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Media relations assistant vs communications coordinator

The differences between media relations assistants and communications coordinators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a media relations assistant and a communications coordinator. Additionally, a communications coordinator has an average salary of $47,075, which is higher than the $45,450 average annual salary of a media relations assistant.

The top three skills for a media relations assistant include press releases, athletics website and press conferences. The most important skills for a communications coordinator are customer service, web content, and event planning.

Media relations assistant vs communications coordinator overview

Media Relations AssistantCommunications Coordinator
Yearly salary$45,450$47,075
Hourly rate$21.85$22.63
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs23,77339,790
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 80%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age4242
Years of experience44

What does a media relations assistant do?

A media relations assistant is an entry-level media and public relation professional. They offer administrative support to a public relations department within an organization. They perform a number of tasks such as researching relevant trends and data that help with the company's PR campaign, helping create marketing materials, maintaining relationships with existing clients, and working to find new clients. They also have to keep accurate correspondence records and monitor social media accounts.

What does a communications coordinator do?

A communications coordinator is responsible for overseeing the communications department's operations, developing the brand image, and monitoring press releases, company articles, and other related marketing materials for business promotion and visibility. Communications coordinators actively interact with existing and potential clients, negotiate contracts, and build profitable partnerships. They also develop strategic procedures for creating the business' online presence, organizing promotional events, and media conferences. A communications coordinator must have excellent communication and organization skills to maintain a good reputation and customer satisfaction.

Media relations assistant vs communications coordinator salary

Media relations assistants and communications coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

Media Relations AssistantCommunications Coordinator
Average salary$45,450$47,075
Salary rangeBetween $32,000 And $62,000Between $34,000 And $63,000
Highest paying City-Washington, DC
Highest paying state-New Jersey
Best paying company-Microsoft
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between media relations assistant and communications coordinator education

There are a few differences between a media relations assistant and a communications coordinator in terms of educational background:

Media Relations AssistantCommunications Coordinator
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 80%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common majorCommunicationCommunication
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityStanford University

Media relations assistant vs communications coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between media relations assistants' and communications coordinators' demographics:

Media Relations AssistantCommunications Coordinator
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 41.8% Female, 58.2%Male, 29.4% Female, 70.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between media relations assistant and communications coordinator duties and responsibilities

Media relations assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage athletic contest statistics using various programs including Dakstats and other software.
  • Calculate statistics for basketball, soccer, volleyball and baseball to later be publish online.
  • Assist in developing PowerPoint presentations, including graphs and charts.
  • Experience with all Microsoft office products, Photoshop, and accounting software.
  • Travele with men's basketball, baseball, and to championship events.
  • Increase daily likes of official Facebook page (160k likes) by 300 percent in six months.
  • Show more

Communications coordinator example responsibilities.

  • Launch and manage the corporate Instagram account @ xcelenergy.
  • Manage and maintain the admission website by using basic knowledge of HTML and web editing templates.
  • Co-developed regional, national and international trade show strategy including logistics, management, qualifying leads, communications and ROI tracking.
  • Contribute brand appropriate content for: blog, instagram, and twitter.
  • General administrative and marketing duties including sending e-marketing campaigns, updating intranet and SharePoint sites, and publishing public relations newsletters.
  • Monitor the daily work of the travel agency booking agents.
  • Show more

Media relations assistant vs communications coordinator skills

Common media relations assistant skills
  • Press Releases, 17%
  • Athletics Website, 12%
  • Press Conferences, 4%
  • Alumni Events, 4%
  • NCAA, 4%
  • Twitter, 3%
Common communications coordinator skills
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Web Content, 7%
  • Event Planning, 6%
  • Press Releases, 5%
  • Patients, 5%
  • Community Events, 5%

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