Public relations counselor vs communications consultant

The differences between public relations counselors and communications 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 counselor and a communications consultant. Additionally, a communications consultant has an average salary of $91,455, which is higher than the $60,665 average annual salary of a public relations counselor.

The top three skills for a public relations counselor include criminal justice, legal issues and communications counsel. The most important skills for a communications consultant are powerpoint, web content, and project management.

Public relations counselor vs communications consultant overview

	Public Relations Counselor	Communications Consultant
Yearly salary	$60,665	$91,455
Hourly rate	$29.17	$43.97
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	44,706	29,942
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Public relations counselor vs communications consultant salary

Public relations counselors and communications consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Public Relations Counselor	Communications Consultant
Average salary	$60,665	$91,455
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $95,000	Between $63,000 And $130,000
Highest paying City	-	Oakland, CA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Dell
Best paying industry	-	Utilities

Differences between public relations counselor and communications consultant education

There are a few differences between a public relations counselor and a communications consultant in terms of educational background:

	Public Relations Counselor	Communications Consultant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Law	Communication
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Public relations counselor vs communications consultant demographics

Here are the differences between public relations counselors' and communications consultants' demographics:

	Public Relations Counselor	Communications Consultant
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 40.5% Female, 59.5%	Male, 43.5% Female, 56.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 5.4% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	16%	12%

Differences between public relations counselor and communications consultant duties and responsibilities

Public relations counselor example 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.
Spearhead and develop a new monthly e-newsletter for students resulting in increase student ticket sales and participation on student Facebook page.
Retrieve certified documents and other evidence on behalf of CPCS attorneys.

Communications consultant example responsibilities.

Plan and manage and produce online marketing activities and campaigns (B2B and B2C).
Manage content, database selection, HTML presentation and quality assurance of all outbound email campaigns.
Advise and/or manage on content, navigation architecture, SEO, social media, YouTube, email campaigns.
Manage editorial and content for Siemens quarterly executive level do magazine with worldwide distribution.
Gather requirements, provide justification and value-ad capabilities for SharePoint implementation, and lead the change management team.
Create PowerPoint decks, organization charts, Vision/Strategy/Execution slides, updates to intranet websites and collaboration sites.

Public relations counselor vs communications consultant skills

Common public relations counselor skills

Criminal Justice, 10%
Legal Issues, 8%
Communications Counsel, 8%
Legal Research, 7%
Litigation, 7%
Motion Hearings, 7%

Common communications consultant skills

PowerPoint, 10%
Web Content, 9%
Project Management, 8%
Press Releases, 5%
Strategic Communications Plan, 5%
External Communications, 4%

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Public Relations Counselor
Public Relations Counselor vs Communications Consultant

Updated January 8, 2025

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