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The differences between community relations specialists 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 specialist and a media relations specialist. Additionally, a media relations specialist has an average salary of $50,856, which is higher than the $49,344 average annual salary of a community relations specialist.
The top three skills for a community relations specialist include press releases, event planning and community events. The most important skills for a media relations specialist are patients, compassion, and press releases.
| Community Relations Specialist | Media Relations Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $49,344 | $50,856 |
| Hourly rate | $23.72 | $24.45 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 28,509 | 44,665 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A community relations specialist is responsible for handling the organization's community engagements by facilitating fundraising events, volunteering acts, and charity programs and partnerships. Community relations specialists also write content for public and media promotions to promote brand awareness and the company's mission across the community. They should also be updated with the current events and situations to identify events and strategies that will help stabilize the society's condition. Since this type of job requires interacting with community people, a community relations specialist must have excellent communication skills to respond to their inquiries and concerns.
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 specialists and media relations specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Community Relations Specialist | Media Relations Specialist | |
| Average salary | $49,344 | $50,856 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $70,000 | Between $36,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | Alexandria, VA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | Washington |
| Best paying company | City National Bank | Edelman Financial Engines |
| Best paying industry | Government | Finance |
There are a few differences between a community relations specialist and a media relations specialist in terms of educational background:
| Community Relations Specialist | Media Relations Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between community relations specialists' and media relations specialists' demographics:
| Community Relations Specialist | Media Relations Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 25.3% Female, 74.7% | Male, 30.6% Female, 69.4% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |