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

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 marketing campaign and to get a free trial, visit http://activecampaign.com/askpat.

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. Earth Class Mail brings your snail mail to the cloud. Go to https://www.earthclassmail.com/pat to get your first month free.

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/pretty-link/). Do you have a question about how to provide content to your audience? 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 world. Go to http://braintreepayments.com/pat.

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.com/. Today's sponsor is Freshbooks. Go to http://www.GetFreshBooks.com and enter "Ask Pat" for more information.

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" for more information.

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.

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://activecampaign.com/askpat.

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 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 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 also use the pen tool in Omnidazzle (http://omnidazzle.en.softonic.com/mac). Do you have a question about screen recordings? 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.

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://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://activecampaign.com/askpat.

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 about videos? 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 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 used is Rev (http://rev.com). You can find the SPI TV playlist on YouTube at http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/spitv-playlist. Do you have a question about writing? 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.

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 about working with their designers, go to http://designcrowd.com/askpat.

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/. Thanks to our sponsor, Active Campaign. To learn more about their integrated, automated marketing campaign and to get a free trial, visit http://activecampaign.com/askpat.

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 Freshbooks. Go to http://www.GetFreshBooks.com and enter "Ask Pat" for more information.

Today's question comes from Mark, who asks how to use Elance (now called Upwork) to find business partners. Is it a good place to find a business partner? In this episode, we discuss Upwork, which is the company that was formed by the merger of Elance and oDesk (http://upwork.com). I share my advice for vetting contractors on Upwork. Do you have a question about finding business partners? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today's question comes from Sarah, who has noticed that a few competitors have joined her email list. What should she do, delete them? Keep them? Sarah's site is http://thefreelancenaturopath.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 and enter "Ask Pat" for more information.

Today's question comes from Lucas, who asks about starting a new website. Is it possible to rank on the front page of Google with only a "coming soon" landing page? In this episode I talk about Amy Porterfield's list-building strategy (http://www.amyporterfield.com/). Do you have a question about starting your new business? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Check out my new book on validating your idea for a business, Will It Fly?, at http://willitflybook.com.

Today's question comes from Priest, who has a question about marketing his podcast. Should he market his podcast as a separate brand, or should he keep it with his existing audience? Priest's site is http://www.affiliatemission.com/. Do you have a question about marketing? 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://activecampaign.com/askpat.

Today's question comes from Pete, who has a successful podcast. How does he convert his podcast listeners into website visitors? Pete's site is http://meaningfulmoney.tv/. In this episode I talk about Amy Porterfield's podcast and website (http://www.amyporterfield.com/), as well as the LeadPages podcast, ConversionCast (http://podcast.leadpages.net/). Do you have a question about podcasting? 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.