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Public Relations Managers

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeHigh pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Plan, direct, or coordinate activities designed to create or maintain a favorable public image or raise issue awareness for their organization or client.

Kinds of work

  • Enterprising: Leading, persuading, selling and starting new projects or businesses.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Social: Helping, teaching, caring for and supporting other people.

High pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $146,910 Median per year · $70.63/hr Most earn $82,410–$284,990

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Formulate policies and procedures related to public information programs, working with public relations executives.
  • Produce films and other video products, regulate their distribution, and operate film library.
  • Facilitate consumer relations or the relationship between parts of the company, such as the managers and employees, or different branch offices.
  • Establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, government officials, and media representatives and use these relationships to develop new business opportunities.
  • Design and edit promotional publications, such as brochures.
  • Produce films and other video products, regulate their distribution, and operate film library.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
6% more jobs by 2035, faster than average · about 6,100 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Colleges, universities, and professional schools9.2%
  • Advertising, public relations, and related services9.1%
  • Management of companies and enterprises8.9%
  • Local government, excluding education and hospitals5.3%
  • Social advocacy organizations3.8%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 4 to 6 years

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeExperience before this job: 4 to 6 years

Public Relations Manager is not an entry-level job. People usually start with a bachelor's degree and spend about 4 to 6 years in related public relations or communications work before moving into this role.

  1. Bachelor's degree in public relations, communications, or journalism

    4 years

    You build writing, media, and communication skills and learn how organizations talk to the public, which is the foundation for every PR job.

  2. Public Relations Assistant or Coordinator

    1-2 years

    You help with press releases, media lists, event support, and social media posts while learning how campaigns are planned and measured.

  3. Public Relations Specialist

    3-4 years

    You take on your own accounts or campaigns, work directly with reporters and clients, and start leading projects, which shows you can manage a larger job.

  4. Public Relations Manager

    Ongoing role, reached after about 4-6 years of related experience

    You plan and direct the organization's public image strategy, supervise staff or agencies, and handle crises and budgets.

Where it can lead

  1. Director of Communications

    5-10 years as a manager of experience first

    You oversee all communications for an organization, including internal messages, media relations, and brand, and set the overall communications strategy.

  2. Vice President of Communications

    5+ years as a director of experience first

    You are a senior executive who advises top leaders on reputation and public messaging and leads a larger team and budget.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take English, writing, and speech or debate classesStrong writing and speaking skills are the core tools of public relations.
  • Join the school newspaper, yearbook, or broadcast teamWriting stories and managing school news teaches you how media works from the inside.
  • Run for student council or help plan school eventsOrganizing events and speaking for a group gives you practice managing how a message reaches people.
  • Volunteer for a local nonprofit or community groupHelping with flyers, newsletters, or social media shows you how organizations communicate with the public.
  • Take a social studies or government classUnderstanding how public opinion, politics, and media connect helps you think like a PR professional.

In college

  • Major or minor in public relations, communications, or journalismThese programs teach writing for media, campaign planning, and how to measure results, which are the skills this career uses every day.
  • Get a communications internshipHands-on work at an agency, company, or nonprofit lets you build real samples and contacts and shows employers you can do the job.
  • Write for the student newspaper or run a student org's social mediaCampus media and club communications give you published work and experience managing an audience.
  • Take a campus job in an office that handles communications or marketingWorking in a university communications or events office teaches you how a real organization handles messages and media requests.
  • Learn common tools like social media scheduling, basic analytics, and design softwareKnowing how to track results and create simple graphics makes you a stronger candidate for entry-level PR jobs.

Tips for getting started

  • Build a writing portfolio early with press releases, news stories, or social media samples. Employers in PR look at your writing first.
  • Get internships or part-time communications work while you are in school, since hands-on experience is what moves people from assistant roles toward management.
  • Learn to talk to people in person and in public. Speaking, debate, and leadership roles build the confidence PR work needs.

Related jobs that often lead here

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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