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Community relations assistant vs public relations consultant

The differences between community relations assistants and public relations consultants 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 public relations consultant. Additionally, a public relations consultant has an average salary of $50,333, 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 public relations consultant are press releases, web content, and strategic communications.

Community relations assistant vs public relations consultant overview

Community Relations AssistantPublic Relations Consultant
Yearly salary$36,453$50,333
Hourly rate$17.53$24.20
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs27,96127,882
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Average age4242
Years of experience44

What does a community relations assistant do?

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.

What does a public relations consultant do?

A public relations consultant represents an organization and is the company's way to communicate to the public their plans, decisions, and motivations. They both advertise and show the company's personality and create familiarity and trust. The public relations consultant's role is to create all the PR materials needed to accomplish these goals. It means writing press releases, online content, speeches, and also working with the marketing and advertising team to create copy that will evoke the interest of the public. The ultimate goal is to gain customers and thus increase sales.

Community relations assistant vs public relations consultant salary

Community relations assistants and public relations consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Community Relations AssistantPublic Relations Consultant
Average salary$36,453$50,333
Salary rangeBetween $24,000 And $53,000Between $29,000 And $85,000
Highest paying City-Seattle, WA
Highest paying state-Washington
Best paying company-AbbVie
Best paying industry-Media

Differences between community relations assistant and public relations consultant education

There are a few differences between a community relations assistant and a public relations consultant in terms of educational background:

Community Relations AssistantPublic Relations Consultant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Most common majorBusinessCommunication
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Community relations assistant vs public relations consultant demographics

Here are the differences between community relations assistants' and public relations consultants' demographics:

Community Relations AssistantPublic Relations Consultant
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 28.0% Female, 72.0%Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage12%12%

Differences between community relations assistant and public relations consultant duties and responsibilities

Community relations assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage all copywriting elements for live broadcasts and promotional commercials.
  • Schedule and coordinate meetings in-house and off site; prepare PowerPoint presentations.
  • Maintain the website (RedDot), online calendar and Facebook event calendar.
  • Develop and ensure all necessary documentation are charted to meet Medicare criteria for DME approval.
  • Leverage entrepreneurial orientation and expertise in government transactions to acquire excellent relationships outside of FEMA.

Public relations consultant example responsibilities.

  • Maintain strong working relationships across all departments to manage successful on-site opportunities, content and multimedia asset development and spokesperson requests.
  • Create the first official Instagram account for the fine arts galleries.
  • Create highly visible content by utilizing a wide variety of social media platforms and SEO trends.
  • Plan and execute all web, SEO, PPC, email, and social media campaigns.
  • Leverage Facebook to create digital referral network and increase visibility in consumer market.
  • Foster an energetic public discussion through Facebook and videos, exciting visual displays, carefully target humor and thought-provoking questions.
  • Show more

Community relations assistant vs public relations consultant skills

Common community relations assistant skills
  • Community Outreach, 16%
  • Press Releases, 12%
  • Community Relations Programs, 11%
  • Event Planning, 8%
  • Community Relations Events, 7%
  • Promotional Materials, 4%
Common public relations consultant skills
  • Press Releases, 19%
  • Web Content, 12%
  • Strategic Communications, 10%
  • Community Outreach, 5%
  • Facebook, 4%
  • Event Planning, 3%

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