Features, profiles, and reporting fill a magazine — and you write them, researching, interviewing, and shaping stories to a publication's voice and deadline. Where reporting meets craft on a monthly clock.
The work runs on pitching, reporting, interviewing, and drafting — then revising hard to an editor's notes. You juggle several stories at different stages, chase sources, and much of the craft is shaping research into a story. Deadlines and word counts are immovable.
What surprises people is how much is hustle and rejection, not just writing — pitches die, rates are low, the industry's shrinking. Freelance income is uneven, you write to others' visions, and your work gets edited and cut. Staff jobs are scarce, so many stitch together income.
It draws people who are curious, disciplined, and resilient to editing. If you need stable pay or full control, the economics and edits can sting. But if you love reporting and the craft of a well-shaped story, the work can be deeply satisfying when a piece lands.
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Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Arts & Media roles →Features, profiles, and reporting fill a magazine — and you write them, researching, interviewing, and shaping stories to a publication's voice and deadline. Where reporting meets craft on a monthly clock.
Median pay for a Magazine Writer is about $66K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $35K to $162K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Writing, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Writing, and Reading Comprehension.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to decline about 0.15% through 2034, with roughly 89,350 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Advertising Writer, Marketing Writer, and Cub Reporter.
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