Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between publicists and public affairs specialists 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 public affairs specialist. Additionally, a public affairs specialist has an average salary of $66,383, 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 public affairs specialist are news stories, veterans, and fact sheets.
| Publicist | Public Affairs Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $50,679 | $66,383 |
| Hourly rate | $24.36 | $31.91 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 7,343 | 19,889 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
Psychology research assistants take charge of the operational and administrative tasks like mailing surveys, summarizing results, and managing correspondence. The research assistants identify the areas in need of improvement and score psychological tests. They prepare the interview questions and summarize test results. Their job involves responding to research-related emails and take part in project meetings. Also, they update the content of websites and prepare reports of their progress. The skills they need in carrying out this job include communication, critical thinking, attention to detail, and technical skills.
Publicists and public affairs specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Publicist | Public Affairs Specialist | |
| Average salary | $50,679 | $66,383 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $83,000 | Between $43,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Virginia |
| Best paying company | J. The Jewish News of Northern California | |
| Best paying industry | Media | Government |
There are a few differences between a publicist and a public affairs specialist in terms of educational background:
| Publicist | Public Affairs Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Communication | Communication |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between publicists' and public affairs specialists' demographics:
| Publicist | Public Affairs Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.4% Female, 72.6% | Male, 47.2% Female, 52.8% |
| 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, 10.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |