Building relationships, getting personal with the media, understanding the technology and avoiding technical jargon are all helpful hints for high-tech PR practitioners. Here's
one more: Collect payment up front. When Cook Express became the first e-commerce company to declare bankruptcy, the gourmet-meal provider went under owing $78,000 to its PR
agency, according to Newsweek.
"A lot of businesses offer pre-IPO shares as their payment," says Steve O'Keeffe, president of an eponymous agency. "About 10 percent of start-ups are worth the investment ...
We've found we need to get real money." Grab what you can. (O'Keeffe, 703/883-9000)