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The differences between senior public relations managers and public relations consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a senior public relations manager and a public relations consultant. Additionally, a senior public relations manager has an average salary of $95,756, which is higher than the $50,333 average annual salary of a public relations consultant.
The top three skills for a senior public relations manager include press releases, marketing campaigns and content development. The most important skills for a public relations consultant are press releases, web content, and strategic communications.
| Senior Public Relations Manager | Public Relations Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $95,756 | $50,333 |
| Hourly rate | $46.04 | $24.20 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 30,323 | 27,882 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 84% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A senior public relations manager is responsible for supervising the overall media presence and brand awareness of a company within various communication platforms. Senior public relations managers coordinate with the marketing team to promote the brand image on social platforms and reach the target audience by creating engaging content and digital assets. They also identify brand endorsers, such as models and celebrities, if the budget permits, to grow more customers and meet the public demands. A senior public relations manager monitors the sales performance and transactions within the company and adjusts PR plans as needed.
A public relations consultant represents an organization and is the company's way to communicate to the public their plans, decisions, and motivations. They both advertise and show the company's personality and create familiarity and trust. The public relations consultant's role is to create all the PR materials needed to accomplish these goals. It means writing press releases, online content, speeches, and also working with the marketing and advertising team to create copy that will evoke the interest of the public. The ultimate goal is to gain customers and thus increase sales.
Senior public relations managers and public relations consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Public Relations Manager | Public Relations Consultant | |
| Average salary | $95,756 | $50,333 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $139,000 | Between $29,000 And $85,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | AbbVie | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Media |
There are a few differences between a senior public relations manager and a public relations consultant in terms of educational background:
| Senior Public Relations Manager | Public Relations Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 84% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Most common major | Communication | Communication |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between senior public relations managers' and public relations consultants' demographics:
| Senior Public Relations Manager | Public Relations Consultant | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.0% Female, 58.0% | Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 75.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 12% |