What is a Public Relations?

Public relations are specialists in building and maintaining a positive public image for the company. They create and maintain relationships with the consumer, employee, and the public interest. You will relate with the marketing and advertising teams to maintain open communication with the management. You will also develop public relations campaigns and media relations strategies that you can edit and use to update the existing promotional material and publications. You will make sure you seek opportunities for partnerships, sponsorships, and advertising. In addition, you will prepare and submit the PR reports to the management.

The educational requirement for the public relations post is a degree in Public Relations, Journalism, Communications, or a related field. Experience in project management software and the ability to edit videos and photos are also handy. Plus, you must be able to work under pressure, have goal-oriented and problem-solving skills. Strong verbal and written communication skills are equally required for the post. You will earn $22.53 an hour or $46,854 annually.

What Does a Public Relations Do

There are certain skills that many public relations have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed interpersonal skills, organizational skills and problem-solving skills.

Learn more about what a Public Relations does

How To Become a Public Relations

If you're interested in becoming a public relations, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 75.2% of public relations have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 7.7% of public relations have master's degrees. Even though most public relations have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Public Relations
Top Public Relations Jobs Near You

Public Relations Career Paths

In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of account executive you might progress to a role such as marketing manager eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title regional marketing manager.

Public Relations

Top Careers Before Public Relations

Internship(51,064 Jobs)
15.5 %
Sales Associate(579,849 Jobs)
9.1 %
Public Relations Internship(65,163 Jobs)
7.0 %

Top Careers After Public Relations

Internship(51,064 Jobs)
12.1 %
Sales Associate(579,849 Jobs)
7.5 %
Administrative Assistant(65,769 Jobs)
6.2 %

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Average Salary for a Public Relations

Public Relations in America make an average salary of $48,383 per year or $23 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $72,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $32,000 per year.
Average Public Relations Salary
$48,383 Yearly
$23.26 hourly
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What Am I Worth?

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Roles and Types of Public Relations

The role of a public relations includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general public relations responsibilities:

  • The office of administration & planning (a&p;) marketing & communications team provides strategic direction for all aspects of internal
  • Campaign development including coordination, analysis, and continual monitoring for progress professionally representing clients in all areas of business contribute to the growth
  • Act as a liaison between our clients an their customersmarketing & sales presentationsbusiness & corporate customer servicenew client acquisitionsbrand managementcorporate public relationslonestar focuses on providing the necessary tools

There are several types of public relations, including:

Communications Coordinator

Role:

A communication Coordinator supports the communication department to perform administrative tasks in executing and improving communication strategies. He/She also puts down several contents to assist marketing and communication endeavors. This includes copywriting, newsletter, and press release. Primarily, you are meant to assist the communication department in implementing and building a master plan to improve company objectives. The success and failure of your work must be well monitored by giving an analysis and reporting the campaigns and strategies. As a communication Coordinator, familiarity with the latest industry trends helps you provide recommendations for communication strategies and practices. You also cannot ignore media publicity; therefore, responding to media inquiries and maintaining a relationship with journalists helps your work to be more effective.

Your responsibilities include organizing press conferences, coordinating volunteers, assisting the staff, and performing outreach to magazines, press, and influencers to improve the company's productivity. Uncommon interpersonal skills, public speaking skills, exceptional writing skills, management and organizational skills, and knowledge of communication and marketing morals are all essential skills of a communication Coordinator. The average salary of a communication Coordinator annually is $45,000. A bachelor's degree in Mass Communication, Journalism, or other related fields will set you up for the role.
  • Average Salary: $47,075
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Public Relations Coordinator

Role:

Public relations coordinators are responsible for managing clients or an organization by creating awareness and maintaining their public image. As a public relations coordinator, your job is to use the media to create awareness and promote your client or the organization you are working with. You can carry out your job by developing content and managing their social media platform, issuing and promoting press releases, organizing conferences and social appearances. Your goal as a public relations coordinator is to constantly increase awareness of your clients and ensure the public gets the right image of your client.

As a public relations coordinator, you must have problem-solving skills, good communication skills, interpersonal skills, organizational skills, writing skills, and knowledge of public relations. You should also have a bachelor's degree in public relations, marketing, or any course relevant to the field. On average, public relations coordinators earn $42,763 per year.

  • Average Salary: $46,225
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Communications Consultant

Role:

Communications consultants are employed in various industries to develop and write content for internal and external media communications. They plan and create communications strategies. They interview internal sources, collect relevant information and develop material for media releases and communication sessions. Asides from that, they monitor the results of media activities and submit reports. Additionally, they schedule and adhere to the timely release of communications and media information. Communications consultants may also work on projects, such as branding, media analysis, and communications audits.

To become a communications consultant, you need a minimum of a bachelor's degree in communications, public relations, or a related field. You may be required to have up to ten years of relevant work experience. You must have communication, project management, presentation, computer, attention to detail, listening, organization, and multitasking skills. These professionals earn an average salary of $76,377 annually. This ranges between $47,000 and $124,000.

  • Average Salary: $91,455
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree
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States With The Most Public Relations Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active public relations jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where public relations earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Public Relations Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California1,091$56,179
2New York544$57,467
3Texas507$42,985
4Florida449$39,492
5Virginia366$65,678
6Illinois349$46,187
7Georgia314$38,243
8Massachusetts308$55,148
9North Carolina280$46,519
10Pennsylvania260$49,128
11New Jersey241$57,450
12Oregon203$55,903
13Washington189$64,219
14Michigan188$46,978
15Maryland182$52,164
16Minnesota181$49,248
17Ohio180$47,389
18Arizona156$47,066
19Colorado152$50,572
20South Carolina139$36,715
21Missouri127$44,575
22Utah113$50,267
23Tennessee108$44,564
24Indiana107$39,718
25Wisconsin89$49,839
26Connecticut88$57,810
27Oklahoma84$36,967
28Nevada68$54,445
29Alabama65$37,202
30Iowa62$42,212
31Louisiana62$36,188
32Rhode Island58$55,379
33Kentucky54$47,151
34Nebraska48$44,235
35Kansas42$41,078
36Montana39$43,441
37New Mexico38$49,318
38Maine37$42,495
39Idaho33$55,662
40Arkansas32$43,321
41Delaware31$53,082
42South Dakota31$41,876
43New Hampshire27$51,501
44Vermont26$43,111
45Alaska25$60,461
46West Virginia22$48,164
47Mississippi19$36,564
48Wyoming18$43,482
49Hawaii14$53,135
50North Dakota12$53,784

Public Relations Education

Public Relations Majors

Communication
23.6 %
Business
13.2 %
Public Relations
12.3 %

Public Relations Degrees

Bachelors

75.2 %

Associate

9.3 %

Masters

7.7 %

Top Colleges for Public Relationss

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Education
Political Science
English
Journalism And Mass Communications

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Journalism
Liberal Arts
Communication
Psychology

3. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Psychology
Public Relations
Journalism
Marketing
Political Science

4. University of Houston

Houston, TX • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,913

Enrollment

37,291

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Psychology
Business
Marketing
Political Science
Public Relations

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Communication
Accounting
Public Relations
Psychology

6. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,853

Enrollment

14,759

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Public Relations
Psychology
Journalism
Political Science

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Communication
Accounting
Marketing
Political Science

8. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Psychology
Liberal Arts
Communication
Fine Arts

9. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Accounting
Business
Marketing
Journalism And Mass Communications
Communication

10. Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

In-State Tuition

$41,870

Enrollment

8,200

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Public Relations
Education
Psychology
Accounting

Top Skills For a Public Relations

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 22.3% of public relations listed press releases on their resume, but soft skills such as interpersonal skills and organizational skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Public Relations Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Public Relations templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Public Relations resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Public Relations Resume
Public Relations Resume
Public Relations Resume
Public Relations Resume
Public Relations Resume
Public Relations Resume
Public Relations Resume
Public Relations Resume
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Public Relations Demographics

Public Relations Gender Distribution

Female
Female
64%
Male
Male
36%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among public relations, 63.9% of them are women, while 36.1% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among public relations is White, which makes up 67.0% of all public relations.

  • The most common foreign language among public relations is Spanish at 46.1%.

Online Courses For Public Relations That You May Like

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1. Principles of Public Relations

coursera

In this course, learners are exposed to an overview of public relations principles and theories relevant to practice. You will explore the field, including the origin and trends affecting the future of the industry as well as how to land a job in public relations. This course provides a broad overview of working in public relations and how different tenets of persuasion are used in practice. The course also addresses ethical implications of public relations...

See More on Coursera

2. Introduction to Public Relations and the Media

coursera

This specialization is ideal for learners interested in how to practice public relations and branding communication. You will learn how to use different tools to manage your company’s reputation. You will learn about different forms of media, how to work with journalists, and how to plan strategic communication to enhance your company. And you will emerge from this specialization with several portfolio pieces, including a media contact list, press release, pitch, and crisis communication plan...

See More on Coursera

3. Integrated Marketing Communications: Advertising, Public Relations, Digital Marketing and more

coursera

Just how familiar are you with a marketing communication campaign? Learn more about this key pillar in the marketing mix and use it to give the push your product or service needs. Through this course you will understand the most important issues when planning and evaluating marketing communications strategies and executions. You'll be able to combine the appropriate theories and models with practical information to make better marketing communications decisions. After completing this course...

See More on Coursera
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Best States For a Public Relations

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a public relations. The best states for people in this position are Virginia, Washington, Alaska, and Connecticut. Public relations make the most in Virginia with an average salary of $65,678. Whereas in Washington and Alaska, they would average $64,219 and $60,461, respectively. While public relations would only make an average of $57,810 in Connecticut, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Virginia

Total Public Relations Jobs: 366
Highest 10% Earn:
$100,000
Location Quotient:
1.37

$65,678

Avg. Salary

View 366 Public Relations Jobs In VA

2. District of Columbia

Total Public Relations Jobs: 237
Highest 10% Earn:
$100,000
Location Quotient:
4.98

$66,019

Avg. Salary

View 237 Public Relations Jobs In DC

3. Rhode Island

Total Public Relations Jobs: 58
Highest 10% Earn:
$84,000
Location Quotient:
1.68

$55,379

Avg. Salary

View 58 Public Relations Jobs In RI
Full List Of Best States For Public Relations

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Top Public Relations Employers

Most Common Employers For Public Relations

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Microsoft$131,783$63.369
2Ketchum$70,252$33.7712
3American Red Cross$69,216$33.2816
4Ogilvy$61,439$29.5413
5American Cancer Society$54,132$26.029
6National Football League$53,184$25.5713
7Socialserve$50,188$24.138
8Walmart$49,850$23.9711
9Hill+Knowlton Strategies$49,381$23.7410
10MSG Entertainment$49,230$23.679
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Public Relations Videos

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Updated February 6, 2023