How to hire a public relations representative

How to hire a public relations representative, step by step

Here's a step-by-step public relations representative hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a public relations representative job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new public relations representative
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a public relations representative do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a public relations representative, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A public relations representative's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, public relations representatives from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of public relations representative salaries for various roles:

   Type of Public Relations Representative	Description	Hourly rate
   Public Relations Representative	Public relations specialists create and maintain a favorable public image for the organization they represent. They design media releases to shape public perception of their organization and to increase awareness of its work and goals.	$17-42
   Account Coordinator	An account coordinator assists account executives by providing day-to-day administrative support such as preparing and filing sales contracts and reports. As coordinators, they must maintain a good relationship with their clients and vendors by addressing issues and with regular communication... Show more	$13-25
   Media Coordinator	A media coordinator acts as a communications professional in charge of developing and implementing target communications and advertising for various media platforms. Media coordinators plan, implement, and monitor the social media strategy of an organization... Show more	$16-30

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Press Releases
   • Facebook
   • Event Planning
   • Promotional Materials
   • Twitter
   • External Communications
   • Trade Shows
   • Press Conferences
   • Community Events
   • Instagram
   • Community Relations
   • Fact Sheets
   • Giveaways
   • Radio Station

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage all copywriting elements for live broadcasts and promotional commercials.
   • Facilitate communications between CELA and student body through use of social networks such as Facebook.
   • Create Facebook events of campus events
   • Increase team visibility and interest through radio appearances, newspaper interviews and photography.
   • Attend museum, art and cultural events throughout NYC while providing content for social media sites.
   • Develop proposals, budgets and execution strategies for magazine releases & projects following editorial deadlines.

   More public relations representative duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your public relations representative job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A public relations representative can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, public relations representatives' average salary in mississippi is 53% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level public relations representatives 60% less than senior-level public relations representatives.
   • Certifications. A public relations representative with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a public relations representative's salary.

   Average public relations representative salary

   $57,476yearly

   $27.63 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level public relations representative salary

   $36,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average public relations representative salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Virginia	$83,656	$40
   2	California	$75,928	$37
   3	Oregon	$75,222	$36
   4	Ohio	$72,823	$35
   5	Colorado	$64,830	$31
   6	Michigan	$64,562	$31
   7	New York	$62,554	$30
   8	Indiana	$57,179	$27
   9	Utah	$56,043	$27
   10	Texas	$54,461	$26
   11	North Carolina	$54,090	$26
   12	Arizona	$49,784	$24
   13	Florida	$47,555	$23

   Average public relations representative salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Brex	$108,902	$52.36
   2	Moda Health	$93,222	$44.82	2
   3	Qualcomm	$89,845	$43.19
   4	GEICO	$85,213	$40.97
   5	First Security Bank	$83,460	$40.13
   6	Progressive	$76,462	$36.76
   7	Northrop Grumman	$76,271	$36.67	11
   8	Gannett	$71,504	$34.38
   9	Korean Community Services Inc	$68,884	$33.12
   10	University of Michigan	$67,906	$32.65	3
   11	Paul Smith's College	$66,718	$32.08
   12	BluePearl Vet	$65,321	$31.40
   13	Independent Diplomat	$64,431	$30.98
   14	PGT Trucking	$64,317	$30.92
   15	IGT	$60,946	$29.30
   16	Ods Technologies, L.P.	$60,210	$28.95
   17	Team Penske	$60,032	$28.86
   18	Lifesteps	$59,390	$28.55	5
   19	Vanguard Services	$57,226	$27.51
   20	Panda Express	$52,360	$25.17	3

4. Writing a public relations representative job description

   A public relations representative job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a public relations representative job description:

   Public relations representative job description example

   Job DescriptionWe are large Imaging group, with 26 locations in Southern California, proud leading providers of quality healthcare to the community. Our centers are equipped to treat diagnostics, traumatic, and life-threatening injuries, with caring and innovative team of healthcare professionals dedicated to enthusiastically improving the health and quality of life of the people we serve.
   We are looking for a Marketing and Provider Relations Representative to join our growing team on a full- time basis. You will be working a majority of your day off-site and build relationships with referring physicians and medical offices in your assigned area. Your primary responsibility is to offer superior customer service to existing clients/ contracts (including managed care organizations), physicians, medical offices, IPA's, and other contracted accounts.
   
   In the position you will:
   
   - Identify and resolve service issues relating to referring physicians, their staff and patients.
   - Provide turnkey services to referring physician offices by acting as liaison between operations management
   - Corporate management and billing departments, to ensure timely turnaround of service issues and/or concerns
   - Keep sales, operations and radiologists updated on account issues and resolution (status)
   - Maintain special assignment accounts as directed by Operations
   
   You will assist the VP of Business Development to coordinate effective office visits.
   
   The purpose of these visits will be to:
   
   * Educate referring and new offices on enhancements, new studies, and advances -- essentially target market
   * Increase referral percentages/volume and word of mouth
   * Increase referral percentages/volume from currently non-referring offices
   * Maintain image in the community as cutting-edge experts
   * Bring our level of service to the offices
   * Effectively manage territory
   
   The right candidate must have:
   
   - Strong written and verbal communications skills
   - Professional customer service skills
   - Good overall clerical skills
   - Must be detail oriented and organized
   - Must be able to interact effectively and professionally with doctors, referring doctors, patients, vendors, peers, staff and management
   - Should posses current California driver's license and good driving record
   
   Qualifications:
   - Minimum of 1 years proven sales & marketing experience
   - Preferred 1 year experience in healthcare
   - Knowledge of preparing, and interpreting spreadsheets and reports
   - Managed care contracting experience is highly desirable
   - Good selling skills is highly desirable
   - Bilingual is a PLUS!

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find public relations representatives for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any public relations representatives they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level public relations representatives with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your public relations representative job on Zippia to find and attract quality public relations representative candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as pr news job board, pr council, prsa job center, hoojobs.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting public relations representatives requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new public relations representative

   Once you've decided on a perfect public relations representative candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new public relations representative. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a public relations representative?