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Vice president of public relations vs communications director

The differences between vice presidents of public relations and communications directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a vice president of public relations and a communications director. Additionally, a vice president of public relations has an average salary of $143,172, which is higher than the $107,700 average annual salary of a communications director.

The top three skills for a vice president of public relations include press releases, external communications and business development. The most important skills for a communications director are web content, press releases, and customer service.

Vice president of public relations vs communications director overview

Vice President Of Public RelationsCommunications Director
Yearly salary$143,172$107,700
Hourly rate$68.83$51.78
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs55,30027,939
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 84%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age4242
Years of experience44

What does a vice president of public relations do?

A vice president of public relations oversees the public relations efforts of a company, aiming for brand awareness and public interest. It is their duty to establish timelines and guidelines, develop projects and programs, monitor budgets, liaise and build positive relationships with media partners, and coordinate with public relations experts. There are also instances when they must represent the company at public gatherings or when facilitating press conferences. Moreover, as a vice president, it is essential to enforce the company's policies and regulations, implementing new ones as needed.

What does a communications director do?

A communications director is responsible for monitoring and supervising the overall media relations from internal to external communications. A communications director's duties include managing campaigns, providing organizational updates to the employees, supporting social media marketing, developing effective communication strategies to build the organization's reputation, and efficiently leading team members in handling events that represent the business. Communications directors must have strong leadership and communication skills to provide support for the company's daily operations and strategies.

Vice president of public relations vs communications director salary

Vice presidents of public relations and communications directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Vice President Of Public RelationsCommunications Director
Average salary$143,172$107,700
Salary rangeBetween $88,000 And $232,000Between $61,000 And $188,000
Highest paying CityLas Vegas, NVSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNevadaNevada
Best paying companyWe CommunicationsMcKinsey & Company Inc
Best paying industryHealth CareHealth Care

Differences between vice president of public relations and communications director education

There are a few differences between a vice president of public relations and a communications director in terms of educational background:

Vice President Of Public RelationsCommunications Director
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 84%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common majorCommunicationCommunication
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityStanford University

Vice president of public relations vs communications director demographics

Here are the differences between vice presidents of public relations' and communications directors' demographics:

Vice President Of Public RelationsCommunications Director
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 38.3% Female, 61.7%Male, 40.2% Female, 59.8%
Race ratioBlack 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, 5.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 75.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage16%16%

Differences between vice president of public relations and communications director duties and responsibilities

Vice president of public relations example responsibilities.

  • Manage club website, Facebook and club bulletin board.
  • Manage communications with students, alumni and faculty, including distribution of all social media
  • Manage all aspects of business operations that include sales and marketing, advertising, administration, financial oversight and inventory/procurement management.
  • Conduct a rebranding of the co-op s logo.
  • Negotiate media buys and analyze market trends and campaign ROI.
  • Supervise budget allocation and media spend to ensure optimum ROI.
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Communications director example responsibilities.

  • Assist in managing the Facebook and Instagram pages.
  • Develop and manage c-level strategic client relationships to grow revenue base.
  • Create and manage corporate website, online demand gen through SEO and SEM.
  • Manage editorial content of the organization website, build and upload web pages via HTML.
  • Manage the marketing strategy and budget, including B2C acquisition campaigns focuse on out of home and DRTV.
  • Manage media relations, announcements, editorial placement, and speaking opportunities the organizations.
  • Show more

Vice president of public relations vs communications director skills

Common vice president of public relations skills
  • Press Releases, 12%
  • External Communications, 9%
  • Business Development, 6%
  • Professional Development, 6%
  • Communications Strategies, 5%
  • Crisis Management, 4%
Common communications director skills
  • Web Content, 8%
  • Press Releases, 8%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • External Communications, 5%
  • Project Management, 4%
  • Employee Engagement, 4%

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