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Publicist vs communications coordinator

The differences between publicists and communications coordinators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a publicist and a communications coordinator. Additionally, a publicist has an average salary of $50,679, which is higher than the $47,075 average annual salary of a communications coordinator.

The top three skills for a publicist include press releases, press materials and public relations campaigns. The most important skills for a communications coordinator are customer service, web content, and event planning.

Publicist vs communications coordinator overview

PublicistCommunications Coordinator
Yearly salary$50,679$47,075
Hourly rate$24.36$22.63
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs7,34339,790
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 83%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age4242
Years of experience44

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.

What does a communications coordinator do?

A communications coordinator is responsible for overseeing the communications department's operations, developing the brand image, and monitoring press releases, company articles, and other related marketing materials for business promotion and visibility. Communications coordinators actively interact with existing and potential clients, negotiate contracts, and build profitable partnerships. They also develop strategic procedures for creating the business' online presence, organizing promotional events, and media conferences. A communications coordinator must have excellent communication and organization skills to maintain a good reputation and customer satisfaction.

Publicist vs communications coordinator salary

Publicists and communications coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

PublicistCommunications Coordinator
Average salary$50,679$47,075
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $83,000Between $34,000 And $63,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateWashingtonNew Jersey
Best paying companyJ. The Jewish News of Northern CaliforniaMicrosoft
Best paying industryMediaGovernment

Differences between publicist and communications coordinator education

There are a few differences between a publicist and a communications coordinator in terms of educational background:

PublicistCommunications Coordinator
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 83%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common majorCommunicationCommunication
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Publicist vs communications coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between publicists' and communications coordinators' demographics:

PublicistCommunications Coordinator
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 27.4% Female, 72.6%Male, 29.4% Female, 70.6%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between publicist and communications coordinator duties and responsibilities

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

Communications coordinator example responsibilities.

  • Launch and manage the corporate Instagram account @ xcelenergy.
  • Manage and maintain the admission website by using basic knowledge of HTML and web editing templates.
  • Co-developed regional, national and international trade show strategy including logistics, management, qualifying leads, communications and ROI tracking.
  • Contribute brand appropriate content for: blog, instagram, and twitter.
  • General administrative and marketing duties including sending e-marketing campaigns, updating intranet and SharePoint sites, and publishing public relations newsletters.
  • Monitor the daily work of the travel agency booking agents.
  • Show more

Publicist vs communications coordinator skills

Common publicist skills
  • Press Releases, 30%
  • Press Materials, 7%
  • Public Relations Campaigns, 5%
  • Instagram, 5%
  • Twitter, 5%
  • Writing Press Releases, 4%
Common communications coordinator skills
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Web Content, 7%
  • Event Planning, 6%
  • Press Releases, 5%
  • Patients, 5%
  • Community Events, 5%

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