Askpat 2.0: A Weekly Coaching Call On Online Business, Blogging, Marketing, And Lifestyle Design

Today's question comes from Michael, who has a question about incorporating ecommerce into a WordPress website. What ecommerce tools should he use on his WordPress website? How should he add ecommerce into his website? What are some ways he can take payment? In this episode, I mention my brand new course, Power Up Podcasting. It’s a podcasting course to help you level up your podcasting power. Join the waitlist at PowerUpPodcasting.com. I also mention Shopify, a very well known ecommerce platform you can check out at Shopify.com. As well as WooCommerce, another ecommerce tool you can use on your WordPress website. You can find WooCommerce at WooCommerce.com. Lastly, Stripe is another ecommerce tool I’d recommend on the show. Learn more at Stripe.com. Do you have a question about ecommerce solutions for your website? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today's question comes from Adam, who has a question about the one thing I’ve done well in my business. Since I talk a lot about my failures in business, he’s curious about the one thing I’ve done well. What is that one thing? How can Adam take this one thing and apply it to his own business success? What can Adam learn about failure in business? If you’d like to comment on this episode, share the one thing you’ve done really well in your business. Share that on Twitter with the hashtag #AskPat843. And don’t forget to tag me on Twitter @PatFlynn. Do you have a question about what it takes to make your business a success? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is Freshbooks. Go to http://www.freshbooks.com/askpat and enter "Ask Pat" for more information.

Today's question comes from Glenn, who has a question about growing his business. He’s doing the right things in his business and has followed my advice. What is he missing? What opportunities are there for Glenn to take advantage of for his business? Is he connecting with the right people? Glenn’s website is at http://LiveFitLean.com. Do you have a question about growing your business? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is FreshBooks. Go to http://www.freshbooks.com/askpat and enter "Ask Pat" for more information.

Today's question comes from Chris, who has a question about hosting his podcast on his website. Should he host his podcast on his website? What are the pros and cons of using his website for podcast hosting? In this episode I mention Libsyn (use the code “Pat” to get your first month free) and Buzzsprout, podcast hosting providers you can start with. Learn more at Libsyn.com or Buzzsprout.com. Do you have a question about podcast hosting? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. The sponsor for this episode is Vistaprint, an excellent resource for your business marketing needs. As a special to AskPat listeners, get 500 custom business cards for just $9.99 (50 percent savings!). Be sure to enter "Pat" at checkout. Learn more at http://www.vistaprint.com/. 

AP 0840: How Much Premium Content Should I Give Away for Free? Today's question comes from Lewis, who has a question about how much premium content he should give away on his blog. Where should he draw the line between offering free content and premium content? If he gives it all away for free, are there other opportunities to make an income from his audience? Lewis’s website is at TheFreelanceEffect.com. In this episode, we mention Upwork, a site where you can hire freelancers or offer up your services as a freelancer for hire. Go to Upwork.com to learn more. Do you have a question about premium content and free content on your blog? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to ZipRecruiter for sponsoring today's episode. Go to http://www.ziprecruiter.com/pat to get started posting jobs today.

Today's question comes from Mike, who has a question about whether or not the Smart Passive Income podcast archive is still relevant. Are niche websites still relevant? What content should he focus on when he’s just starting out in online business? In this episode I mention three episodes of the Smart Podcast Income Podcast that will help you get started in your online business: SPI Session 192, SPI Session 193, and SPI Session 194. Do you have a question about starting an online business? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today's question comes from Nara, who has a question about creating a podcast intro by herself. What should she do to create an audio intro for her podcast? What are the main components of a good podcast intro? Where can she find inspiration to apply to her own audio intro? In this episode, I mention my new podcasting course, which is in beta testing right now. It will be available later this year! You can find that at PowerUpPodcasting.com. Do you have a question about creating an audio intro for your podcast? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to our sponsor, Design Crowd. To learn more about working with their designers, go to http://designcrowd.com/askpat.

Today's question comes from Gianna, who has a question about how she should reach out to her audience. What is the best way to reach out to her audience without seeming too pushy or sleazy? Should she set up an email series to connect with her audience? What balance should she strike between asking for money and providing value to her audience? Gianna’s website is at FamilyFunTwinCities.com If you have something to add to the conversation, use the hashtag #AskPat 837 and mention me on Twitter.com/PatFlynn. Do you have a question about asking your audience for money? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is FreshBooks. Go to http://www.freshbooks.com/askpat and enter "Ask Pat" for more information.

Today’s question comes from Jeanette, who has a question about starting a new email list to align with the change in direction of her blog. Should she create a new email list or use the existing email list? Does she start from scratch with the new vision for the website? What can she do to prepare her audience for the website change? Jeanette’s website is at http://craftwhack.com. Do you have a question about changing the direction of your website and your email list? Record it at AskPat.com. Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks. Go to Freshbooks.com/AskPat and enter “Ask Pat” for more information.

Today’s question comes from Justin, who has a question about creating a product or something his audience will pay for. How can he start introducing paid content or products with the free stuff he’s already giving away? What are some cost-effective ways he can start growing his online business reach and earnings? How can he solve problems for his audience and get paid for doing it? Justin’s website is at http://logicalharmony.net. In this episode, I mention Smart From Scratch, my new online course. 500 students are already going through Smart From Scratch. Sign up for the waitlist now to be ready for the June launch. Go to SmartFromScratch.com to sign up today. I also mention Patreon, a site you can use to help grow your business along with your community. Learn more at http://patreon.com. Do you have a question about getting your audience to start paying for your services? Record it at http://AskPat.com.

Today's question comes from Alexander, who is planning a website for the food and website industry. Does the main color of the site matter? Is there a bad choice? Do you have a question about your website design? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to our sponsor, Design Crowd. To learn more about working with their designers, go to http://designcrowd.com/askpat.

Today's question comes from Maya, and it's the kind I love! She asks if she is able to start a business at the age of eleven. Maya's mom's site is http://www.familyfuntwincities.com/. In this episode, I talk about EvanTubeHD (https://www.youtube.com/user/EvanTubeHD). Do you have a question about starting a business? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is Freshbooks. Go to http://www.freshbooks.com/askpat and enter "Ask Pat" for more information.

Today’s question comes from Richard, who has a question about how much free content he should add within his online course. How much content should he give for free as a teaser for his online course? What are some ways I can show how valuable my online course is without giving it away entirely for free? Richard’s website is at AFlexibleYou.com. In this episode, I mention AskPat Live. You can check out AskPat Live every Friday at 1:30 p.m. PT at http://facebook.com/smartpassiveincome. Do you have a question about marketing your online course? Record it at http://askpat.com. Today’s sponsor is Freshbooks. Go to http://freshbooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” for more information.

Today’s question comes from Dave, who has a question about adding songs to his podcast. Can he add music that is not his? Even if he credits the author of the music, can he add that to his podcast? If any, what are the licensing and legal implications? What are some alternatives to adding his favorite song or band of the week to his podcast? Do you have a question about adding music to your podcast? Record it at http://askpat.com. Thanks to our sponsor, Design Crowd. To learn more about working with their designers, go to http://designcrowd.com/askpat.

Today’s question comes from Dan, who has a question about tutorials. Where does he start in tutorial creation? Should he first start with YouTube? Does he post that on his blog? How does he make the most out of the content he’s creating while growing his audience on YouTube and his website? Dan’s website is at TheRealDanVega.com. On this episode, I mention Rev as a neat tool for transcribing your YouTube videos. Learn more at Rev.com. I also mention two other tutorials that I’ve created, which you can find at http://podcastingtutorial.com and http://startanemaillist.com. Do you have a question about growing your audience with tutorials? Record it at http://askpat.com. Thanks to Zip Recruiter for sponsoring today’s episode. Go to http://ziprecruiter.com/pat to get started posting jobs today.

Today’s question comes from Muj, who has a question about creating a niche product as a teenager. How does he overcome the age obstacle? What can he do to create a niche product from the perspective of a teenager that will still be relevant for a wide audience? Should age matter? Do you have a question about creating a niche product or business? Record it at http://askpat.com. Thanks to our sponsor, Design Crowd. To learn more about working with their designers, go to http://designcrowd.com/askpat.

Today’s question comes from Glen, who has a question about image use on his website. Can he use images from Google on his website? What are some good alternatives to iStock or other stock image websites? Are there free to use images on Google? What are the legal implications for using images from Google on his website? In this episode, I mention Flickr as good alternative to iStock. Check them out at Flickr.com. I also mention my Ultimate Guide to Finding and Using Images on Your Blog, which you can find at http://smartpassiveincome.com/how-to-find-images-blog-guide/. Find Google's Advanced Image Search at https://www.google.com/advanced_image_search. Do you have a question about image use for your website? Record it at http://askpat.com. Thanks to our sponsor, Design Crowd. To learn more about working with their designers, go to http://designcrowd.com/askpat.

Today’s question comes from Andre, who has a question about promoting his new book. Should he create a website for his book? What other promotion opportunities does he have? What else can he do to get the word out about his new book? How does he expand on that to help promote himself? Do you have a question about promoting your book? Record it at http://askpat.com. Today’s sponsor is Freshbooks. Go to http://freshbooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” for more information.

Today's question comes from Vitaliy, who has a question about the SPI Pro Theme and how it compares with other premium WordPress themes. What is the difference between the SPI Pro Theme and other WordPress themes? What are the pros and cons? In this episode, we mention the SPI Pro Theme, which you can learn more about at http://www.AskPat.com/SPITheme. I also mention that, each Friday at 1:30 p.m. PT, I host AskPat Live over at http://www.Facebook.com/SmartPassiveIncome. Do you have a question about WordPress themes or the SPI Pro theme? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is Freshbooks. Go to http://www.freshbooks.com/askpat and enter "Ask Pat" for more information.

Today’s question comes from Sarah, who has a question about how she determines if her niche is a good one for an online course. How does she determine if her niche and topic are right for an online course? What can she do to drum up interest in her online course? How should she design her online course? In this episode, I mention LeadPages (https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/leadpages) as a good place to create a landing page to generate interest for your online course. I also mention Teachable (http://teachable.com) as a great tool for online course creation. Do you have a question about developing an online course? Record it at http://askpat.com. Thanks to our sponsor, Design Crowd. To learn more about working with their designers, go to http://designcrowd.com/askpat.