Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between media relations specialists and public affairs 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 media relations specialist and a public affairs specialist. Additionally, a public affairs specialist has an average salary of $66,383, which is higher than the $50,856 average annual salary of a media relations specialist.
The top three skills for a media relations specialist include patients, compassion and press releases. The most important skills for a public affairs specialist are news stories, veterans, and fact sheets.
| Media Relations Specialist | Public Affairs Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $50,856 | $66,383 |
| Hourly rate | $24.45 | $31.91 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 44,665 | 19,889 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| 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.
Psychology research assistants take charge of the operational and administrative tasks like mailing surveys, summarizing results, and managing correspondence. The research assistants identify the areas in need of improvement and score psychological tests. They prepare the interview questions and summarize test results. Their job involves responding to research-related emails and take part in project meetings. Also, they update the content of websites and prepare reports of their progress. The skills they need in carrying out this job include communication, critical thinking, attention to detail, and technical skills.
Media relations specialists and public affairs specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Media Relations Specialist | Public Affairs Specialist | |
| Average salary | $50,856 | $66,383 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $69,000 | Between $43,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Virginia |
| Best paying company | Edelman Financial Engines | |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Government |
There are a few differences between a media relations specialist and a public affairs specialist in terms of educational background:
| Media Relations Specialist | Public Affairs Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Communication |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between media relations specialists' and public affairs specialists' demographics:
| Media Relations Specialist | Public Affairs Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.6% Female, 69.4% | Male, 47.2% Female, 52.8% |
| 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, 10.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |