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The differences between corporate communications specialists and public relations can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a corporate communications specialist and a public relations. Additionally, a corporate communications specialist has an average salary of $58,892, which is higher than the $48,383 average annual salary of a public relations.
The top three skills for a corporate communications specialist include corporate communications, customer service and press releases. The most important skills for a public relations are press releases, web content, and facebook.
| Corporate Communications Specialist | Public Relations | |
| Yearly salary | $58,892 | $48,383 |
| Hourly rate | $28.31 | $23.26 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 29,613 | 22,721 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A corporate communications specialist's role is to manage and develop a company's external and internal communication line, ensuring timeliness and efficiency. Their responsibilities revolve around coordinating various departments for the dissemination of communication letters and other documents, liaise with external agencies such as media and advertisers, and participate in creating social media content, newsletters, press kits, and other marketing materials. Furthermore, a corporate communications specialist must handle campaigns and projects, all while focusing on the brand's message and adhering to the company's policies and vision.
Public relations is a strategic way of developing and maintaining a client's or company's public image through media coverage, appearances, and press releases by designing and developing events to raise funds or to spread awareness to the public regarding products, brands, or individuals. It involves research and evaluation of programs including financial, marketing, employee, or government relations using topics of public interest and news items. Due to our present technological innovations, public relations now use webinars, blogs, and downloadable resources under one convenient website.
Corporate communications specialists and public relations have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Corporate Communications Specialist | Public Relations | |
| Average salary | $58,892 | $48,383 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $100,000 | Between $32,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Richmond, VA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Virginia |
| Best paying company | Parsons | Edelman Financial Engines |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a corporate communications specialist and a public relations in terms of educational background:
| Corporate Communications Specialist | Public Relations | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Communication | Communication |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between corporate communications specialists' and public relations' demographics:
| Corporate Communications Specialist | Public Relations | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2% | Male, 36.1% Female, 63.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 5.3% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 5.3% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |