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

Today's question comes from Richard, who works in Formula One racing. Each race weekend he gets a big spike in traffic. How can he convert that traffic into book sales? Richard's site is http://jobinf1.com/. Richard talks about my very first niche site, Green Exam Academy (http://www.greenexamacademy.com/). Take a look at Google Trends (https://www.google.com/trends/). Do you have a question about taking advantage of the traffic that comes in to your site? 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 Ian, who is looking to build his confidence with public speaking and in interviews. Would starting a podcast help him improve his public speaking? Ian's site is http://logogeek.co.uk/. I share my experience with using a podcast to build my confidence with public speaking. Do you have a question about improving your confidence in an area of your business? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to our sponsor, Lynda.com. Try out all of Lynda.com's courses for free for seven days. Go http://lynda.com/AskPat to get started.

Today's question comes from Jonathan, who asks about adding links into ebooks. Jonathan’s site is http://www.best27inchmonitor.com/. In this episode, I talk about Geni.us, which helps you join international Amazon affiliate programs (http://geni.us). Do you have a question about affiliate marketing? 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 Tony, who asks about content promotion. Tony mentions Derek Halpern, who spends a lot of time promoting his content (http://socialtriggers.com/). The tool I use for recycling social posts is Edgar (http://meetedgar.com/); the tool I use for my editorial schedule is Coschedule (http://smartpassiveincome.com/coschedule) Do you have a question about promoting your content? 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 Peter, who has to move often. What’s a good online business for someone on the move? In Episode 46 of the Smart Passive Income Podcast, Dane Maxwell talks about how to find a business idea (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/no-ideas-no-expertise-no-money-business/). The post by Kevin Kelly I mention is called 1,000 True Fans (http://kk.org/thetechnium/1000-true-fans/). Do you have a question about getting your business started? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to today's sponsor, AWeber. Your email list is your most valuable asset—get started today. Go to http://www.aweber.com/askpat.

Today's question comes from Thomas, who asks if I still have meetups in person. Use the hashtag #AskPat439 to let me know if you’re interested in my idea. Do you have a question about networking with others? 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 Todd and his kids Joshua and Jenna, who ask about blog comment platforms. Do you recommend Disqus? Smart Passive Income uses Disqus (https://disqus.com/). My friend Cliff uses Livefyre (http://web.livefyre.com/). The spam plugin I mentioned (but didn’t work well for me) is Akismet (http://akismet.com/). The spam plugin that did work for me is Growmap Anti-Spambot Plugin (https://wordpress.org/plugins/growmap-anti-spambot-plugin/). Do you have a question about blogging plugins? 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 Tony, who asks about how my online business has impacted how I feel about design. Tony’s site is http://designerhacks.com/. Tony mentions Smart Passive Income Podcast Episode 90 (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/architecture-online-business/). In this episode, I also talk about what I’ve learned from Derek Halpern (http://socialtriggers.com/) and from my designer Dustin (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/meet-team-flynn/). Do you have a question about how design impacts 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 Will, who hopes to convince his podcast guests to provide offers for his audience. The problem is that he doesn’t have an audience yet. How should he get started? I share how I would go about finding offers for my podcast audience. Do you have a question about podcasts? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to today's sponsor, AWeber. Your email list is your most valuable asset—get started today. Go to http://www.aweber.com/askpat.

Today's question comes from Michael, who asks about single opt-in for email marketing. In this episode, I mention my interview with Ryan Levesque on Smart Passive Income Podcast Episode 179 (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/underused-methods-for-building-your-email-list/). 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 Tony, who is overwhelmed by spam email. What can he do to combat the huge amount of spam emails? Tony’s site is http://bloggingdiabetes.com/. For blog comments, I recommend getting a captcha plugin for your WordPress website or switching your commenting system to Disqus (https://disqus.com/). I use a paid service called Sanebox (http://sanebox.com/pat), combined with Google Apps for Business (https://www.google.com/work/apps/business/). I talk about how to tackle a huge backlog of email on Smart Passive Income Episode 115 (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/email-management/). Do you have a question about email management? 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 Nicholas, who is trying to understand how to promote his business using Pinterest. Nicholas’s website is http://informationalcuisine.com/. I recommend looking to Social Media Examiner for advice on Pinterest (http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/). Check out the Everything Food Conference (http://www.foodbloggingconference.com/) and listen to Smart Passive Income Session 148 (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/the-story-behind-the-success-of-food-blog-pinch-of-yum-with-lindsay-and-bjork/). I also mention the Get Rich Slowly blog (http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/). Do you have a question about promoting your business? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to LegalZoom for sponsoring today's episode. Go to http://www.legalzoom.com/ and enter the discount code "Pat" at checkout.

Today's question comes from Joe, who is having trouble converting podcast listeners into email list subscribers. How can he improve this conversion rate? Joe’s podcast is The Q2 Podcast (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-q2-podcast/id897345646?mt=2). Joe’s podcast host is Podbean (http://www.podbean.com/). The WordPress plugin I mention is Pretty Links (https://wordpress.org/plugins/pretty-link/). The conversion tool I recommend is LeadPages (http://askpat.com/leadpages). Check out my book, eBooks the Smart Way (http://ebooksthesmartway.com). For more on email list building, listen to Smart Passive Income Podcast Episode 78 (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/rapid-list-building/). Today's sponsor is Freshbooks. Go to http://www.GetFreshBooks.com and enter "Ask Pat" for more information.

Today's question comes from Wayne, who is looking to hire a software developer. How does he find someone who can make his idea a reality? I recommend Upwork, which is the new company created by the merger of Elance and oDesk (https://www.upwork.com/). For team communication, I highly recommend Slack (http://askpat.com/slack-communication). Do you have a question about hiring staff to help create your projects? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to our sponsor, Lynda.com. Try out all of Lynda.com's courses for free for seven days. Go http://lynda.com/AskPat to get started. 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 Tara, who asks if ebooks are too old school. Is something fancier, like video, a better choice? Good platforms for hosting courses include WP WishList (http://member.wishlistproducts.com/), WP Courseware (https://flyplugins.com/wp-courseware/), and Zippy Courses (http://askpat.com/zippycourses). The entrepreneurs I mentioned in this episode are Nathan Barry (http://nathanbarry.com/) and David Siteman Garland (http://www.therisetothetop.com/). For recording your screen, I recommend Screenflow (http://askpat.com/screenflow) or Camtasia (https://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.html). Do you have a question about lead magnets? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to our sponsor, Lynda.com. Try out all of Lynda.com's courses for free for seven days. Go http://lynda.com/AskPat to get started.

Today's question comes from Karin, whose business is growing rapidly. Her email inbox is getting out of hand—what strategies can she use to keep the personal touch without getting overwhelmed? For more on how Jessica and I handle email, listen to Smart Passive Income Podcast Episode 115 (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/email-management/). Do you have a question about email management? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to today's sponsor, AWeber. Your email list is your most valuable asset—get started today. Go to http://www.aweber.com/askpat.

Today's question comes from Rachel, who wants to build a business without creating a specific niche site. How can she do that? In this episode, I talk about Glen Allsopp from Viperchill (http://www.viperchill.com/). The tool I talk about is LeadPages (http://askpat.com/leadpages). The affiliate marketplaces mentioned are ClickBank (http://www.clickbank.com/) and CJ (formerly Commission Junction; http://www.cj.com/). To contribute your thoughts on this topic, use the hashtag #AskPat428. Do you have a question about starting your online 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 Corey, who is looking for a mentor. How can he find one? In this episode, I talk about Brian Harris’s “Poster Boy” strategy (http://blog.videofruit.com/poster-boy/). Do you have a question about mentors? 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 Nick, who needs some suggestions for better lead generation for his home building company. To learn about content marketing, check out Marcus Sheridan (http://www.thesaleslion.com/). Do you have a question about lead generation? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to our sponsor, Lynda.com. Try out all of Lynda.com's courses for free for seven days. Go http://lynda.com/AskPat to get started. 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 Amanda, who wants to get back to blogging again. How can she make her Blogger site more mobile-friendly? Amanda’s site is http://www.mommymiamonologues.com/. In this episode, I mention this article from Big Little Geek on responsive Blogger templates (http://www.biglittlegeek.com/best-responsive-seo-optimized-blogger-templates-2015/). If you’re using the Amazon Associate program, check out Genius (https://www.geni.us/). Do you have a question about making your site more mobile-friendly (or responsive)? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to LegalZoom for sponsoring today's episode. Go to http://www.legalzoom.com/ and enter the discount code "Pat" at checkout.