Public relations officer vs public relations specialist

The differences between public relations officers and public relations specialists 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 officer and a public relations specialist. Additionally, a public relations specialist has an average salary of $48,124, which is higher than the $33,646 average annual salary of a public relations officer.

The top three skills for a public relations officer include website content, press releases and facebook. The most important skills for a public relations specialist are press releases, web content, and project management.

Public relations officer vs public relations specialist overview

	Public Relations Officer	Public Relations Specialist
Yearly salary	$33,646	$48,124
Hourly rate	$16.18	$23.14
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	73,367	29,698
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Public relations officer vs public relations specialist salary

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

	Public Relations Officer	Public Relations Specialist
Average salary	$33,646	$48,124
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $43,000	Between $33,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Washington	Washington
Best paying company	Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics	Meta
Best paying industry	Telecommunication	Finance

Differences between public relations officer and public relations specialist education

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

	Public Relations Officer	Public Relations Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Most common major	Business	Communication
Most common college	Stanford University	Northwestern University

Public relations officer vs public relations specialist demographics

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

	Public Relations Officer	Public Relations Specialist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 41.1% Female, 58.9%	Male, 30.3% Female, 69.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between public relations officer and public relations specialist duties and responsibilities

Public relations officer example responsibilities.

Create PowerPoint presentations and manage a high volume of communication via phone and e-mail from and internal and external sources.
Manage all copywriting elements for live broadcasts and promotional commercials.
Share other organizations' collaborative Facebook events on CAO's Facebook.
Create events and publicize that information through social media platforms such as Facebook.
Implement a strategic communications plan that increase brand awareness across all platforms including product visibility, social media presence and SEO.
Compile and distribute game notes and player biographies.

Public relations specialist example responsibilities.

Plan and manage social media efforts which generate> 22k incremental Instagram followers in four months.
Manage public affairs and media efforts including writing and placing op-eds and mobilizing editorial campaigns.
Maintain strong working relationships across all departments to manage successful on-site opportunities, content and multimedia asset development and spokesperson requests.
Prepare or edit organizational publications for internal and external audiences, including Facebook, media and local newspapers.
Launch Instagram account for Chevy Motorsports fans.
Promote company through personal blog, twitter and reddit pages.

Public relations officer vs public relations specialist skills

Common public relations officer skills

Website Content, 16%
Press Releases, 16%
Facebook, 8%
Press Conferences, 7%
Twitter, 4%
Instagram, 4%

Common public relations specialist skills

Press Releases, 18%
Web Content, 6%
Project Management, 5%
Facebook, 4%
Story Development, 4%
Marketing Campaigns, 4%

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Public Relations Officer
Public Relations Officer vs Public Relations Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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