“Also on the front page, just below the Citizen’s masthead, the paper’s publishers added the phrase ‘Belmont’s Only Prize-Winning Newspaper,’ a thinly veiled dig at their hometown competitor, The Belmont Herald.”

The logo at the top of a newspaper’s front page is not a masthead. The masthead, usually found in the editorial section, is a list of the publication’s staff members, along with policy statements, contact information, and the like.

So what’s the right name for the front-page logo? It’s a nameplate. Other terms journalists use are banner and flag.

Several dictionaries I consulted don’t bother with this distinction. They contend that the word masthead means both the logo and the informational listing. But using the same term for both is ambiguous and potentially confusing. Here is still more evidence that many dictionaries have become too permissive. Instead of giving us guidance, they often repeat and perpetuate common misuses.

So please keep this distinction straight. It’s especially important if print newspapers and magazines continue to exist — as we can only hope they do!

[Ed Note: For more than three decades, Don Hauptman was an award-winning independent direct-response copywriter and creative consultant. He is author of The Versatile Freelancer, an e-book that shows writers and other creative professionals how to diversify their careers into speaking, consulting, training, and critiquing.]

The bully’s method is initially effective, because it takes advantage of his superior power. But everything changes with time — including the balance of power within a company. So, ultimately, it fails.

The leader gets what he wants through inspiration and persuasion. He has to work harder at first, because his method depends on gradually enlisting the voluntary support of his people. But he sustains his influence long after the bullies have been beaten.

"I stopped cold."

“Before I get to my objection, let me say that I love ETR. I’ve only been getting it a short while, but it became quickly obvious that I needed to set aside a folder to save the e-mails to so that when I am ready to pursue a particular link I can easily find it. Thanks for the GREAT JOB!

“However, I stopped cold when I started reading today’s edition: ‘But aging is mostly a state of mind. It’s perfectly possible to live an active and meaningful life well into your eighties.’

“Boy, I sure hope not! I’m already 60, and I fully expect to last to between 84 and 104! My mother died at 84, my grandmother at 104, and both were really sharp to the very end. I know you thought you were making a very positive statement — and perhaps for most people you were — but it was a baldly stated limiting belief! Not your normal style.

“Thanks anyway for making me THINK!”

Rose McDowall
Egg Harbor Township, NJ

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“As of today my account stands at approximately $123,500…”- That’s the amount novice trader K.N. made in six months, according to bestselling author Keith Cotteril. And, says Cotteril, Terry Hodgkinson racked up more than $2,700 in his first seven days alone. These are just two of the people who have profited from a new trading program. It’s from Agora’s U.K. partners. You can read a dozen of their stories here…

The problem with the BMI is that it doesn’t distinguish between fat and lean body mass. And muscle weighs more than fat. Ideally, a man should have between 10 and 14 percent body fat. A woman should have between 16 and 20 percent.

Here are two ways to determine how much body fat you have:

1. The skin-fold test, which is done with a caliper. It’s not only accurate, but is the simplest way to measure body-fat percentage. You can purchase a caliper at exercise-equipment stores.

2. A tape measure can give you a rough but useful approximation. Simply measure the circumference of your waist at your navel. Record the number in inches. Then measure the circumference of your hips at their widest point. Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement to get your waist-to-hip ratio. For men, the ratio should be no more than .90. For women, it should be no more than .80.

Your fitness goal should focus on increasing lean body mass and reducing body-fat mass. Keep track of your progress. In most cases, measuring your body fat once a month is plenty.

And they will add nearly $20,000 to their sales this year by using one little trick: They make it extremely convenient for their customers to add a $3 item to their order.

Each morning, they turn a sack of oranges into 18 cups of fresh-squeezed orange juice. They fill clear plastic cups with the brightly colored juice. And the cups go into a tray of ice right next to the cash register.

They used to put the OJ out on the countertop — and they hardly sold any of it. But now, 18 people a day grab one of those cups. At $3 each, that’s $54 a day. Over a year, that adds up to $19,710 in extra sales. (And that’s on an item with a very high profit margin.)

Whether you’re running a neighborhood coffee shop or an online “store,” make it easy for your customers to grab a little something extra on the way out. Those little sales will add up to big numbers fast.

For example, if you want to impress someone, the direct way to do it is to point out your admirable qualities and accomplishments. But talking about yourself usually makes you feel a little foolish. (And sometimes embarrassed.)

The indirect way to impress another person is simply to be impressed by him. The more impressed you are — by who he is or what he has accomplished — the more impressed he will be by you.

If you want to get someone interested in you, the direct way is to tell him all about yourself. But the indirect way works better. Simply become interested in him. The more interested you become in him, the more interested he will become in you.

If you want to be happy, the direct way is to do things that will make you happy. However, the most enjoyable and lasting form of happiness comes from making someone else happy. It’s the Law of Indirect Effort at work again. When you do or say anything that makes someone else happy, you feel happy yourself. You boost your own spirits, your own self-esteem.

How do you get another person to respect you? The best way is to respect him. When you demonstrate respect or admiration for another person, he feels respect and admiration for you. Sociologists call this the Principle of Reciprocity. When you do something nice for someone else, that person will want to reciprocate by doing something nice for you. (Most romances and friendships are based on this principle.)

How do you get a person to believe in you? The answer is to believe in him. By showing that you have confidence in him, he will have confidence in you too.

You get what you give. What you send out, you get back.

The most important application of the Law of Indirect Effort has to do with developing a healthy personality. You are structured in such a way that everything you do to someone else has a reciprocal effect on you. Everything you do to raise the self-esteem of another person raises your own self-esteem — at the same time and in the same measure. Since self-esteem is the hallmark of a healthy personality, you can actually improve the health of your own personality by taking every opportunity to improve the health of the personalities of others.

What you sow in the lives of others, you reap in your own life.

Everyone you meet is carrying a heavy load. This is especially true in the area of self-esteem and self-confidence. Everyone grows up with the need to be praised and recognized. No matter how successful or how elevated people become, they still need to have their self-images reinforced.

There is a line that says, “I like you because of the way I feel about myself when I am with you.” This line contains the key to human relations. The happiest men and women are those who make other people feel good about themselves when they are with them.

When you go through life raising the self-esteem of others, opportunities will open up. And people will help you in ways you cannot now imagine. So take every opportunity to say and do things that make other people feel more valuable. Each time you express a kindness toward another person, your own self-esteem improves. Your own personality becomes more positive and healthy.

The way to raise the self-esteem of others is simply to make them feel important. Everything you do or say that makes another person feel more important boosts his self-esteem at the same time.

When you practice the Law of Indirect Effort — going through your day looking for ways to make others feel important — you will be popular and welcome everywhere. You will be healthier and happier. You will get more real satisfaction from life. You will have lower levels of stress and higher levels of energy. You will experience greater peace of mind. Above all, you will genuinely like and respect yourself.

[Ed. Note: You can become a more positive, persuasive, influential person with Brian Tracy's The Power of Charm.Many of the most successful people in the world, and throughout history, have been described as "charming." In this one hour CD, you will learn how to become more charming with everyone in your life. Get yours today.]

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Increase Your Wealth by Managing Risk Like the Pros Do

You can’t take all the risk out of investing. But you can take much of it away. More important, you can remove the worst aspects of risk — those that cause fear and result in bad investment decisions. ETR’S own Charles Newcastle has developed a quick and simple four-step “risk removal” system that could bring you 132%+ gains in a matter of weeks.

When the earlier deadline is met, resist the urge to deliver immediately. (The idea is to impress your boss by delivering only one or two days early. Don’t make him wonder if you are grossly under-challenged.)

Instead, “sleep on it” for a few days. This will give you time to fine-tune and tweak. Maybe even fix errors you missed on the first go-around

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The “Obvious” Marketing Strategy… That Almost Every Start-Up Forgets – Your favorite restaurant almost certainly uses it. So do McDonald’s and Starbucks. But we’re willing to bet your new online business is missing out on it. If so, you’re probably losing thousands in sales. Read more to find out what “it” is…

Example (as used by John Wood today): “Most successful people are very friendly and will be happy to talk to you. (Provided you aren’t overbearing or bumptious.)”

Yes, talent helps. But talent is not something we can choose. It is given to us, as are so many other “advantages”: the kind of family we are born into, the color of our skin, and even our native intelligence.

You can’t increase your natural talents. But you can work hard to get better at any skill. And if you work hard enough, sometimes you arrive at a point where it looks like natural talent. People say to you, “Well, such and such is easy for you. You have a gift for it.”

There are many talented people out there doing nothing, achieving nothing, and living unhappy lives. Because talent is a two-edged sword.

Having a gift for a certain something can rob you of the habit of hard work. If you don’t have to try as hard, you never develop your potential. In the beginning, you are a natural leader in the field — but as time passes, the less-talented overtake you.

So let me ask you… how hard are you working?

Latest News

• Okay. So maybe you couldn’t make it to ETR’s Info-Marketing Bootcamp this year in person. But there is still a way to “experience” the event… in the comfort of your own home. Stay tuned for more details next week.

“My team of one expanded to include three experts.”

“This was one of the best e-mails I’ve ever had from you. Thanks so much. This is the type of assistance I appreciate most of all.

“So many of the comments made, by both Michael and Clayton, planted a seed. I opened my marketing planning folder and added many promotion and planning ideas based on what I had just read.

“For one brief moment, my team of one expanded to include three experts — a ‘thinker,’ a ‘marketer,’ and a ‘pusher’!”

Janet Denison
Vernon, British Columbia

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No Silver Spoons Here – Success mentor Bob Cox knows firsthand that hard work trumps talent. He’s helped four men go from rags to riches. Each became a billionaire, thanks to their work ethic. And they also had an attitude, a mindset, that drove them to succeed. It’s something you can learn. Why not let Bob help you…

Good in theory.

But many bad workers are using the agency to get money they don’t deserve. Employee “retaliation” lawsuits were up 23 percent in 2008.

It’s supposed to work like this: An employee complains about unsafe working conditions. They get fired. They sue their employer. But many workers, fired for bad performance or violations, are claiming the same protection. The government doesn’t see through the scheme. So they often win.

How do you protect your business from these revenge lawsuits?

Hire new employees for a six-month trial period. That should give you plenty of time to determine their character before you hire them permanently.

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When was the last time you slept (uninterrupted)
for 8 straight hours?

Dr. Jim LaValle (known as the “Doctors’ Doctor” because of his packed educational lectures for doctors) has just released a report with the secrets to getting you back to sleeping through the night… without drugs… in just 14 days.

In it, you’ll discover:

• How to eliminate the #1 reason why you toss and turn for hours (Your spouse will thank you too!)

• Tested psychological “tricks” that are guaranteed to knock you out cold!

• How to “burn off” the hormones that are keeping you wide awake at night (and half asleep during the day)

If you’re ready to sleep like a baby all night… and wake up bursting with energy… click here for your report.

There was a moment in it that sliced through my heart.

It didn’t come from the legendary movie actor himself, though.

It came from Brando’s Apocalypse Now co-star, Frederic Forrest. He said this about Brando:

“I never had any scenes with him. He killed me twice — in Missouri Breaks he shot me out of the outhouse, and in Apocalypse Now he cut my head off. But I never got to have a scene with him. I regret that. But God Almighty, I wish I had had enough nerve to meet him… to know him. But I was too in awe.”

What struck me was the true sense of regret Forrest put behind these words. You could tell it pains him to this day.

Have you ever been in a similar situation… where you wanted to take action, but didn’t?

Perhaps, like Forrest, you wanted to introduce yourself to someone, but let the moment slip by.

Your story might not be as dramatic as missing the chance to hang out with Marlon Brando, but it’s no less important.

Perhaps you were at a social event and spotted a local business hero. But when you started to walk over to introduce yourself, your feet acted like they were nailed to the floor. You remained frozen in place and silent — leaving you to always wonder what might have been…

In the marketing world, it would be like having an opportunity to have a conversation with an industry icon — the likes of Michael Masterson, Bob Bly, Bill Bonner, or Herschell Gordon Lewis (to mention only a few) — and not taking advantage of it.

In a minute, I’ll give you some tips on how to make a good impression on someone you admire and respect. Doing a few relatively simple things can have a big impact on your life. Because on top of the thrill of meeting that person, you may end up with some “glicken.” (If you’re not familiar with the word “glicken,” it’s an unexpected bonus.)

Meeting the Man Who Wrote the Book

That’s what happened to Pam Foster.

Pam, a member of American Writers & Artists Inc. (AWAI), is a copywriter. But before she even thought of becoming a copywriter, she worked for L.L. Bean. And they just happened to have a copy of Bob Bly’s The Copywriter’s Handbook.

Reading it is what got her interested in copywriting. That’s when she signed up with AWAI. And once she did, she found the name “Bob Bly” popping up quite often.

You see, Bob is the author of more than 70 books on copywriting and marketing. He’s been paid millions of dollars in fees, royalties, and advances from more than 100 publishers, editors, and corporate clients. With more than 25 years of experience, he’s received numerous awards and has been recognized as one of the top people in the industry.

So when Pam spotted Bob at AWAI’s 2005 Copywriting Bootcamp, she knew it was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. She walked over and introduced herself.

The result?

“We’ve since become friends and colleagues,” Pam says. “He refers work to me and has been an affiliate for my Internet book. He’s a great person to know, and I never would have met him had I not gotten up the nerve to introduce myself to him.”

The Power of One Little Conversation

This past May at AWAI’s Writer’s Retreat, Toni Rockis started up a conversation with AWAI Co-Founder Paul Hollingshead.

Toni, a grant writer, told Paul that there was a need for a program to educate people on the ins and outs of submitting grants. And she suggested that offering a grant-writing program would be a great opportunity for AWAI.

Paul talked to Katie Yeakle, AWAI’s Executive Director, about it. And the very next day, they asked Toni to write up a program outline. (They’re moving forward with the project as I type this.)

What made Toni’s meeting with Paul so successful was that she planned it in advance. She knew he would be at the Writer’s Retreat. And she thought out what she would say to him and how she would introduce her idea.

Like Toni, you can “prepare” to meet the person you want to introduce yourself to. Doing this accomplishes two things:

1. It calms your nerves. You’ll be rehearsed and confident — with no fear of sounding silly or saying the wrong thing.

2. It exponentially increases your chances of getting “glicken.” You’ll know the best way to introduce your ideas, since you’ll have thought about it long and hard.

What Pam and Toni have in common is that they had the courage to take action.

And they got to meet their “Marlon Brando.”

If there’s a “Marlon Brando” in your life, I encourage you to take action.

Here’s how to make that all-important first impression…

• Walk up to your “Marlon Brando” confidently. Smile! No one wants to meet a grump.

• Introduce yourself and tell him what you do. Make eye contact.

• Compliment him on his work or tell him how much something he’s written or said has helped you. Don’t make it overly flattering or you could come off as insincere.

Let the conversation evolve from there.

• Use his name during the conversation. A person’s name is music to his ears.

• Be a good listener. Give him your full attention. Focus on and react to what he says.

• Have some questions in your back pocket. This will help move the conversation along (and avoid those awful silent gaps). If, for example, he’s an author, ask if you can expect to see another book from him soon. If you’re a newbie in his area of expertise, ask what advice he would give to someone just starting out.

• Be mindful of his time, and don’t over-stay your visit. When it feels right, say something like “I know you must be busy, so I’ll let you go. It was great meeting you.”

Right about now, you’re probably thinking, “Easier said than done.” Most things are. But you might just be surprised by how easy this will be. Most successful people are very friendly and will be happy to talk to you. (Provided you aren’t overbearing or bumptious.)

Remember, you don’t have to be witty or come off as intellectually brilliant. You just have to be genuine and honest.

Take the initiative and, like Pam and Toni, you’ll never have to think “What if…?”

[Ed. Note: If you're interested in pursuing a copywriting career, you might want to check out AWAI's Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting. It contains hundreds of copywriting techniques, as well as a step-by-step "how-to" guide. Learn how to make $100,000 a year (or more!) right here.]

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Why You Don’t Need To Be an Author to Have a Bestselling Book

A Florida martial arts expert “found” a dusty old book. Then he turned it into estimated sales of over $20,000 in one month. With another book, he’s pulled in over $332,250.

A 30-something Internet marketer used the same formula to dig up his own bestseller. The little-known art book he found made $19,453 in just 3 weeks.

These books weren’t first editions. They weren’t famous. They weren’t wildly popular. Best of all? These hidden treasure troves don’t have to cost you a penny.

You could unearth the next bestseller. Find out how right here.