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.

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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