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The differences between community relations assistants and media relations specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a community relations assistant and a media relations specialist. Additionally, a media relations specialist has an average salary of $50,856, which is higher than the $36,453 average annual salary of a community relations assistant.
The top three skills for a community relations assistant include community outreach, press releases and community relations programs. The most important skills for a media relations specialist are patients, compassion, and press releases.
| Community Relations Assistant | Media Relations Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $36,453 | $50,856 |
| Hourly rate | $17.53 | $24.45 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 27,961 | 44,665 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Community Relations Assistants are involved in outreach programs and in promoting the business or organization. These assistants establish and distribute promotional materials for customers. They support public relations departments through copying, answering phone calls, and filing. Their duties include ensuring the effectiveness of outreach missions. Among the skills and knowledge needed for this job include community relations programs, special events, and press releases.
A media relations specialist's role is to help a company maintain good public relations through various forms of media, ensuring to convey their brand's purpose and message. Their responsibilities typically revolve around developing strategies and opportunities, producing newsletters and press releases, remaining updated with the latest trends, and even managing the company's social media platforms. A media relations specialist may also delegate tasks to writers and graphic designers, arrange schedules, and ensure that all goals are met within the expected deadline and budget.
Community relations assistants and media relations specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Community Relations Assistant | Media Relations Specialist | |
| Average salary | $36,453 | $50,856 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $53,000 | Between $36,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | - | Washington |
| Best paying company | - | Edelman Financial Engines |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a community relations assistant and a media relations specialist in terms of educational background:
| Community Relations Assistant | Media Relations Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between community relations assistants' and media relations specialists' demographics:
| Community Relations Assistant | Media Relations Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.0% Female, 72.0% | Male, 30.6% Female, 69.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 5.4% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |