What does a publication director do?
A publication director spearheads and oversees the operations of publishing establishments, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. They have the authority to make publication decisions, set goals, establish guidelines and timelines, delegate tasks and resources among teams, and develop strategies to optimize operations. They also monitor the workflow and the performance of the workforce, addressing issues and concerns if any arise. Moreover, a publication director leads and encourages staff to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations, developing new ones as needed.
Publication director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real publication director resumes:
- Manage media relations, announcements, editorial placement, and speaking opportunities the organizations.
- Promote expansion of Medicaid coverage at the federal and state level.
- Create & maintain SEAPOWER Facebook page, where all online articles are place, driving page views back to the website.
- Serve as representative to senior management team during community events and company spokesperson for division, including to nonprofit sector clients.
- Draft pleadings and serve subpoenas.
- Complete all investigative reports including incident reports, subpoenas, arrest warrants, and witness statements.
- Coordinate the ABC efforts to ensure a consistent enterprise framework that provides central consolidation with local flexibility.
Publication director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Publication Directors are proficient in Website Content, Press Releases, and Government Agencies. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Leadership skills, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Publication Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Website Content, 12%
Designed and produced significant marketing collateral including company brochures, fliers, posters, fact sheets, and website content.
- Press Releases, 11%
Planned national advertising campaign, and coordinated media relations including press releases and interviews.
- Government Agencies, 9%
Managed communications for six government agencies.
- Public Policy Issues, 6%
Drafted position papers in response to professional practice and public policy issues effecting medical nutrition therapy.
- Government Relations, 5%
Conducted the association's government relations program and assumed overall responsibility for newly expanded public and private 3rd party reimbursements.
- Pr Campaigns, 4%
Managed talent relations and contract negotiations between OfficeMax and celebrity agents for personal appearances/performances for marketing/PR campaigns.
Common skills that a publication director uses to do their job include "website content," "press releases," and "government agencies." You can find details on the most important publication director responsibilities below.
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a publication director to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "managers deal with the public regularly; therefore, they must be friendly enough to build a rapport with, and receive cooperation from, their media contacts and donors." Additionally, a publication director resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "developed policy, messaging, and multi-level target marketing and communications strategy for community outreach. "
Leadership skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling publication director duties is leadership skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "public relations and fundraising managers often lead large teams of specialists or fundraisers and must be able to guide their activities." According to a publication director resume, here's how publication directors can utilize leadership skills in their job responsibilities: "provided strategic communications counsel to agency leadership team on how best to reach external stakeholders and how to deliver key messages. "
Organizational skills. publication directors are also known for organizational skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to publication director responsibilities, because "public relations and fundraising managers are often in charge of running several events at the same time, requiring superior organizational skills." A publication director resume example shows how organizational skills is used in the workplace: "developed the foundation and implementation of organizational marketing and community relations programs that increased community support for the team. "
Problem-solving skills. For certain publication director responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "problem-solving skills." The day-to-day duties of a publication director rely on this skill, as "managers sometimes must explain how the company or client is handling sensitive issues." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what publication directors do: "led development of policy and strategic plans and built productive regional and national public-private partnerships, resulting in transpartisan solutions. "
Speaking skills. Another common skill required for publication director responsibilities is "speaking skills." This skill comes up in the duties of publication directors all the time, as "public relations and fundraising managers regularly speak on behalf of their organization." An excerpt from a real publication director resume shows how this skill is central to what a publication director does: "served as national spokesperson for marketing initiatives, $1 million community outreach, and crisis management. "
Writing skills. Another skill commonly found on publication director job descriptions is "writing skills." It can come up quite often in publication director duties, since "managers must be able to write well-organized and clear press releases and speeches." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day publication director responsibilities: "orchestrated all public relation tasks, writing and distributing press releases, and enhancing the company's overall image. "
The three companies that hire the most publication directors are:
- Meta60 publication directors jobs
- The Walt Disney Company4 publication directors jobs
- Merck3 publication directors jobs
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Compare different publication directors
Publication director vs. Campaign manager
Campaign managers are responsible for developing, executing, and managing marketing campaigns for events, products, and services targeting consumers or organizations. These professionals typically collaborate with external agencies in the preparation and execution of campaigns. They perform other duties that may include managing the measurement and tracking of marketing campaigns, writing, proofreading, and editing copy for promotional materials, and maintaining regular measurement of the campaigns' ROI. Campaign managers are also expected to evaluate existing marketing campaigns and be up-to-date on the latest marketing trends.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between publication directors and campaign manager. For instance, publication director responsibilities require skills such as "website content," "government agencies," "public policy issues," and "government relations." Whereas a campaign manager is skilled in "digital marketing," "email marketing," "email campaigns," and "integrated marketing." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Campaign managers tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $86,390. In contrast, publication directors make the biggest average salary, $85,020, in the media industry.The education levels that campaign managers earn slightly differ from publication directors. In particular, campaign managers are 4.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a publication director. Additionally, they're 1.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Publication director vs. Director of marketing and public relations
A director of marketing and public relations leads and oversees the development and implementation of marketing projects to gain public interest and raise brand awareness. They take the lead in developing marketing and public relations plans, managing publicists and marketing teams, researching opportunities, and conducting regular reviews and assessments to ensure the quality and consistency of materials. They also set goals and guidelines, establish strategies for the daily operations, and coordinate with external parties, releasing press statements as necessary. Moreover, they empower the workforce to reach goals while implementing company standards and regulations.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, publication director responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "website content," "government agencies," "public policy issues," and "government relations." Meanwhile, a director of marketing and public relations has duties that require skills in areas such as "digital marketing," "marketing campaigns," "marketing mix," and "web content." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Directors of marketing and public relations may earn a lower salary than publication directors, but directors of marketing and public relations earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $89,987. On the other hand, publication directors receive higher pay in the media industry, where they earn an average salary of $85,020.In general, directors of marketing and public relations achieve similar levels of education than publication directors. They're 1.8% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Publication director vs. Manager of special events
A manager of special events is responsible for organizing events and programs for a company and various organizations. Managers of special events monitor the event procedures from conceptualization to the actual execution. They analyze the event purpose, manage participants' list, coordinate with suppliers for resources, allocate budget accurately, and ensure that the program outlines and agendas are polished on time. A manager of special events must have excellent communication and organizational skills to deliver a successful event and resolve complications as they arise.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, publication directors are more likely to have skills like "website content," "government agencies," "public policy issues," and "government relations." But a manager of special events is more likely to have skills like "customer service," "event management," "event logistics," and "inventory control."
Managers of special events earn the highest salary when working in the non profits industry, where they receive an average salary of $60,955. Comparatively, publication directors have the highest earning potential in the media industry, with an average salary of $85,020.managers of special events typically earn lower educational levels compared to publication directors. Specifically, they're 6.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Publication director vs. Director, customer relations
Director of Customer Relations is responsible for leading the design and improvement of an organization's overall customer service experience. Their duties include developing customer service budget, driving customer service process improvements, implementing customer service agents, managing email and telephony customer service routing, and creating training programs for customer service staff. They are responsible for improving customer service performance metrics, overseeing key change management projects, and establishing a customer service roadmap. The Director of customer relations also helps in developing recruitment initiatives to attract top talents.
Types of publication director
Updated January 8, 2025
