Over the past few years there has been undoubted pressure on salaries in PR jobs, in common with many other industries. Not surprisingly this has led to headcount reductions and pay freezes. Another trend, noticed by Richard Merrin, managing director of PR agency Spreckley Partners, is that many agencies have experienced a dramatic reduction in staff turnover, and he says that some of the money saved in PR recruitment has been channelled into pay rises. Merrin now believes the upturn is on its way, which means the old agency issues of staff churn and pay demands are coming back to the fore.
 
But Merrin claims that it is probably a mistake to jump ship now. He says: “I would argue that this is a relatively well-paid discipline and those that are in it for the long term are the ones who will benefit. All too often agencies experience staff turnover at the lower levels as people jump from one job to another to get a promotion or a salary increase. It is an interesting issue as I am convinced that if people stayed put they would benefit from a better salary in the longer run.”

If you do decide to stay, how can you be confident that you are earning the going rate? Steve Earl, managing director of PR agency Speed Communications says that it is high time that agencies were open about the salaries they pay. Earl says: “Agencies should publish salary scales internally and externally so they’re being fair and open, and shouldn’t tease staff with bullshit promises of rises. If I had a pound for every potential recruit here who’d been told by their current employer that they’ve “been promised £Xk more money in x months” I’d be on a lot more money myself.”
 
Another issue that makes it difficult to know if your wage packet fairly reflects your efforts, is the fact that PR isn’t the industry it used to be and fees are no longer consistent. Earl explains: “Many PR buyers are confused over what they are buying these days, which doesn’t help the labour market.“ Earl claims that some agencies are taking advantage of changing methods of working to try and bamboozle their clients into paying more money: “PR is changing fast, but equally many of its fundamental tenets remain the same. Some agencies are perpetuating myths and trying to charge more for their work, others are assuring results through unrealistic promises then having to pay people less than their competitors to make money.” The problem about all of this confusion is that in Earl’s opinion it makes PR appear like a less attractive long-term career path.
 
But despite the recession and constantly evolving media, PR manages to offer competitive salaries when compared with other marketing disciplines. This can be demonstrated by a quick glance at the jobs advertised on PRmoment, where salaries range from around £20,000 for an account executive role to £75,000 for a senior in-house position. 
 
Soundbites
 
We asked PR lecturers about their advice to graduates concerning salaries in PR:
 
Tom Watson, professor of PR at Bournemouth University:
“Broadly, the starting salaries aren't great, but able graduates can move up quickly. Often this means moving jobs early in their career.”
 
Richard Bailey, senior lecturer in PR at Leeds Metropolitan University:
“Despite some people's wishes, PR is not a profession, but an industry. There's no immediate premium for well-qualified graduates as there might be in law or medicine. But as an industry, salaries can rise quickly if merited by performance and by the market. I had a very good graduate wondering whether to take a graduate position in London for a £20,000 starting salary. I told her she should because she would progress quickly and wouldn't be stuck on the same salary for long.”