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The differences between public relations assistants and public relations 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 public relations assistant and a public relations specialist. Additionally, a public relations specialist has an average salary of $48,124, which is higher than the $46,197 average annual salary of a public relations assistant.
The top three skills for a public relations assistant include press releases, facebook and twitter. The most important skills for a public relations specialist are press releases, web content, and project management.
| Public Relations Assistant | Public Relations Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $46,197 | $48,124 |
| Hourly rate | $22.21 | $23.14 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 26,021 | 29,698 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A public relations assistant is responsible for assisting the development of promotional campaigns based on clients' specifications to boost brand awareness and generate sales for the company. Public relations assistants support the organization's public relations department, such as handling press releases, monitoring social media platforms, scheduling media advertisements, and perform market research to identify close competitors and adjust campaign strategies as needed. They also perform administrative duties, responding to the client's inquiries and concerns, conducting customer surveys, and requesting supplies for marketing campaigns, requiring them to have excellent communication and customer service skills.
A public relations specialist is an individual who creates and maintains a favorable public image of an organization by crafting media releases and developing social media programs. Public relations specialists must help their clients communicate effectively with the public as well as evaluate the public opinion of their clients through social media. They need to draft their press releases and contact people in the media who might want to broadcast their materials. Public relations specialists are also required to draft speeches and arrange interviews for the top executives of their organization.
Public relations assistants and public relations specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Public Relations Assistant | Public Relations Specialist | |
| Average salary | $46,197 | $48,124 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $61,000 | Between $33,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | California Institute of Technology | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a public relations assistant and a public relations specialist in terms of educational background:
| Public Relations Assistant | Public Relations Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Most common major | Communication | Communication |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between public relations assistants' and public relations specialists' demographics:
| Public Relations Assistant | Public Relations Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.5% Female, 75.5% | Male, 30.3% Female, 69.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |