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The differences between publicists and social media 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 social media specialist. Additionally, a social media specialist has an average salary of $51,584, 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 social media specialist are social media marketing, instagram, and digital marketing.
| Publicist | Social Media Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $50,679 | $51,584 |
| Hourly rate | $24.36 | $24.80 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 7,343 | 47,228 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| 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.
A social media specialist is an individual who is responsible for creating and administering content on all social media platforms to build an audience and ensure customer engagement. By using platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, social media specialists must create content that resonates with the interests of the intended audience. They are required to understand social media metrics so that they can use the information to ensure success in their social media strategy. Social media specialists must also work with industry professionals and influencers via social media to create a strong network.
Publicists and social media specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Publicist | Social Media Specialist | |
| Average salary | $50,679 | $51,584 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $83,000 | Between $38,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | J. The Jewish News of Northern California | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Media | Professional |
There are a few differences between a publicist and a social media specialist in terms of educational background:
| Publicist | Social Media 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 social media specialists' demographics:
| Publicist | Social Media Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.4% Female, 72.6% | Male, 38.6% Female, 61.4% |
| 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, 10.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 5.3% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |