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Public relations representative vs publicist

The differences between public relations representatives and publicists 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 publicist. Additionally, a public relations representative has an average salary of $57,476, which is higher than the $50,679 average annual salary of a publicist.

The top three skills for a public relations representative include press releases, facebook and event planning. The most important skills for a publicist are press releases, press materials, and public relations campaigns.

Public relations representative vs publicist overview

Public Relations RepresentativePublicist
Yearly salary$57,476$50,679
Hourly rate$27.63$24.36
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs23,5067,343
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Average age4242
Years of experience44

What does a public relations representative do?

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.

What does a publicist do?

Public Relations Supervisors are responsible for implementing the media and public relations strategy of an organization. Their duties include developing public relations campaigns, organize public relations events, assist in emergency response planning, updating documentation, monitoring media, improve management of press office, and manage media databases. They are responsible for assisting with journalistic content writing, refine internal processes, and track public relations activity performance. They help prepare reports as well as undertake competitor and market research.

Public relations representative vs publicist salary

Public relations representatives and publicists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Public Relations RepresentativePublicist
Average salary$57,476$50,679
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $89,000Between $30,000 And $83,000
Highest paying CityMcLean, VASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateVirginiaWashington
Best paying companyBrexJ. The Jewish News of Northern California
Best paying industry-Media

Differences between public relations representative and publicist education

There are a few differences between a public relations representative and a publicist in terms of educational background:

Public Relations RepresentativePublicist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Most common majorCommunicationCommunication
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Public relations representative vs publicist demographics

Here are the differences between public relations representatives' and publicists' demographics:

Public Relations RepresentativePublicist
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 35.7% Female, 64.3%Male, 27.4% Female, 72.6%
Race ratioBlack 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, 10.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between public relations representative and publicist duties and responsibilities

Public relations representative example 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.

Publicist example responsibilities.

  • Manage publicity plans for fiction and non-fiction trade paperback titles.
  • Manage and write copy for client social media platforms and ECPR's social media deliverable, which involve SEO streamlining.
  • Book non-fiction author media tours.
  • Photograph events for the instagram account.
  • Maintain appropriate media lists, clips and coverage reports.
  • Post on Facebook and other websites to promote events & products
  • Show more

Public relations representative vs publicist skills

Common public relations representative skills
  • Press Releases, 29%
  • Facebook, 6%
  • Event Planning, 5%
  • Promotional Materials, 4%
  • Twitter, 4%
  • External Communications, 4%
Common publicist skills
  • Press Releases, 30%
  • Press Materials, 7%
  • Public Relations Campaigns, 5%
  • Instagram, 5%
  • Twitter, 5%
  • Writing Press Releases, 4%

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