Public Relations Specialists: Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Job description

Public Relations Specialists engage in promoting or creating an intended public image for individuals, groups, or organizations. May write or select material for release to various communications media.

• Respond to requests for information from the media or designate an appropriate spokesperson or information source.
• Write press releases or other media communications to promote clients.
• Establish or maintain cooperative relationships with representatives of community, consumer, employee, or public interest groups.
• Plan or direct development or communication of programs to maintain favorable public or stockholder perceptions of an organization’s accomplishments, agenda, or environmental responsibility.

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Salary

PR Specialists with little to no experience tend to make between $33690 and $44490 while the more experienced ones can earn over $81550 per year.

One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as a Public Relations Specialist is to move to a higher paying state like DC. Right now, the highest paying states for PR Specialists are DC, VA, NJ, NY and CT.

However, a higher pay at DC doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at DC might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.

Three other factors that can increase your salary as a Public Relations Specialist is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.

Requirements

We asked other PR Specialists what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had a Bachelor’s Degree followed by a Master’s Degree.

Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.

Pros and Cons

Here are some of the pros and cons of being a Public Relations Specialist.

What is the job like

69% of PR Specialists said they were satisfied with their job and 52% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.

Elena Sergova

Fantastic Services

As a PR & Partnership specialist in one of the top franchisors in the UK, my job is well versatile and day to day there is no working list that’s the same as the other. My Typical Day The day starts with checking the mailbox – might sound like a regular task, yet we receive … Read More

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Natalie Bickel

Brielle Cotterman Media

I’m Natalie Bickel, and I work as a Creative Communications Expert for a PR company. My Typical Day Each day is different as a PR Specialist, but almost everyday involves pitching to some extent. I look through Twitter, Facebook groups, and HARO to see what opportunities are already available and search for expert sources. I … Read More

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Janae Robinson

Posh Virtual Receptionists

My name is Janae Robinson and I work for Posh Virtual Receptionists, I began as a virtual receptionist and am now the PR Specialist. Posh is a telecommunications company that will handle calls for businesses so they can focus on work instead of constantly answering the phone. My Typical Day I usually start my day … Read More

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Is this right for me

You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tends to like starting up and carrying out projects. They like leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business..

They also like working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

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