How To Become A Public Relations Counselor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a public relations counselor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Tommy Casarez Ph.D.

The average public relations counselor salary is $60,665. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an law major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become a public relations counselor. Public relations counselors with a Accreditation in Public Relations (PR) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 8% and produce 6,300 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a public relations counselor?

Dr. Tommy Casarez Ph.D.

Dr., Assistant Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology, Vanguard University

Opportunities come in many different shapes and sizes, but they are still out there. Whether you are seeking to land a job in education or the non-profit sector, you will need to familiarize yourself and get used to all things digital, for the sake of communicating effectively. The younger your student or service partner's mindset, the more digitally savvy you will need to be, especially in the classroom and in the non-profit world.

ScorePublic Relations CounselorUS Average

Salary

4.7

Avg. Salary $60,665

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 5.14%

Black or African American 6.03%

Hispanic or Latino 9.18%

Unknown 4.67%

White 74.57%

Gender

female 59.52%

male 40.48%

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

Key steps to become a public relations counselor

Explore public relations counselor education requirements

Most common public relations counselor degrees

Bachelor's

62.4 %

Doctorate

20.0 %

Master's

12.7 %

Start to develop specific public relations counselor skills

Skills	Percentages
Criminal Justice	9.88%
Legal Issues	8.30%
Communications Counsel	7.57%
Legal Research	7.22%
Litigation	6.63%

Complete relevant public relations counselor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New public relations counselors 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 counselor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real public relations counselor resumes.

Research public relations counselor duties and responsibilities

Manage print production, advertising and partnerships, and copywriting for monthly concert programs.
Manage public affairs and media efforts including writing and placing op-eds and mobilizing editorial campaigns.
Provide litigation support, media training and media relations for attorneys and their clients both before and after lawsuits are filed.
Develop cutting-edge research and in-depth understanding of mass tort litigation involving the pharmaceutical industry.

Prepare your public relations counselor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your public relations counselor 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 counselor 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 counselor resume templates

Build a professional public relations counselor 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 counselor resume.