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What is a public relations/communications manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Jamie Shaw,
Jody McBrien

Public relations or communication managers are professionals responsible for curating, developing, implementing, and maintaining an organization's public image, reputation, and media strategy. Primarily, you are to liaise with customers to know their needs. More importantly, you are to supervise the creation of media content and releases in social media. You must ensure that there is effective media coverage. Also, you are expected to establish and maintain relationships with customers, and you have to approach media channels to negotiate advertising opportunities. Furthermore, you must develop relationships with major influencers and journalists. This will help you to manage responses to crises.

Public relations or communication managers study public relations, communication, or journalism. You must hold at least a bachelor's degree in any of these fields. To be successful, you should possess excellent communication skills, top-notch leadership skills, and organizational skills. An average public relations or communication manager earns $88,261 in a year.

What general advice would you give to a public relations/communications manager?

Network. Network. Network. Get to know your colleagues at your new company once you get there. There are so many ways to do this, including just asking to set up 15-minute information interviews. Besides making relationships with others, which will help make work easier and more fun, understanding why and how a different department operates helps understand the whole organization. This will ultimately make you a better employee.
ScorePublic Relations/Communications ManagerUS Average
Salary
6.4

Avg. Salary $82,261

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.7

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
4.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.42%

Asian 5.10%

Black or African American 5.90%

Hispanic or Latino 9.06%

Unknown 4.66%

White 74.86%

Gender

female 64.51%

male 35.49%

Age - 41
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41
Stress level
8.7

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
9.4

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.8

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Public relations/communications manager career paths

Key steps to become a public relations/communications manager

  1. Explore public relations/communications manager education requirements

    Most common public relations/communications manager degrees

    Bachelor's

    79.2 %

    Master's

    13.8 %

    Associate

    4.5 %
  2. Start to develop specific public relations/communications manager skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Press Releases16.29%
    External Communications5.63%
    Web Content5.08%
    Blog Posts4.01%
    Crisis Communications3.25%
  3. Complete relevant public relations/communications manager training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New public relations/communications managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a public relations/communications manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real public relations/communications manager resumes.
  4. Research public relations/communications manager duties and responsibilities

    • Maintain strong working relationships across all departments to manage successful on-site opportunities, content and multimedia asset development and spokesperson requests.
    • Create a website and Facebook page.
    • Establish online marketing and Facebook ad campaigns.
    • Maintain strong working relationships across all departments to manage successful on-site opportunities, content and multimedia asset development and spokesperson requests.
  5. Prepare your public relations/communications manager resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your public relations/communications manager resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a public relations/communications manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable public relations/communications manager resume templates

    Build a professional public relations/communications manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your public relations/communications manager resume.
    Public Relations/Communications Manager Resume
    Public Relations/Communications Manager Resume
    Public Relations/Communications Manager Resume
    Public Relations/Communications Manager Resume
    Public Relations/Communications Manager Resume
    Public Relations/Communications Manager Resume
    Public Relations/Communications Manager Resume
    Public Relations/Communications Manager Resume
    Public Relations/Communications Manager Resume
  6. Apply for public relations/communications manager jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a public relations/communications manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first public relations/communications manager job

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Average public relations/communications manager salary

The average public relations/communications manager salary in the United States is $82,261 per year or $40 per hour. Public relations/communications manager salaries range between $56,000 and $120,000 per year.

Average public relations/communications manager salary
$82,261 Yearly
$39.55 hourly

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How do public relations/communications managers rate their job?

5/5

Based on 1 ratings

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Public relations/communications manager reviews

profile
5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019
Pros

People relations Results behavioural change

Cons

marketing especially retailing products and or fundraising


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2019
Pros

Heart leeds capital

Cons

English life to advance by clearing the wreckage of its past


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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