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The differences between publicists and marketing communications specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a publicist, becoming a marketing communications specialist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a marketing communications specialist has an average salary of $53,993, which is higher than the $50,679 average annual salary of a publicist.
The top three skills for a publicist include press releases, press materials and public relations campaigns. The most important skills for a marketing communications specialist are digital marketing, project management, and graphic design.
| Publicist | Marketing Communications Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $50,679 | $53,993 |
| Hourly rate | $24.36 | $25.96 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 7,343 | 95,444 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Average age | 42 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
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.
A marketing communications specialist is an individual who is responsible for creating all the marketing materials that are distributed to customers to increase brand awareness for the company's products or services. To create these materials, marketing communications specialists must collaborate with graphic design teams. They are required to track their marketing performance so that they can identify ways to improve their marketing strategies. Marketing communications specialists must also set up interviews and press conferences as part of their marketing campaign.
Publicists and marketing communications specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Publicist | Marketing Communications Specialist | |
| Average salary | $50,679 | $53,993 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $83,000 | Between $36,000 And $80,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Delaware |
| Best paying company | J. The Jewish News of Northern California | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Media | Technology |
There are a few differences between a publicist and a marketing communications specialist in terms of educational background:
| Publicist | Marketing Communications Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | Communication | Communication |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between publicists' and marketing communications specialists' demographics:
| Publicist | Marketing Communications Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.4% Female, 72.6% | Male, 28.0% Female, 72.0% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.6% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 10% |