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Press secretary vs public affairs specialist

The differences between press secretaries 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 press secretary and a public affairs specialist. Additionally, a press secretary has an average salary of $66,560, which is higher than the $66,383 average annual salary of a public affairs specialist.

The top three skills for a press secretary include press releases, press conferences and policy issues. The most important skills for a public affairs specialist are news stories, veterans, and fact sheets.

Press secretary vs public affairs specialist overview

Press SecretaryPublic Affairs Specialist
Yearly salary$66,560$66,383
Hourly rate$32.00$31.91
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs18,82719,889
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 85%Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age4242
Years of experience44

Press secretary vs public affairs specialist salary

Press secretaries and public affairs specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Press SecretaryPublic Affairs Specialist
Average salary$66,560$66,383
Salary rangeBetween $45,000 And $96,000Between $43,000 And $102,000
Highest paying City-Washington, DC
Highest paying state-Virginia
Best paying company-Google
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between press secretary and public affairs specialist education

There are a few differences between a press secretary and a public affairs specialist in terms of educational background:

Press SecretaryPublic Affairs Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 85%Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common majorPolitical ScienceCommunication
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyNorthwestern University

Press secretary vs public affairs specialist demographics

Here are the differences between press secretaries' and public affairs specialists' demographics:

Press SecretaryPublic Affairs Specialist
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 50.1% Female, 49.9%Male, 47.2% Female, 52.8%
Race ratioBlack 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%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 Percentage12%12%

Differences between press secretary and public affairs specialist duties and responsibilities

Press secretary example responsibilities.

  • Plan and manage social media efforts which generate> 22k incremental Instagram followers in four months.
  • Serve as a spokesperson on business and economic development matters.
  • Facilitate the placement of articles, columns, and editorials in support of key issues.
  • Serve as primary agency spokesperson conducting on-camera and radio interviews.
  • Foster an energetic public discussion through Facebook and videos, exciting visual displays, carefully target humor and thought-provoking questions.
  • Brief senior cabinet officers daily on local news and editorial coverage.
  • Show more

Public affairs specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage agency media engagements, including tracking queries on SharePoint.
  • Respond to media queries, write news releases and manage media engagements while acting as spokesperson for several multifacete organizations.
  • Improve moral for thousands of soldiers, family members, and veterans.
  • Create a command Youtube page; shoot, edit and place innovative videos share nationally.
  • Develop a SharePoint website allowing USDA employees to retrieve templates and to submit communications requests i.e.
  • Update the IACH Facebook page on a daily basis with news, events, pictures and videos.
  • Show more

Press secretary vs public affairs specialist skills

Common press secretary skills
  • Press Releases, 33%
  • Press Conferences, 10%
  • Policy Issues, 5%
  • Press Events, 3%
  • Strategic Communications, 3%
  • Opinion Pieces, 3%
Common public affairs specialist skills
  • News Stories, 7%
  • Veterans, 7%
  • Fact Sheets, 6%
  • Press Releases, 6%
  • Conduct Interviews, 5%
  • News Articles, 5%

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