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

Today's question comes from Stephen, who asks about local promotion. How do you increase your in-person and web traffic from a local audience? Stephen's site is http://mountainfreshmedia.com/. The sites I discuss are Yelp (https://www.yelp.com/minneapolis) and Angie's List (https://www.angieslist.com/). Do you have a question about web traffic for your brick and mortar business? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

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Today's question comes from Jan, who is looking to upgrade her website. What is a 301 redirect? Can she use other template websites and still maintain her Google ranking? Jan's site is http://www.coloradolash.com/. Jan's first website was built by Vistaprint (http://www.vistaprint.com/). Do you have a question about web development? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

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 DJ D'Loose, who asks about how to get people signed up to his email list. Traditional incentives like ebooks don't apply for this type of business. Share your advice and ideas on Twitter using #AskPat765. Do you have a question about email marketing? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

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 Jon, who asks about using the site Medium (http://medium.com) like guest posting. Should he put in links back to his main site in his posts on Medium.com? Jon's site is http://www.moneysmartguides.com/. Do you have a question about writing on Medium? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

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 Jason, who asks about interviewing. How should he determine which questions to ask his guests when interviewing? Jason's site is http://www.digitaltoolsofthetrade.com/. Do you have a question about interviewing? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

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 Jason, who is looking to start a new niche site, but needs some advice on long-tail keyword searches. How can he find an under-used market? Jason's site is http://www.canonblogger.com/. For advice on market research, check out my book, Will It Fly?, at http://willitflybook.com. For advice on starting an email list, try my email challenge at http://100emails.com. The content search tool I discuss is BuzzSumo (http://buzzsumo.com/). Do you have a question about niche site selection? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

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 VK, who asks about selling seasonal items on Amazon. Does he need to set up a website to go along with his Amazon listings, or is it okay just to use Amazon and his email list? If you are just getting started, learn how to grow your email list at http://www.100emails.com. A good platform for setting up online stores is Shopify (https://www.shopify.com/). Do you have a question about getting started? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

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 Brandi, who is feeling overwhelmed by the existing competition in her market. Is it even worth getting started? How can she get access to big name media properties for exposure? Also, how does she add the ability to ask audio questions, like I have for the AskPat Podcast? The tool that records questions is called Speakpipe, which allows you to embed an audio recorder on your webpage (http://askpat.com/speakpipe). Listen to Smart Passive Income Podcast Session #145 to learn how to get coverage from large media outlets (http://smartpassiveincome.com/session145). Another great tool is Help A Reporter Out (HARO), which will connect you with reporters who need sources for their stories (https://www.helpareporter.com/). Do you have a question about gaining exposure for your website? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

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 David, who has a question about dealing with one-star iTunes ratings and reviews for his podcast. How do you handle poor reviews? What happens if those one-star ratings come from spam or online trolls? How do you deal with that negativity against your podcast? David's website is at http://www.daviddifran.co/. Do you have a question about dealing with spammy one-star reviews for your podcast? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

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 Jonathan, who has a question about podcast sponsors. Do you sign a contract with podcast sponsors, or is it a hand shake deal? What details should you consider when you sign on new sponsors for your podcast? What do you look for in a podcast sponsorship relationship? What should you include in the contract? Jonathan's website is at http://www.salespurpose.com/. Do you have a question about podcast sponsors? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.