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Publicity assistant vs media planner

The differences between publicity assistants and media planners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a publicity assistant and a media planner. Additionally, a media planner has an average salary of $58,044, which is higher than the $39,387 average annual salary of a publicity assistant.

The top three skills for a publicity assistant include press releases, provide technical assistance and technical assistance. The most important skills for a media planner are media planning, powerpoint, and campaign performance.

Publicity assistant vs media planner overview

Publicity AssistantMedia Planner
Yearly salary$39,387$58,044
Hourly rate$18.94$27.91
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs8,19324,126
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 89%
Average age4242
Years of experience44

What does a publicity assistant do?

A publicity assistant aids and offers support to the publicity team at a public relations (PR) firm or related firms. Your duties may vary but typically include researching relevant trends and data for PR campaigns, assisting in the creation and selection of marketing materials, and developing and maintaining good client relationships. As a publicity assistant, you are responsible for promoting the organization and maintaining the public appearance, and managing and overseeing social media accounts. You are also responsible for maintaining accurate records of correspondence.

What does a media planner do?

A media planner is responsible for managing market campaigns and promotions for clients' advertising needs through various social media platforms and other mediums of communications. Media planners handle the brand's media presence, strategizing its maximum appeal to the target audience. They coordinate closely with the clients for the progress updates, as well as informing them of any adjustments, especially on meeting the public's interests and concerns. A media planner develops innovative techniques, analyzes market data, and manage campaign results, ensuring to meet the clients' objectives and goals.

Publicity assistant vs media planner salary

Publicity assistants and media planners have different pay scales, as shown below.

Publicity AssistantMedia Planner
Average salary$39,387$58,044
Salary rangeBetween $27,000 And $56,000Between $48,000 And $69,000
Highest paying CityOlympia, WAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateWashingtonWashington
Best paying companyAppleRPA
Best paying industryGovernmentProfessional

Differences between publicity assistant and media planner education

There are a few differences between a publicity assistant and a media planner in terms of educational background:

Publicity AssistantMedia Planner
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 89%
Most common majorBusinessCommunication
Most common collegeStanford UniversityNorthwestern University

Publicity assistant vs media planner demographics

Here are the differences between publicity assistants' and media planners' demographics:

Publicity AssistantMedia Planner
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 33.7% Female, 66.3%Male, 39.2% Female, 60.8%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 5.4% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between publicity assistant and media planner duties and responsibilities

Publicity assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage publicity and advertisement for club and alumni events through social media
  • Garner extensive national media attention for non-fiction and commercial fiction authors.
  • Provide copywriting, proofreading and editing for marketing communications and sales collateral.
  • Used Instagram to showcase activities and involvement.
  • Work with military liaisons and DoD partners.
  • Provide on call mobile notary services for various clients.
  • Show more

Media planner example responsibilities.

  • Partner with programmatic buying team to manage DSP campaign and ensure tactics maintain maximum efficiency.
  • Lead monthly meetings with each AE to discuss key accounts and strategize for revenue growth.
  • Manage multiple inboxes handling numerous RFP inquiries from top tier clients while training new employees on processes.
  • Manage multiple million dollar budgets, budget analysis and reconciliations.
  • Manage MRI research system generating specific demographic information for media recommendations.
  • Experience with Comscore, Nielsen, Kantar & Mediamind.
  • Show more

Publicity assistant vs media planner skills

Common publicity assistant skills
  • Press Releases, 10%
  • Provide Technical Assistance, 9%
  • Technical Assistance, 8%
  • Worksheets, 7%
  • PowerPoint, 7%
  • FEMA, 5%
Common media planner skills
  • Media Planning, 11%
  • PowerPoint, 8%
  • Campaign Performance, 5%
  • MRI, 4%
  • Digital Marketing, 4%
  • Nielsen, 4%

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