PR or public relations firms create public relations campaigns that publicize their clients to a targeted audience. These businesses consist of two primary types of employees: specialists, who perform tasks such as writing press releases or contacting media, and the managers who plan and carry out the campaigns. A bachelor's degree is the minimum educational requirement.
Specialists
PR specialists promote an individual, group or company by creating favorable publicity materials that are then distributed to media outlets. They may work by themselves within an organization or be part of an entire department. The median salary is $51,960 annually, with a range of $30,520 to $96,630. This breaks down to an hourly rate of $24.98 per hour, with a range of $14.67 to $46.46. This information is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as of May 2009.
Specialists' Employers
The biggest employers of PR specialists are advertising and public relations firms, who contract out their publicity services to clients. They comprise 14 percent of the available 242,600 jobs, and pay above the median at $33.48 per hour or $69,630 annually. The highest-paying employers are petroleum and coal products manufacturers, who use these professionals to publicize their own companies or industries. They pay $57.90 or $120,420, but only offer 30 jobs.
Managers
PR managers coordinate public relations campaigns through a staff that may include PR specialists, writers and artists. With 53,270 total jobs, the ratio of managers to specialists is about one to four. PR specialists can often move into these positions after several years of experience, and if they show management skills. PR managers earn a median $89,690 yearly, with a range of $47,800 to over $166,400, or $43.12 per hour, with a range of $22.98 to over $80.
Managers Employers
The employers that hire the most PR managers are advertising and public relations firms, with about 10 percent of the total jobs. They pay above the median at $63.34 hourly or $131,470 per year. The employers with the best pay are accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services, at $68.19 or $141,820. However, they only show 130 positions.
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