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The differences between public relations representatives and public relations consultants 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 representative and a public relations consultant. Additionally, a public relations representative has an average salary of $57,476, which is higher than the $50,333 average annual salary of a public relations consultant.
The top three skills for a public relations representative include press releases, facebook and event planning. The most important skills for a public relations consultant are press releases, web content, and strategic communications.
| Public Relations Representative | Public Relations Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $57,476 | $50,333 |
| Hourly rate | $27.63 | $24.20 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 23,506 | 27,882 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Public Relations Representatives will generally earn around $43K per year and will need oratorial, writing, interpersonal, presentation, prioritization, and IT skills, as well as a healthy dose of creativity and initiative. Those who choose this career path will need a bachelor's degree in public relations, journalism, communications, English, or business for their respective portfolios. They are also involved in the planning and execution of activities centered around PR and both internal and external communication in representing a brand or client.
A public relations consultant represents an organization and is the company's way to communicate to the public their plans, decisions, and motivations. They both advertise and show the company's personality and create familiarity and trust. The public relations consultant's role is to create all the PR materials needed to accomplish these goals. It means writing press releases, online content, speeches, and also working with the marketing and advertising team to create copy that will evoke the interest of the public. The ultimate goal is to gain customers and thus increase sales.
Public relations representatives and public relations consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Public Relations Representative | Public Relations Consultant | |
| Average salary | $57,476 | $50,333 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $89,000 | Between $29,000 And $85,000 |
| Highest paying City | McLean, VA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | Washington |
| Best paying company | Brex | AbbVie |
| Best paying industry | - | Media |
There are a few differences between a public relations representative and a public relations consultant in terms of educational background:
| Public Relations Representative | Public Relations Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Most common major | Communication | Communication |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between public relations representatives' and public relations consultants' demographics:
| Public Relations Representative | Public Relations Consultant | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.7% Female, 64.3% | Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 5.3% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |