How to hire a publications coordinator

How to hire a publications coordinator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step publications coordinator hiring guide:

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

What does a publications coordinator do?

Post a publications coordinator job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your publications coordinator job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a publications coordinator for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect publications coordinator also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of publications coordinator salaries for various roles:

   Type of Publications Coordinator	Description	Hourly rate
   Publications Coordinator	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.	$17-30
   Publicist	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... Show more	$14-39
   Public Relations Internship	A public relations intern is responsible for assisting the public relations department in creating content to engage customers and prospective clients in availing of the goods and services of the company. Public relations interns participate in meetings to suggest strategies and observe areas of improvement... Show more	$11-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Press Releases
   • PowerPoint
   • Web Content
   • Public Affairs
   • Graphic Design
   • Facebook
   • Public Health
   • SharePoint
   • Twitter
   • Technical Publications
   • Instagram
   • Adobe Photoshop
   • Press Materials
   • Event Planning

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop and manage all aspects of publicity for one of NYC's oldest museums.
   • Manage all copywriting elements for live broadcasts and promotional commercials.
   • Keep staff update on current events and updates PPNC's Facebook page.
   • Produce event PowerPoint presentations and loops.
   • Developed/Produce PowerPoint presentation for weekly worship service.
   • Proofread and critiqu magazines for other publication managers who are struggling to meet quality assurance criteria.

   More publications coordinator duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the publications coordinator job description is a good way to get more applicants. A publications coordinator salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a publications coordinator in Wisconsin may be lower than in Virginia, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level publications coordinator. Additionally, a publications coordinator with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average publications coordinator salary

   $48,593yearly

   $23.36 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level publications coordinator salary

   $36,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average publications coordinator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$74,917	$36
   2	New Jersey	$58,392	$28
   3	Connecticut	$58,048	$28
   4	California	$55,565	$27
   5	Maryland	$53,049	$26
   6	New York	$52,791	$25
   7	Rhode Island	$50,999	$25
   8	Minnesota	$50,884	$24
   9	Texas	$50,139	$24
   10	Pennsylvania	$49,165	$24
   11	Washington	$47,813	$23
   12	Massachusetts	$46,595	$22
   13	Colorado	$46,136	$22
   14	Illinois	$44,588	$21
   15	Florida	$44,254	$21
   16	Tennessee	$43,867	$21
   17	Indiana	$42,512	$20
   18	Nebraska	$41,222	$20
   19	Oregon	$41,037	$20
   20	Utah	$38,120	$18

   Average publications coordinator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	AstraZeneca	$68,451	$32.91	1
   2	Fluor Corporation	$56,886	$27.35	1
   3	Yale University	$55,915	$26.88	4
   4	Central Health	$54,935	$26.41	1
   5	King County	$54,156	$26.04	1
   6	University of Washington	$54,105	$26.01	1
   7	Washington State University	$53,937	$25.93	1
   8	University of California-Berkeley	$53,656	$25.80
   9	CDC Foundation	$53,533	$25.74
   10	TCC	$52,634	$25.30
   11	Beacon Hill Staffing Group	$51,729	$24.87
   12	Jefferson County Sheriffs Dept	$51,198	$24.61
   13	Concord	$50,736	$24.39	1
   14	Central Maine Healthcare	$50,215	$24.14
   15	New York State Restaurant Association	$49,628	$23.86
   16	Minnesota Limited	$49,626	$23.86	1
   17	New Jersey Economic Development Authority	$49,525	$23.81
   18	Safer Foundation	$49,094	$23.60
   19	Wsp USA Buildings Inc.	$48,997	$23.56	5
   20	Randstad North America, Inc.	$48,933	$23.53

4. Writing a publications coordinator job description

   A good publications coordinator job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a publications coordinator job description:

   Publications coordinator job description example

   The Publications Coordinator reports to the Archivist, supporting three to five book publication projects annually. This role will assist with all phases of project production, from ideation to development to publishing. The coordinator also provides essential information and asset support for each publication in addition to administrative and clerical support, including setting the agendas for weekly touch base meetings with all publication partners and gathering, organizing, and delivering archival assets and information. Customer service is central to the work of the coordinator, who will liaise cross-functionally with internal marketing, public relations, and creative teams as well as external publishing teams.
   Project Management:
   
   * Oversee publications projects through photography, design, printing, and distribution to ensure timely production and distribution of publications.
   * Create internal publication timelines and set expectations about the timeliness with which work must be done to meet press deadlines.
   * Serve as the Archives' primary contact for all questions related to procedures, publishing schedules, and standards.
   * Organize the department's ongoing ideas for publications.
   * Assemble permission-to-publish paperwork as well as gather, organize, and deliver files for Archives-supported external publications.
   
   Information and Asset Support:
   
   * Gather label copy, assets, and rights information and organize into spreadsheets.
   * Create method to review, correct, and share publication proofs with publishers and other stakeholders.
   * Maintain the Archives' organizational files related to each publication on the shared drive.
   * Contribute to the development of publication content (i.e., text, images, and graphics) via research or digitization.
   
   Administrative / Clerical Support:
   
   * Organize agenda items for weekly meetings on publication(s) progress.
   * Take notes during meetings to be shared out and determine follow-up action items.
   * Ensure all open agenda items are completed by required due dates.
   * Review publications for proper messaging, presentation, and accuracy per Tiffany Archives' standards and guidelines.
   
   Customer Service:
   
   * Respond promptly to inquiries, project modifications, and requests via phone and/or email from internal and external partners.
   * Coordinate all communication and content flow among authors, editors, and the publisher(s).
   * Liaise between the Archives, internal, and external partners to work out any production-related challenges.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right publications coordinator for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with publications coordinators they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit publications coordinators who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your publications coordinator job on Zippia to find and recruit publications coordinator candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as pr news job board, pr council, prsa job center, hoojobs.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit publications coordinators, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   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 publications coordinator

   Once you have selected a candidate for the publications coordinator position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new publications coordinator. 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a publications coordinator?