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.
Vice president of public relations responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real vice president of public relations resumes:
- 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.
- Work one-on-one with the alumnae chair to create a Facebook alumnae page.
- Create an internal CRM strategy from scratch to assist with customer retention.
- Direct all digital media including content management, SEO, SEM and online advertising.
- Work within SEO best practices to create blog posts for law practices participating in marketing program.
- Develop, create and implement new marketing materials, media plans, CRM plans and merchandising.
- Edit and direct the printing and distribution of new Medicaid manual to every physician and hospital in state.
- Project manager in the redevelopment of the website, print materials as well as the LinkedIn company page.
- Serve as university spokesperson on select issues.
- Negotiate Medicaid coverage and state product rebates.
Vice president of public relations skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Vice Presidents Of Public Relations are proficient in Press Releases, External Communications, and Business Development. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Problem-solving skills, and Speaking skills.
We break down the percentage of Vice Presidents Of Public Relations that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Press Releases, 12%
Press releases to inform outside organizations for collaborate on projects
- External Communications, 9%
Managed internal and external communications programs and development and execution of comprehensive strategies to promote the organization and products.
- Business Development, 6%
Develop the operational budget in cooperation with Finance department, and administer the operational budget relative to the Business Development department.
- Professional Development, 6%
Developed highly loyal and effective staffs by establishing numerous professional development efforts including career ladders, Lunch and Learns.
- Communications Strategies, 5%
Designed and implemented integrated online and offline communications strategies the goal of retaining, attracting and engaging donors.
- Crisis Management, 4%
Led media relations, employee communications, investor relations, financial communications, crisis management and corporate event planning.
"press releases," "external communications," and "business development" are among the most common skills that vice presidents of public relations use at work. You can find even more vice president of public relations responsibilities below, including:
Leadership skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a vice president of public relations to have is leadership skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "public relations and fundraising managers often lead large teams of specialists or fundraisers and must be able to guide their activities." Vice presidents of public relations often use leadership skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "partnered with senior leadership team to define and implement investor relations strategy. "
Problem-solving skills. Many vice president of public relations duties rely on problem-solving skills. "managers sometimes must explain how the company or client is handling sensitive issues," so a vice president of public relations will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways vice president of public relations responsibilities rely on problem-solving skills: "increased roi through promoting edgeworks technology as a thought leader and driver in civic mobile solutions. "
Speaking skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of vice presidents of public relations is speaking skills. This skill is critical to many everyday vice president of public relations duties, as "public relations and fundraising managers regularly speak on behalf of their organization." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "conduct radio and television appearances, speaking engagements at seminars and press conferences. "
Writing skills. For certain vice president of public relations responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "writing skills." The day-to-day duties of a vice president of public relations rely on this skill, as "managers must be able to write well-organized and clear press releases and speeches." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what vice presidents of public relations do: "directed internal and external communications, public relations, executive speechwriting and community development marketing. "
Communication skills. Another common skill required for vice president of public relations responsibilities is "communication skills." This skill comes up in the duties of vice presidents of public relations all the time, as "managers deal with the public regularly; therefore, they must be friendly enough to build a rapport with, and receive cooperation from, their media contacts and donors." An excerpt from a real vice president of public relations resume shows how this skill is central to what a vice president of public relations does: "develop and manage investor relations communications and presentations. "
Organizational skills. Lastly, "organizational skills" is an important element of what a vice president of public relations does. Vice president of public relations responsibilities require this skill because "public relations and fundraising managers are often in charge of running several events at the same time, requiring superior organizational skills." This resume example highlights how vice president of public relations duties rely on this skill: "prepared and edited press releases, bios, media alerts and organizational announcements. "
The three companies that hire the most vice president of public relationss are:
- Highwire PR25 vice presidents of public relations jobs
- FINN Partners22 vice presidents of public relations jobs
- FleishmanHillard12 vice presidents of public relations jobs
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Compare different vice presidents of public relations
Vice president of public relations vs. Campaign manager
Campaign managers are responsible for developing, executing, and managing marketing campaigns for events, products, and services targeting consumers or organizations. These professionals typically collaborate with external agencies in the preparation and execution of campaigns. They perform other duties that may include managing the measurement and tracking of marketing campaigns, writing, proofreading, and editing copy for promotional materials, and maintaining regular measurement of the campaigns' ROI. Campaign managers are also expected to evaluate existing marketing campaigns and be up-to-date on the latest marketing trends.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a vice president of public relations are more likely to require skills like "external communications," "business development," "professional development," and "communications strategies." On the other hand, a job as a campaign manager requires skills like "digital marketing," "email marketing," "email campaigns," and "integrated marketing." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Campaign managers tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $86,390. In contrast, vice presidents of public relations make the biggest average salary, $155,146, in the health care industry.On average, campaign managers reach similar levels of education than vice presidents of public relations. Campaign managers are 0.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.9% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Vice president of public relations vs. Media director
A media director spearheads and oversees a company's entire media-related activities, including marketing and advertising campaigns. They are in charge of setting goals and guidelines, liaising and building positive relationships with external parties, conceptualizing plans for projects and campaigns, and developing strategies to optimize operations. It is also their duty to address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, as a media director, it is essential to monitor the progress of different teams, leading and encouraging them to reach goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real vice president of public relations resumes. While vice president of public relations responsibilities can utilize skills like "external communications," "professional development," "communications strategies," and "crisis management," media directors use skills like "digital marketing," "video production," "media planning," and "client relationships."
On average, media directors earn a lower salary than vice presidents of public relations. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, media directors earn the most pay in the professional industry with an average salary of $117,485. Whereas vice presidents of public relations have higher pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $155,146.media directors earn similar levels of education than vice presidents of public relations in general. They're 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Vice presidents of public relations in the next 3-5 years?
Clarke Caywood
Professor (founder group of IMC and PR in Medill) Joint Doctorate in Business and Journalism - Univ. Wis. Madison, Northwestern University
Vice president of public relations vs. Social media director
Social Media Directors are responsible for the promotion of an organization's brand, services, and products through social media platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. They are responsible for implementing a social media strategy, tracking social media presence, keeping abreast of social media trends, and adopting new social media channels. Other duties include measuring Twitter activity, analyzing traffic patterns, assessing Facebook comments, and inspecting reception levels of social media messages. They contribute to creating progress reports, providing feedback to management, and contributing to strategy improvements.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a vice president of public relations is likely to be skilled in "external communications," "professional development," "communications strategies," and "crisis management," while a typical social media director is skilled in "facebook insights," "social media marketing," "digital marketing," and "content strategy."
Social media directors earn the best pay in the internet industry, where they command an average salary of $86,810. Vice presidents of public relations earn the highest pay from the health care industry, with an average salary of $155,146.social media directors typically earn similar educational levels compared to vice presidents of public relations. Specifically, they're 1.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Vice president of public relations vs. Communications director
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.
Types of vice president of public relations
Updated January 8, 2025
