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The differences between public relations specialists 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 specialist and a publicist. Additionally, a publicist has an average salary of $50,679, which is higher than the $48,124 average annual salary of a public relations specialist.
The top three skills for a public relations specialist include press releases, web content and project management. The most important skills for a publicist are press releases, press materials, and public relations campaigns.
| Public Relations Specialist | Publicist | |
| Yearly salary | $48,124 | $50,679 |
| Hourly rate | $23.14 | $24.36 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 29,698 | 7,343 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A public relations specialist is an individual who creates and maintains a favorable public image of an organization by crafting media releases and developing social media programs. Public relations specialists must help their clients communicate effectively with the public as well as evaluate the public opinion of their clients through social media. They need to draft their press releases and contact people in the media who might want to broadcast their materials. Public relations specialists are also required to draft speeches and arrange interviews for the top executives of their organization.
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 specialists and publicists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Public Relations Specialist | Publicist | |
| Average salary | $48,124 | $50,679 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $68,000 | Between $30,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | J. The Jewish News of Northern California |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Media |
There are a few differences between a public relations specialist and a publicist in terms of educational background:
| Public Relations Specialist | Publicist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Most common major | Communication | Communication |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between public relations specialists' and publicists' demographics:
| Public Relations Specialist | Publicist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.3% Female, 69.7% | Male, 27.4% Female, 72.6% |
| 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, 10.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |