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What is a public relations director and how to become one
A public relations director is the head of a PR firm or the communications department of a company. Before you get to run the ship, though, you need to put in years of work at lower level PR positions.
Public relations directors are responsible for planning and implementing communications strategies and supervising the work of PR staff. They set goals and deadlines, assign tasks and review the work of team members, approving it when it fits the goals of the client, and the message the brand or company wants to communicate is consistent and effective.
Depending on your experience, the size of the company, or clients you work for, and the industry they represent, as a public relations director, you can make anything between $49,000 and $140,000 per year. Having a degree will up your chances at being closer to the upper 10% of the pay scale. Computer skills are a must, and of course, being creative and having a unique voice never hurts.
What general advice would you give to a public relations director?
Jamie Shaw
Avg. Salary $94,692
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 8%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.42%
Asian 5.12%
Black or African American 5.98%
Hispanic or Latino 9.14%
Unknown 4.67%
White 74.67%
Genderfemale 64.12%
male 35.88%
Age - 41American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 41Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is poor
6.4 - fair
Public relations director career paths
Key steps to become a public relations director
Explore public relations director education requirements
Start to develop specific public relations director skills
Skills Percentages Press Releases 19.36% Web Content 8.55% Pr Campaigns 4.79% Facebook 4.30% Crisis Communications 3.91% Complete relevant public relations director training and internships
Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New public relations directors 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 director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real public relations director resumes.Research public relations director duties and responsibilities
- Manage internal agency public relations, blog content and twitter account.
- Hire, train and manage play-by-play broadcasters guaranteeing a professional and informative listening experience.
- Maintain strong working relationships across all departments to manage successful on-site opportunities, content and multimedia asset development and spokesperson requests.
- Assist in development-relate alumni campaigns and event planning.
Get public relations director experience
Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a public relations director. The most common roles before becoming a public relations director include internship, public relations manager team lead and account executive.Prepare your public relations director resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your public relations director 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 director 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 director resume templates
Build a professional public relations director 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 director resume.
Apply for public relations director jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a public relations director job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first public relations director job
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Average public relations director salary
The average public relations director salary in the United States is $94,692 per year or $46 per hour. Public relations director salaries range between $59,000 and $150,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do public relations directors rate their job?
Public relations director reviews
Engagement with the public and network building
The continual pushing and pulling to obtain and to deliver an understanding to that individual and or group of a potential solution towards a troubling problem. (JM)
People relations Results behavioural change
marketing especially retailing products and or fundraising
English life to advance by clearing the wreckage of its past
Updated January 8, 2025
