AskPat 2.0: A Weekly Coaching Call on Online Business, Blogging, Marketing, and Lifestyle Design

Today's question comes from Gil, who asks about the best time to post content on various social media platforms. Find Gil on Twitter at https://twitter.com/gilliamwallace. The tool I mention in this episode is Tweriod (http://www.tweriod.com/). Find the HubSpot infographic I mentioned here (http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/best-times-post-pin-tweet-social-media-infographic). Do you have a questio...

Today's question comes from Sanyog, who is building a site to help students prepare for an exam. If he would like to make $4000/month in Google advertising revenue, how much traffic will he need? In this episode, I share how I would start to build a business around test preparation, which is how I got started with passive income. I reference my friend Cornelius from PM Prepcast (https://www.projec...

AP 0632: How Should I Promote Affiliate Products? Today's question comes from Phillip, who has a question about affiliate marketing. Should he use the provided swipe files and sales page, or should he create his own personalized content? The affiliate landing page I discuss is http://askpat.com/bluehost. Do you have a question about affiliate marketing? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Check o...

Today's question comes from Tyler, who runs a site that isn't based around content, but rather around connecting League of Legends players with each other. How does he make the most of his mailing list? Tyler's site is http://loltraininghouse.com/. Do you have a question about email marketing? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is Freshbooks. Go to http://www. GetFreshBooks.com a...

Today's question comes from Matthew, who is just getting started. After he has his website running, what should he do next? Should he start with ConvertKit or LeadPages? In this episode, I talk about ConvertKit (http://askpat.com/convertkit), AWeber (http://askpat.com/aweber) and LeadPages (http://askpat.com/leadpages). My recommended website host is Bluehost (http://askpat.com/bluehost). Do you h...

Today's question comes from David, who has a question about podcast launches. Should he create a launch team for a podcast? Can a small launch team make a difference? If you're starting a podcast, check out my free advice at http://podcastingtutorial.com/. Do you have a question about podcast launches? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is Freshbooks. Go to http://www. GetFreshBo...

Today's question comes from Andrew, who is struggling to figure out what kind of content to create for his Kickstarter audience. Now that he has delivered on the Kickstarter, what kind of content should he share with his audience? Andrew's site is http://www.andhegames.com/. Do you have a question about content creation? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is Freshbooks. Go to htt...

Today's question comes from GTO, who has a question about his friend's website, which serves a Pittsburgh neighborhood. Is the site's niche too narrow? The website is http://homewoodnation.com/. Do you have a question about your niche site? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is Braintree. Braintree will help you accept business payments for your products from customers across the...

Today's question comes from GTO, who asks about my intros for the Smart Passive Income Podcast. How do I record those? The program I use to record is Adobe Audition, but you could use any recording program like Garage Band, Audacity, or Reaper. Do you have a question about recording? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to our sponsor, Active Campaign. To learn more about their integrated,...

Today's question comes from Matt, who is considering building a YouTube channel for his site. Is YouTube worth his time? Matt's site is http://buddhaimonia.com/. Do you have a question about expanding your brand? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to Zip Recruiter for sponsoring today's episode. Go to http://www.ziprecruiter.com/pat to get started posting jobs today. See Privacy Policy at...

Today's question comes from Michael, who has been split-testing his email subject lines. Can the email's subject line affect the click-throughs that the reader makes? Share your thoughts on this topic on Twitter at #AskPat624. Do you have a question about email marketing? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to our sponsor, Active Campaign. To learn more about their integrated, automated ma...

Today's question comes from Matt, who asks about the writing process for my book, Will It Fly? How did I stay focused on that project while keeping the rest of my business running? I recommend the book The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan (http://www.the1thing.com/). Do you have a question about managing projects? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is Earth Class Mail. Ea...

Today's question comes from Danielle, who asks about offering free downloadable content with her posts. Does she need LeadPages in order to offer this content? Danielle's site is http://textpanther.com/. In this episode, Danielle talks about how Amy Porterfield offers downloadable content (http://amyporterfield.com/). The WordPress plugin I mention is Pretty Link (https://wordpress.org/plugins/pre...

Today's question comes from Thomas, who is fifteen and building an online business. What does he need to know about building an online business and building passive income at his age? Thomas's site is http://wewearshirts.com/. I share my thoughts on getting started in online business while still in school. Do you have a question about getting your business started? Record it at http://www.askpat.c...

Today's question comes from John, who has a question about Facebook. How does he get followers to like his fan pages, rather than request to follow him personally? John's website is http://www.writersauthorsonfire.com/. Do you have a question about Facebook for your business? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is Freshbooks. Go to http://www. GetFreshBooks.com and enter "Ask Pat"...

Today's question comes from Kyle, who has a new website. How does he determine how well his site is doing? Which statistics matter? Kyle's site is http://studywebdevelopment.com/. Do you have a question about determining your website's growth? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is Freshbooks. Go to http://www. GetFreshBooks.com and enter "Ask Pat" for more information. See Privac...

Today's question comes from Charles, who asks about buying websites. How does the transfer process work? You can buy websites through Flippa (http://flippa.com). Do you have a question about buying websites? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to our sponsor, Active Campaign. To learn more about their integrated, automated marketing campaign and to get a free trial, visit http://activecamp...

Today's question comes from Monik, who is working on an ebook. What is the best way to convert a Word document into a professional PDF? For advice on writing an ebook, check out my guide, Ebooks the Smart Way (http://ebooksthesmartway.com). To find designers, try our sponsor today or Upwork (http://upwork.com) or Fiverr (http://fiverr.com). Do you have a question about creating ebooks? Record it a...

Today's question comes from Pat, who asks about my explainer videos. What drawing program do I use? The pen/table tool that I use is Wacom Bamboo tablet (the exact model is no longer available; search Amazon for "Wacom tablet"). For screen recording, I recommend Screenflow for Mac (http://www.telestream.net/screenflow/overview.htm) or Camtasia for PCs (https://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.html). I a...

Today's question comes from Jeremy, whose biggest client no longer needs his services. How can he quickly bring in new clients? In this episode, I discuss Upwork (http://upwork.com), Freelancer.com (http://freelancer.com), and Fiverr (http://fiverr.com), as well as my own videographer, Caleb Wojcik (http://www.calebwojcik.com/). Do you have a question about bringing in business? Record it at http:...

Today's question comes from David, who has a question about YouTube. How can he get more traffic to his videos? David's site is http://bartenderhq.com/. To enter to win an AskPat t-shirt, use #AskPat614 in a tweet by June 3, 2016. In this episode, I discuss the Mixergy podcast (https://mixergy.com/interviews/) and Eventual Millionaire (http://eventualmillionaire.com/blog/). Do you have a question...

Today's question comes from Travis, who asks about about my new book, Will It Fly? How did I write the book? What tools and habits did I use? Travis is talking about my new book on validating your idea for a business, Will It Fly? (http://willitflybook.com). In this episode, I talk about the writing program Scrivener (https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php). The transcription tool that I...

Today's question comes from Manjit, who is getting started with his site and who needs a boost of confidence. How does he create good content for his readers, such as with writing an ebook? I put together a guide for creating ebooks (http://ebooksthesmartway.com). Do you have a question about content creation? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to our sponsor, Design Crowd. To learn more...

Today's question comes from Michael, who asks about building an audience for a film. Can a film studio reach out to audiences for their past films, even if their new film is in a different genre? Michael mentions Smart Passive Income Podcast Session 31 (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session31). Do you have a question about connecting with your audience? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Tha...

Today's question comes from Menasheh, who poses a hypothetical question: if I were to quit working today, how passive is my income? In this episode, I mention my income reports (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/income-reports/). I also mention my boo, Will It Fly? (http://willitflybook.com). Do you have a question about passive income? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is Fresh...