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The differences between media 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 media relations assistant and a public relations consultant. Additionally, a public relations consultant has an average salary of $50,333, 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 public relations consultant are press releases, web content, and strategic communications.
| Media Relations Assistant | Public Relations Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $45,450 | $50,333 |
| Hourly rate | $21.85 | $24.20 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 23,773 | 27,882 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
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.
Media relations assistants and public relations consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Media Relations Assistant | Public Relations Consultant | |
| Average salary | $45,450 | $50,333 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $62,000 | Between $29,000 And $85,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | - | Washington |
| Best paying company | - | AbbVie |
| Best paying industry | - | Media |
There are a few differences between a media relations assistant and a public relations consultant in terms of educational background:
| Media Relations Assistant | Public Relations Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Most common major | Communication | Communication |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between media relations assistants' and public relations consultants' demographics:
| Media Relations Assistant | Public Relations Consultant | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.8% Female, 58.2% | Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 10.2% 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% |