Find out what they want, then give it to them in a way that benefits you and your company. This requires us to learn how to think like a news reporter.

For this journey, there may be no better guidebook than James B. Stewart’s “Follow Story.”

On first blush, this would appear to be nothing more than one more how-to book on how to write non-fiction articles for a mass audience.

But Stewart is former editor of Page One Features for Wall Street Journal, perhaps most influential feature columns in United States. He is a Pulitzer winner and best-selling author of non-fiction books “Bloodsport,” “Den of Thieves” and “Blind Eye.”

His “Follow Story” provides a treasure trove of insights into how reporter conceive of their stories, and how they then sell those stories to their editors.

“Even best ideas need to be ‘sold,’” Stewart writes, “in sense that editors have to be interested and readers ultimately must be persuaded to read.”

Everything and Nothing! On my modest marketing web site I have a copy of a Vincent van Gogh portrait I created for a charity fund raiser some years back. It makes my main page load slow and more than a few people have suggested I should remove it - besides they say - van Gogh and Internet Marketing. What's connection?

It all boils down to stubborn old learning habits that never die!

Let me explain - I am trained as an artist - one of best ways to learn how to draw or paint is to copy Masters. Spend a few hours copying a van Gogh, a Monet or a Durer and you will learn more in those few hours than months spent in classroom pouring over color theories, composition charts, and paint mixtures.

Learn by seeing thru eyes of Masters!

They have been there, done that, and they have solved all major problems for you. It works perfectly and artists have been learning this way for centuries.

When I started internet marketing I applied same method. (Did I mention I was stubborn!) A few hours studying Masters - their techniques, their marketing tools, their mind sets - saved me and they will save you from months (if not years) of trial and error.

Finding Masters was hardest part! With so many proclaimed and self-proclaimed 'gurus' on web; finding genuine article among all 'bovine deposits' was extremely difficult.

However, it wasn't long before some names kept popping up, again and again.

Mark Joyner, Neil Shearing, Michael Glaspie, Phil Wiley...!