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The differences between media relations specialists and publicists 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 publicist. Additionally, a media relations specialist has an average salary of $50,856, which is higher than the $50,679 average annual salary of a publicist.
The top three skills for a media relations specialist include patients, compassion and press releases. The most important skills for a publicist are press releases, press materials, and public relations campaigns.
| Media Relations Specialist | Publicist | |
| Yearly salary | $50,856 | $50,679 |
| Hourly rate | $24.45 | $24.36 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 44,665 | 7,343 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| 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.
Public Relations Supervisors are responsible for implementing the media and public relations strategy of an organization. Their duties include developing public relations campaigns, organize public relations events, assist in emergency response planning, updating documentation, monitoring media, improve management of press office, and manage media databases. They are responsible for assisting with journalistic content writing, refine internal processes, and track public relations activity performance. They help prepare reports as well as undertake competitor and market research.
Media relations specialists and publicists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Media Relations Specialist | Publicist | |
| Average salary | $50,856 | $50,679 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $69,000 | Between $30,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Edelman Financial Engines | J. The Jewish News of Northern California |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Media |
There are a few differences between a media relations specialist and a publicist in terms of educational background:
| Media Relations Specialist | Publicist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Most common major | Business | Communication |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between media relations specialists' and publicists' demographics:
| Media Relations Specialist | Publicist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.6% Female, 69.4% | Male, 27.4% Female, 72.6% |
| 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, 10.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |