Public relations director vs public information officer

The differences between public relations directors and public information officers 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 director and a public information officer. Additionally, a public relations director has an average salary of $94,692, which is higher than the $56,725 average annual salary of a public information officer.

The top three skills for a public relations director include press releases, web content and pr campaigns. The most important skills for a public information officer are press releases, web content, and community outreach.

Public relations director vs public information officer overview

	Public Relations Director	Public Information Officer
Yearly salary	$94,692	$56,725
Hourly rate	$45.52	$27.27
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	31,693	129,237
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 81%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

What does a public relations director do?

A public relations director is an individual who is employed to design and implement marketing strategies that can cultivate the relationship between a company and the media. Public relations directors collaborate with the internal team to boost brand awareness and maximize brand consistency in all advertising efforts. They must arrange interviews and press releases so that they can promote their company and its products or services. They also maintain relationships with the media and should manage sensitive issues to maintain the company's good reputation.

What does a public information officer do?

The primary job of a public information officer involves the promotion of a positive public image on social media. Public information officers offer significant information during a crisis. They collect facts and distribute them to the media and organize special events like awards ceremonies. Typically, they work for large organizations and government agencies. They maintain their online presence that can be part of the duties of public information. Also, they can work for long hours on an irregular schedule, especially when the incidents or situations affect the organization.

Public relations director vs public information officer salary

Public relations directors and public information officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Public Relations Director	Public Information Officer
Average salary	$94,692	$56,725
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $150,000	Between $38,000 And $83,000
Highest paying City	Napa, CA	Fairfield, CA
Highest paying state	Nevada	Delaware
Best paying company	Exelixis	City of Fairfield
Best paying industry	Internet	Professional

Differences between public relations director and public information officer education

There are a few differences between a public relations director and a public information officer in terms of educational background:

	Public Relations Director	Public Information Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 81%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Communication	Communication
Most common college	Stanford University	Northwestern University

Public relations director vs public information officer demographics

Here are the differences between public relations directors' and public information officers' demographics:

	Public Relations Director	Public Information Officer
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1%	Male, 43.7% Female, 56.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 75.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between public relations director and public information officer duties and responsibilities

Public relations director example 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.
Keep running list and archive information regarding NCAA commitments.
Compile statistics and update game notes, player biographies, player and team statistics.

Public information officer example responsibilities.

Manage agency's social media pages (Facebook/Twitter).
Manage multiple websites and associate SEO; direct all brand photography to publicize and promote the resort.
Serve as college spokesperson managing crisis communications.
Lead implementation of a robust membership database to support organization strategy and decision making.
Interview featured alumni, manage copywriting staff and editorial calendar, and coordinate photography.
Create and maintain the college's blackboard intranet site.

Public relations director vs public information officer skills

Common public relations director skills

Press Releases, 19%
Web Content, 9%
Pr Campaigns, 5%
Facebook, 4%
Crisis Communications, 4%
Twitter, 3%

Common public information officer skills

Press Releases, 16%
Web Content, 10%
Community Outreach, 5%
Press Conferences, 4%
Graphic Design, 4%
Emergency Operations, 4%

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Public Relations Director
Public Relations Director vs Public Information Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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