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.
Publicity assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real publicity assistant resumes:
- 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.
- Freelance writer for a variety of daily newspapers and magazines.
- Coordinate and track inter office distribution of incoming PWs and other correspondence.
- Maintain PAC database, including management of vendor transition and new website.
- eated an official BSU Instagram account to be maintain for future BSU generations.
- Create briefs for CDC leadership work for integration of public health and health care.
- Utilize creative resources such as Photoshop or InDesign to assist in designing flyers or advertisements.
- Investigate contractors working in each division at the CDC noting strengths and areas of expertise.
- Participate in trade shows to promote literacy, poetry line, children's book and the interactive family show.
- Learned software programs on the job, such as Photoshop and InDesign; create website layouts for newly release books/publications.
Publicity assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Publicity Assistants are proficient in Press Releases, Provide Technical Assistance, and Technical Assistance. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Organizational skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Publicity Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Press Releases, 10%
Helped develop presentation materials, information packets and press releases.
- Provide Technical Assistance, 9%
Provide technical assistance to local government recovery funding applicants for the purposes of ensuring smooth closeout of recovery projects.
- Technical Assistance, 8%
Provided technical assistance and conducted presentations on Medicaid to local office staff, various community agencies and public interest groups.
- Worksheets, 7%
Review draft Project Worksheets for accuracy, completeness, eligibility, and special considerations with implementing the validation process.
- PowerPoint, 7%
Constructed CD-ROM multimedia publications through HTML formatting using Microsoft Word and PowerPoint applications including hyperlinks and file embedding.
- FEMA, 5%
Traveled extensively to assure all residents in rural Florida were aware of FEMA assistance programs regarding Hurricane Charley.
Common skills that a publicity assistant uses to do their job include "press releases," "provide technical assistance," and "technical assistance." You can find details on the most important publicity assistant responsibilities below.
Interpersonal skills. One of the key soft skills for a publicity assistant to have is interpersonal skills. You can see how this relates to what publicity assistants do because "public relations specialists deal with the public and the media regularly." Additionally, a publicity assistant resume shows how publicity assistants use interpersonal skills: "developed and presented various workshops on managing public speaking anxiety, group presentations, and interpersonal skills. "
Organizational skills. Another essential skill to perform publicity assistant duties is organizational skills. Publicity assistants responsibilities require that "public relations specialists are often in charge of managing several events or communications at the same time, which requires excellent skills in coordinating arrangements." Publicity assistants also use organizational skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "designed organizational materials including t-shirts, event programs and flyers for mixers, cultural events and social events. "
Problem-solving skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of publicity assistants is problem-solving skills. This skill is critical to many everyday publicity assistant duties, as "public relations specialists sometimes must explain how a company or client is handling sensitive issues." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "resolved program issues raised by fema or the sub-grantee. "
Speaking skills. For certain publicity assistant responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "speaking skills." The day-to-day duties of a publicity assistant rely on this skill, as "public relations specialists regularly speak on behalf of clients or their organization." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what publicity assistants do: "represented press at author events. "
Writing skills. A commonly-found skill in publicity assistant job descriptions, "writing skills" is essential to what publicity assistants do. Publicity assistant responsibilities rely on this skill because "public relations specialists must be able to write well-organized and clear press releases, speeches, and social media posts." You can also see how publicity assistant duties rely on writing skills in this resume example: "assisted the executive vice president by writing press releases, managing campaigns, and contacting media outlets. "
The three companies that hire the most publicity assistants are:
- Bertelsmann6 publicity assistants jobs
- Penguin Random House5 publicity assistants jobs
- Hachette Book Group5 publicity assistants jobs
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Compare different publicity assistants
Publicity assistant vs. Campaign coordinator
A campaign coordinator is responsible for managing media campaigns and press communications for marketing efforts on business or other industry needs. Campaign coordinators perform administrative and clerical duties under the supervision of a campaign manager and develop event activities according to the campaign theme and requirements. They also coordinate schedules with the participants, suppliers, and third-party vendors. A campaign coordinator must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in documenting reports, managing expenses, and responding to inquiries and concerns.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between publicity assistants and campaign coordinator. For instance, publicity assistant responsibilities require skills such as "provide technical assistance," "technical assistance," "worksheets," and "fema." Whereas a campaign coordinator is skilled in "digital marketing," "crm," "campaign performance," and "salesforce." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Campaign coordinators earn the highest salaries when working in the media industry, with an average yearly salary of $44,584. On the other hand, publicity assistants are paid more in the government industry with an average salary of $45,828.The education levels that campaign coordinators earn slightly differ from publicity assistants. In particular, campaign coordinators are 0.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a publicity assistant. Additionally, they're 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Publicity assistant vs. Account coordinator
An account coordinator assists account executives by providing day-to-day administrative support such as preparing and filing sales contracts and reports. As coordinators, they must maintain a good relationship with their clients and vendors by addressing issues and with regular communication. Account coordinators must possess essential skills such as a strong business administration background, adept at both written and verbal communication, and excellent time management. They are also responsible for researching prospective clients and produce client feedbacks to their account management teams.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, publicity assistant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "provide technical assistance," "technical assistance," "worksheets," and "fema." Meanwhile, an account coordinator has duties that require skills in areas such as "customer service," "data entry," "account management," and "project management." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Account coordinators may earn a higher salary than publicity assistants, but account coordinators earn the most pay in the professional industry with an average salary of $46,894. On the other hand, publicity assistants receive higher pay in the government industry, where they earn an average salary of $45,828.In general, account coordinators achieve similar levels of education than publicity assistants. They're 2.9% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Publicity assistant vs. Media coordinator
A media coordinator acts as a communications professional in charge of developing and implementing target communications and advertising for various media platforms. Media coordinators plan, implement, and monitor the social media strategy of an organization. They discern the most successful media outreach and establish advertising partnerships and business deals. They aim to increase their respective companies' brand awareness, strengthen their advertising campaigns, improve their marketing strategies, and increase their sales.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a publicity assistant is likely to be skilled in "provide technical assistance," "technical assistance," "worksheets," and "fema," while a typical media coordinator is skilled in "digital marketing," "social media marketing," "social platforms," and "video content."
Media coordinators earn the best pay in the manufacturing industry, where they command an average salary of $48,229. Publicity assistants earn the highest pay from the government industry, with an average salary of $45,828.Most media coordinators achieve a similar degree level compared to publicity assistants. For example, they're 1.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Publicity assistant vs. Communications coordinator
A communications coordinator is responsible for overseeing the communications department's operations, developing the brand image, and monitoring press releases, company articles, and other related marketing materials for business promotion and visibility. Communications coordinators actively interact with existing and potential clients, negotiate contracts, and build profitable partnerships. They also develop strategic procedures for creating the business' online presence, organizing promotional events, and media conferences. A communications coordinator must have excellent communication and organization skills to maintain a good reputation and customer satisfaction.
Types of publicity assistant
Updated January 8, 2025
