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The differences between publicity assistants 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 publicity assistant and a social media specialist. Additionally, a social media specialist has an average salary of $51,584, 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 social media specialist are social media marketing, instagram, and digital marketing.
| Publicity Assistant | Social Media Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $39,387 | $51,584 |
| Hourly rate | $18.94 | $24.80 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 8,193 | 47,228 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
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.
Publicity assistants and social media specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Publicity Assistant | Social Media Specialist | |
| Average salary | $39,387 | $51,584 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $56,000 | Between $38,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | Olympia, WA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Apple | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Government | Professional |
There are a few differences between a publicity assistant and a social media specialist in terms of educational background:
| Publicity Assistant | Social Media Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | Business | Communication |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between publicity assistants' and social media specialists' demographics:
| Publicity Assistant | Social Media Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.7% Female, 66.3% | Male, 38.6% Female, 61.4% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |