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The differences between public relations consultants and consultants 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 consultant and a consultant. Additionally, a consultant has an average salary of $78,912, which is higher than the $50,333 average annual salary of a public relations consultant.
The top three skills for a public relations consultant include press releases, web content and strategic communications. The most important skills for a consultant are customer service, strong analytical, and project management.
| Public Relations Consultant | Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $50,333 | $78,912 |
| Hourly rate | $24.20 | $37.94 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 27,882 | 171,733 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A public relations consultant represents an organization and is the company's way to communicate to the public their plans, decisions, and motivations. They both advertise and show the company's personality and create familiarity and trust. The public relations consultant's role is to create all the PR materials needed to accomplish these goals. It means writing press releases, online content, speeches, and also working with the marketing and advertising team to create copy that will evoke the interest of the public. The ultimate goal is to gain customers and thus increase sales.
Consultants are individuals who were tapped by a company or an organization to work on a specific activity, depending on their field of expertise. They act as guides for the organization in undertaking projects that are related to their field. Consultants would usually assist organizations in planning, often giving advice when the need arises. They would, at times, take the lead in activities that involve data gathering and interpretation of data gathering results so that they can provide solid recommendations on actions that the organization may undertake. They may also guide the organization in implementing any changes brought about by their consultancy and in evaluating the effectiveness of the changes.
Public relations consultants and consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Public Relations Consultant | Consultant | |
| Average salary | $50,333 | $78,912 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $85,000 | Between $58,000 And $107,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | AbbVie | L.E.K. Consulting |
| Best paying industry | Media | Technology |
There are a few differences between a public relations consultant and a consultant in terms of educational background:
| Public Relations Consultant | Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Communication | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between public relations consultants' and consultants' demographics:
| Public Relations Consultant | Consultant | |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7% | Male, 58.4% Female, 41.6% |
| 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, 7.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 13.8% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |