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The differences between media relations specialists and community relations 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 specialist and a community relations coordinator. Additionally, a media relations specialist has an average salary of $50,856, which is higher than the $45,632 average annual salary of a community relations coordinator.
The top three skills for a media relations specialist include patients, compassion and press releases. The most important skills for a community relations coordinator are patients, event planning, and press releases.
| Media Relations Specialist | Community Relations Coordinator | |
| Yearly salary | $50,856 | $45,632 |
| Hourly rate | $24.45 | $21.94 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 44,665 | 46,318 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
A public relations coordinator or community relations coordinator is an individual who is responsible for promoting or creating a public image for individuals, groups, or organizations. Since businesses are major contributors to communities and fundraisers, public relations coordinators are required to handle donations requests and build a marketing platform for the company. They must work with advertising representatives and other members of the media team to help promote the image of the company to the community. Community relations coordinators are also required to handle charity events such as blood drives or hold a corporate carnivals to benefit cancer research.
Media relations specialists and community relations coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Media Relations Specialist | Community Relations Coordinator | |
| Average salary | $50,856 | $45,632 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $69,000 | Between $34,000 And $61,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Edelman Financial Engines | Tenaska |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a media relations specialist and a community relations coordinator in terms of educational background:
| Media Relations Specialist | Community Relations Coordinator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between media relations specialists' and community relations coordinators' demographics:
| Media Relations Specialist | Community Relations Coordinator | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.6% Female, 69.4% | Male, 23.6% Female, 76.4% |
| 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, 10.0% 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% |