Judge Public Relations is offering five tips for entrepreneurs who wish to improve their public-relations strategies. The company believes that the following fundamentals are essential when building a strong brand presence through public-relations strategies:

1. Become your own news source. Entrepreneurs should define what they want to accomplish, craft a message aimed at accomplishing this goal, and tell everyone who will listen. Create a news page on your business’s website, the PR company notes, and make it easily accessible through your home page. Make sure your stories are well-written. Feature anything newsworthy about your business on this page and share stories on social media. Creating original content and linking readers back to your website are invaluable for search engine optimization.
2. Be honest and transparent. All news is good news as long as you disclose maximum information with minimum delay. Always be honest and never try to cover up or hide something from the public or the media. Being proactive with negative situations as quickly as you would with positive situations can generate positive exposure from media outlets or at least help you tell your side of the story.
3. Be persistent and consistent. News organizations receive thousands of press releases per day and it is possible for a story to get overlooked or lost. Don’t be afraid to call the assignment desks and editors to make sure they are receiving your press releases. You can also use this time to give them a brief pitch about why your story is important.
4. Broaden your horizons to get noticed. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone on occasion. Just promoting your business in industry publications or writing about topics within your professional wheelhouse can be detrimental because you are limiting your brand’s sphere of influence. You will stand out more, for instance, if you are a musician on ESPN instead of just another musician on VH1.
5. Patience is key. Public relations is a lot like gardening--it doesn’t happen overnight. Don’t get discouraged if you aren’t getting the results you want, and never give up. It takes time and effort for the media to cover your content. If you aren’t seeing the results you want, change your approach or seek additional help from a PR firm.

“Utilizing public relations as a way to grow your business is an important, but often overlooked and affordable opportunity for businesses to expand their reach,” said James Judge, president and founder of Judge Public Relations. “Ultimately, you want to do good things, and then you want to tell others about the good things you’re doing.”