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

Today’s question comes from Joshua, who has a question about how to manage multiple domains with a single host. Joshua’s site is http://informationtechnologytraining.biz/. The hosts I recommend are Bluehost (http://askpat.com/bluehost) and if you have the traffic that requires a dedicated host, Linode (https://www.linode.com/). Use #AskPat259 to share your advice on shared hosting. Do you have a q...

Today’s question comes from Warren, who would like to start a podcast but is worried that he won’t sound natural. How can he work to improve his communication skills? Warren’s site is http://www.thesuperblife.com/. Do you have a question about podcasting? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks for your support of both my launches this week! For podcast creators, check out the Smart Podcast Pl...

Today’s question comes from Guillermo, who wonders if the sample of his ebook is hurting his sales. Do you have a question about promoting your products? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks for your support of the new 1DayBB podcast, which features my buddy Chris Ducker and I tackling one small business owner’s most pressing problem. Find it here: http://1daybb.com/ Thanks to Zip Recruiter...

Today’s question comes from Andrew, who is trying to find an ethical way to stand out in a crowded market online. Here’s the link to Brian Regan’s comedy bit about “the me monster” (http://youtu.be/vymaDgJ7KLg). Do you have a question about getting noticed by your target audience? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is Freshbooks. Go to http://www. GetFreshBooks.com and enter "Ask...

Today’s question comes from Alyssa, who ask about the balance of content frequency versus depth. Alyssa’s site is http://www.earnyourspurs.com/. The podcast editing services I recommend are Music Radio Creative (http://musicradiocreative.com/askpat) and TwentyFour Sound (http://twentyfoursound.com/). I talk about Derek Halpern, who you can find at Social Triggers (http://socialtriggers.com/). Chec...

Today’s question comes from Talia, whose audience shies away from public engagement and purchasing online products. What should she do? Talia’s site is http://www.partyinmyplants.com/. Do you have a question about engaging with your audience? 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 Privacy...

Today’s question comes from Katie, who is planning to target a broader audience than before. How should she prepare her mailing list for this change? Katie’s site is http://katiedavis.com/. In this episode, I talk about Infusionsoft (http://www.infusionsoft.com/) which is an email service provider and customer management system. Do you have a question about managing your email list? Record it at h...

Today’s question comes from Brooke, who has an idea to get started. She knows it will be successful, but is worried that a large company will take her idea and out-compete her, and she would like to know my thoughts on this. I’ve had some experience with this over at my niche site, Green Exam Academy (http://www.greenexamacademy.com/). Share your thoughts with #AskPat252. Do you have a question ab...

Andy is starting a site to help people pass an exam. Is it better to focus on writing a few evergreen posts for his site, or should he write a blog on an ongoing basis? Andy references the site that got me started online, Green Exam Academy (http://www.greenexamacademy.com/). Some examples of evergreen content from Smart Passive Income include my Podcasting Tutorial (http://www.podcastingtutorial....

Rebecca has a thriving site, and she’s noticed that her younger users don’t prefer email. What do I think will be the future of audience communication? Is it email, or is there something else? Rebecca’s site is http://evidencebasedbirth.com/. In this episode, I talk about apps, including my own, which you can download here: http://smartpassiveincome.com/app. Do you have a question about email list...

Cassel returns to ask about online courses. Should she have open registration or registration windows that close after a short time? Cassel’s site is http://scrapbookcampus.com/. I reference episodes of the Smart Passive Income Podcast with David Siteman Garland (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/how-to-build-an-online-course-that-sells/) and Amy Porterfield (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/3-pa...

The first question of 2015 comes from Khan, who would like to know which blogs I follow. More specifically, he’s trying to avoid information overload. I found Gary Keller’s book, The One Thing, very useful for figuring out what I need to focus on. I also like using Evernote (http://www.evernote.com/) to keep track of information for future use. Do you have a question about organizing your time? Re...

Today’s question comes from Winston, who would like to know if I have a template or layout for writing my blog posts. I reference Smart Passive Income Podcast #140 (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/early-morning-routine/), where I discuss with Hal Elrod the strategy for building a morning routine. Do you have a question about blogging? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. See Privacy Policy at ht...

Today’s question comes from Adam, who is referencing Smart Passive Income Podcast #15 (http://smartpassiveincome.com/session15) where I recommend starting with Infobarrel (http://www.infobarrel.com/). Do you have a question about getting started with passive income? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to today's sponsor, AWeber. Your email list is your most valuable asset—get started today...

Today’s question comes from Ann, who is interested in setting up a partnership on a project. How do you set that up? Ann references my partnership with Chris Ducker at http://1daybb.com/. Do you have a question about creating a business partnership? 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...

Reuben asks for a list of five conferences I would recommend attending in 2015. I give a top seven—conferences I have attended in the past that have been very useful for me. Social Media Marketing World: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/smmworld/ New Media Expo: http://nmxlive.com/2015-lv/ Podcast Movement: http://podcastmovement.com/ New Media Europe: http://newmediaeurope.com/2015/ Platform Co...

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Thank you so much for listening to AskPat this year. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s question comes from Jim, who wants to advertise his sales site on Facebook. Because people are less likely to purchase from a mobile phone, should he only advertise to desktop computer users? Jim’s site is http://huntersapron.com/. For this episode, I brought in my friend Rick Mulready, who is an expert in Facebook advertising. Find more from Rick at http://rickmulready.com/. His new podca...

Today’s question comes from Joseph. He references episode #0089 of AskPat, which tackled the best time to post a blog post. Should he publish his blog post a little before the ideal time? Joseph’s site is http://www.jmlalonde.com/. You can find episode #0089 here: https://soundcloud.com/askpat/best-day-and-time-to-publish-blog-post. I mention the book The Bulletproof Diet: http://www.amazon.com/Th...

Today’s question comes from Benjamin, who asks if I had experience in the security guard or food truck industries before creating my niche sites, http://www.securityguardtraininghq.com/ and http://foodtruckr.com/. In this episode, I mention using Elance for writing help (http://askpat.com/elance). Do you have a question about writing for a niche site? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to...

Today’s question comes from Dan, who wants to know if he can use Fiverr for written content. In today’s episode, I discuss how to use Fiverr (http://fiverr.com/) and Elance (http://www.askpat.com/elance) to help with your blog writing. Also, check out Speakpipe if you need to take questions from your audience (https://www.speakpipe.com/). Do you have a question about blogging? Record it at http://...

E.J. has a niche site with a #1 Google ranking—but no affiliate offers. What else can he do to monetize the site? E.J.’s site is http://cubicletent.com/. Do you have a question about site monetization? 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 Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and...

We have a special guest today! Stephanie wants to limit the number of free podcasts her audience can access, so that they will subscribe to her premium podcast. I’ve brought in my friend, Cliff Ravenscraft, also known as Podcast Answer Man, to answer this question. Find Cliff at http://podcastanswerman.com/. Do you have a question about podcasting? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to to...

Today’s question comes from Rowland, an experienced business owner looking for a mastermind group. Rowland’s site is http://winestorageguide.com/. I discuss the mastermind groups I am in with Cliff from http://podcastanswerman.com/ and Jaime from http://eventualmillionaire.com/. I also mention checking http://www.meetup.com/. Do you have a question about running your mastermind group? Record it at...

Chris is in the process of reviving his nearly dead blog (http://golfmoreswingless.com/) and he wants to add a book club. How can he add value and monetize it? I have a book club, which you can join here: http://patflynn.com/book-club/. Do you have a question about ways to reach your audience? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to today's sponsor, AWeber. Your email list is your most valu...