and interviews.
Tools & technology
- Adobe Creative Cloud software
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- Canva
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
- TikTok
- Adobe After Effects
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe InDesign
- Asana
- Figma
- Google Analytics
Knowledge areas
- Sales and Marketing
- Communications and Media
- Customer and Personal Service
- Computers and Electronics
- Mathematics
- Administrative
- Administration and Management
- Sociology and Anthropology