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

Today's question comes from Kara, who has an audio podcast and is considering starting a video podcast. Which tools should she use to record her video podcast? Kara’s site is http://www.morningcooldown.com/. To learn about RSS feeds, go to my podcasting tutorial (http://podcastingtutorial.com). For video editing, I recommend Screenflow on Mac (http://www.telestream.net/screenflow/overview.htm) and Camtasia on a PC (https://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.html). For video podcasts, my videographer Caleb Wojcik (http://diyvideoguy.com/) introduced me to Podbean (http://www.podbean.com/). Vimeo Pro (https://vimeo.com/pro) is also a good choice for video podcasts. Do you have a tool to share? Use #AskPat334. Do you have a question about video podcasts? 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 Emmanuel, who is a graphic designer. How can he take his service-based business and make it passive? To learn how to productize your services, listen to Smart Passive Income session 158 (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/how-to-productize-your-service-based-business/). Do you have a question about your service-based business? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Share your thoughts on this episode using #AskPat333.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 Jeremy, who asks if my income is truly passive. Here are my thoughts on this great question. In the episode, I mention FoodTruckr (http://foodtruckr.com/). Do you have a question about passive income? 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 Alain, who wants to know how I capture thoughts for my writing process. Share your writing process with #AskPat331. In this episode, I talk about Evernote (https://evernote.com/), Scrivener (https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php), and Rev (https://www.rev.com/) Do you have a question about the writing process? 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 Brian, who is getting a new podcast started. He wants to know the best way to write out his show notes. In this episode I mention Amy Porterfield (http://www.amyporterfield.com/), Michael Hyatt (http://michaelhyatt.com/), and Cliff Ravenscraft (http://podcastanswerman.com/). Do you have a question about podcasting? 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 Curtis, who is just getting started. He wants to know when he should set up the LLC. Does he have to do it right away or can he wait a little while? Do you have a question about getting your business 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 Luca, who is starting a website, but the domain name he wants isn’t available. What should he consider as he picks a new site? I mention Glen Allsop from Viperchill (http://www.viperchill.com/), Zen Habits (http://zenhabits.net/), Problogger (http://problogger.net/), and Entrepreneur’s Journey (http://entrepreneurs-journey.com/), as well as this article from Niche Pursuits (http://www.nichepursuits.com/goodbye-exact-match-domains-hello-brandable-websites/). The Patent and Trade Office is online at http://www.uspto.gov/. Do you have a question about starting 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 Tyler, who is looking for advice regarding WordPress plugins. What’s the best way to managing frequent updates and making sure that features don’t break? I share my advice; share yours using #AskPat325. Do you have a question about your WordPress 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 Nathan, who wants to know if there is a quick method for finding and fixing broken links on his site. Nathan’s site is http://minneapolisrunning.com/. The plugin I recommend is Broken Link Checker (https://wordpress.org/plugins/broken-link-checker/). Do you have a question about keeping your website up to date? 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 Alice, who has received negative comments from members of her community. How should she respond? Should she respond? Alice’s site is http://www.yourdoulabag.com/. You can find Jay Baer at http://www.convinceandconvert.com/. Do you have a question about dealing criticism? 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 Jackie, who has written an ebook for a very narrow niche. Sales are good but not amazing. Should her next book topic be as narrow or should she go broader? Share your thoughts using #AskPat324. Jackie’s site is http://freedomthroughpassiveincome.com/. In this episode, I mention the tool Crazy Egg (http://www.crazyegg.com/). Do you have a question about topics for ebooks? 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 Alyce, who has a new website that is getting some attention. What can she do to keep building traffic? Alyce’s site is http://www.newstability.com/. In this episode I mention John Lee Dumas (http://entrepreneuronfire.com/), Caleb Wojcik (http://diyvideoguy.com/), Amy Porterfield (http://amyporterfield.com). Do you have a question about driving traffic to 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 John, who asks how many listeners he should have before he starts selling advertising. I share what I’ve learned about podcast advertising. Do you have a question about podcast advertising? 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 Toni, who asks about software for keyword research in the Amazon Kindle marketplace. The Google keyword tools I recommend are Google Keyword Planner (https://adwords.google.com/KeywordPlanner) and Long Tail Pro (http://askpat.com/longtailpro) and Market Samurai. The Self Publishing Questions podcast has a good episode on this topic (http://www.selfpublishingquestions.com/keywords-tools/). One tool that specifically searches Amazon is available at Keyword Tool Dominator (http://www.keywordtooldominator.com/k/amazon-keyword-tool). Do you have a question about the Amazon Marketplace? 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 Michael, who wants to restrict access to his email list incentive. What’s the best way to do this? In this episode I mention the WordPress SEO Plugin by Yoast (https://yoast.com/wordpress/plugins/seo/) and Meta Robots WordPress Plugin, also by Yoast (https://yoast.com/wordpress/plugins/meta-robots-wordpress-plugin/). Do you have a question about setting up your email list incentive? 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 Josh, who has a question about Facebook pages for businesses. Should he use a Page or a closed Community Group page? Josh’s site is http://www.bestpedometerreview.com/. Do you have a question about using Facebook with your business? 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 Jim, who has a question about running Facebook ads. Is it a good idea to restrict Facebook ads to the United States? Jim’s site is http://www.microtutes.com/. In this episode, I mention Amy Porterfield’s (http://www.amyporterfield.com/) strategy for driving email signups to a webinar. A good webinar platform is GoToWebinar (http://www.gotomeeting.com/online/webinar). Rick Mulready has lots of advice on Facebook ads (http://rickmulready.com/). I also mention The Verge (http://www.theverge.com/). Do you have a question about using Facebook ads? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. If you have advice to share, use #AskPat318.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 Alex, who wants to know what tweaks he can make to his homepage to improve sales. Alex’s site is http://www.cowboybillytime.com/. Cowboy Billly looks like Chase Reeves from Fizzle (http://fizzle.co/) and that is awesome. I give my advice on how to tweak the homepage—I have some easy changes that will improve optimization. Do you have a question about improving your sales page to increase conversions? 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 RK, who has a friend with a large social media following. How can his friend monetize this following? Do you have a question about monetization? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. If you have advice, share it using #AskPat316.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 Marty, who has a question about joint venture partnerships. Marty’s site is http://www.golfstrategyschool.com/. Marty mentioned the AudioTechnica ATR2100 microphone and my video podcast SPI TV (http://watchspi.tv), as well as the Fizzle membership community (http://fizzle.co). Do you have a question about partnerships? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. If you have advice for how Marty can provide value to his partners, share it with #AskPat315.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 Kris, who has a question about podcast advertising. I’ve learned a lot about podcast advertising and share my favorite resources. John Lee Dumas’s guide to podcast sponsors is incredibly helpful: http://entrepreneuronfire.com/podcast-sponsorships. I discussed podcast sponsorships with John Lee Dumas on Smart Passive Income Podcast episode 96 (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session96). Do you have a question about podcast sponsorships? 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 Sam, who asks which I think makes a bigger impact: a blog or a podcast. I share my thoughts on blogging, podcasting, and video blogging. 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 Tom, who wonders why visitors to his site are not using it—even when they can get paid to use the site. I offer my thoughts. Tom’s site is http://crowdfoto.net/. Do you have a question about your website’s conversion? 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 Ollisha, who needs some advice for getting started building a website. Here are the resources I recommend exploring in this episode: Squarespace (http://squarespace.com/), Bluehost (http://smartpassiveincome.com/bluehost); Entrepreneur on Fire (http://www.entrepreneuronfire.com/); Gary Vaynerchuck’s Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook (https://www.garyvaynerchuk.com/new-york-times-bestselling-aut-649919693.html); and the Getting Started button on Smart Passive Income (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/passive-income-101/). Do you have a question about getting your business 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 Tracy, who wants to make his blog look better. Should he learn copywriting? Tracy’s site is http://www.tracerammo.com/. I recommend checking the resources at Copyblogger (http://www.copyblogger.com/), especially this Copyblogger post on formatting (http://www.copyblogger.com/formatting-wordpress-posts/) Do you have a question about your blog’s appearance? 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 Donna, who has an observation about the way she uses emails from companies. When is it a good idea to clean your email list? Share your thoughts at #AskPat309. Do you have a question about managing your email list? 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 Jake, who wants to know why I recommend Pretty Link Lite vs Simple 301 Redirects. Jake’s site is http://www.familybeforefortune.com/. The two plugins Jake references are Pretty Link Lite (https://wordpress.org/plugins/pretty-link/) and Simple 301 Redirects (https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-301-redirects/). I also explain what 301 redirects are. Do you have a question about managing links? 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 Richelle, who asks if the information on my site is current. I take a wider view of the question and share how to tell if what you’re reading online is current. For current social media advice, check out Social Media Examiner (http://socialmediaexaminer.com/). Share your tips on this topic using #AskPat307. Do you have a question about keeping your blog current? 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 Giovanni, who asks about the use of a donation button. Is it a good idea to add a donation button to his site? Giovanni’s site is http://liveanddare.com/. I talk about the Muse headset (http://www.choosemuse.com/) and the Headspace app (https://www.headspace.com/). I also mention the guide I created for my niche site, Green Exam Academy (http://www.greenexamacademy.com/). For more on pay-what-you-want, listen to Smart Passive Income Podcast #58 (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session58). Share your thoughts on this topic using #AskPat306. Do you have a question about monetizing your site? 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 Daniel, who wants to know how to get traffic to a new site without paid advertising. I share my advice; share yours using #AskPat305. I mention the Smart Passive Income Podcast session 145 with Kimanzi Constable (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session145) and the roundup post on FoodTruckr (http://foodtruckr.com/2013/10/what-i-wish-id-known-before-starting-my-food-truck/). Head over to the Podcast Awards to vote for AskPat (http://www.podcastawards.com/). Do you have a question about your website’s traffic? 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 Bradley, who wonders what makes for a good email list incentive. Bradley’s site is http://senseyourenergy.com/. Bradley mentions eBooks the Smart Way (http://ebooksthesmartway.com/). I also discuss Smart Passive Income Podcast session 145 with Kimanzi Constable (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session145), session 78 with Clay Collins (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session78), and session 115 with Jessica (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session115); as well as Ramit Sethi’s site (http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/) and LeadPages (http://leadpages.net/). Do you have a question about your email list? 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 Chris, who asks about my current website design. I review what I’ve learned about web design. Here’s the post I reference about my theme design: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/history-of-themes-smart-passive-income/. Some of the resources I mention are Thesis (http://diythemes.com/), Copyblogger (http://www.copyblogger.com/), E-Junkie (http://www.e-junkie.com/), and Libsyn. My WordPress podcast player plugin is the Smart Podcast Player (http://www.smartpodcastplayer.com/). Do you have a question about your website design? 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 Anabell, who is looking for a way to distribute paid MP3s. Anabell’s site is http://pregnancyperfect.com/. Do you have a question about delivering paid products? 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 Gaby, who wants to know if her website topic is too broad. I share my thoughts—share yours using #AskPat301. In this episode, I mention Andrew Warner (http://www.mixergy.com); the Smart Passive Income episode with Lain Ehmann (http://smartpassiveincome.com/session151); Gary Keller and Jay Papasan’s book, The One Thing (http://www.the1thing.com/); and Greg McKeown’s book, Essentialism (http://gregmckeown.com/essentialism-the-disciplined-pursuit-of-less/). Do you have a question about your website’s topic? 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 Emilio, who wants to know what kinds of questions I get for AskPat. I share my thoughts on content strategy. Share yours using #AskPat300. Do you have a question about your content strategy? 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 Laurence, who wants to be transparent with her affiliate income. When is the right time to start sharing income reports? Laurence’s site is http://learntocodewith.me/. You can see my income reports here: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/my-income-reports/. You can find Pinch of Yum’s income reports here: http://pinchofyum.com/category/making-money-from-a-food-blog. National Novel Writing Month is http://nanowrimo.org/. Do you have a question about affiliate sales? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. If you have any ideas, share them with #AskPat299.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 Belah, who is looking for advice on how to appropriately promote her products while interviewing guests who also have something to promote. Belah’s site is http://delightyourmarriage.com/. If you have advice for Belah, share it using #AskPat298. Do you have a question about promoting products? 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 Mike, who wants to know how I create the images for my podcast posts. Here are the tools I use to make these look nice. Canva (http://canva.com/) is a great tool for creating shareable images. The big listing of resources from the Fizzle guys is available here: http://askpat.com/fizzle-images. For stock photography, I like Deposit Photos (http://depositphotos.com) and iStockPhotos (http://istockphotos.com/). The fonts I use are Proxima Nova (extra bold) and Pacifico. Do you have a question about the images on 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 Mike, who has a question about private label rights, also called PLR. Are they still a good strategy for internet marketing? The episode of Smart Passive Income Podcast regarding Private Label Rights is Session #9 (http://smartpassiveincome.com/session9). My guest for that episode was Nicole Dean (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/plr). Do you have a question about writing for your site? 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 Aaron, who has been focusing intently on writing. How much time should he spend on promotion? The book Aaron mentions is The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan (http://www.the1thing.com/). Check out the episode of the Smart Passive Income Podcast with Kimanzi Constable to learn about writing for news sites (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session145). I also mention this post on the FoodTruckr niche site: http://foodtruckr.com/2013/10/what-i-wish-id-known-before-starting-my-food-truck/. Do you have a question about promoting your content? 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 Tim, who wants to know why I chose the niche markets I chose. My niche sites include serving security guard training (http://securityguardtraininghq.com) and food trucks (http://foodtruckr). I mention Gary Vaynerchuck’s book, Crush It (https://www.garyvaynerchuk.com/new-york-times-bestselling-aut-649919693.html). Do you have a question about niche sites? 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 Melissa, who feels overwhelmed by the technical aspects of creating a website. Is it okay to outsource web design? What are some simple search engine optimization tips for the non-technically savvy? I recommend checking out WPCurve (http://askpat.com/wpcurve), Themeforest (http://themeforest.net), and WordPress SEO by Yoast (https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-seo/). Do you have a question about your website’s design? 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 Matt, who wants build his brand without alienating existing brands in his niche. Matt’s site is http://www.whyiwetshave.com/. I have tons of advice for him, but I want to hear yours as well. Share your advice using #AskPat292. I mention Themeforest, a great place for finding WordPress themes (http://themeforest.net/). Do you have a question about building your brand? 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 Linda, who has a question about recording her podcast using Skype. Find Skype at http://skype.com/. The recorders I mention are Call Recorder by Ecamm for Macs (http://www.ecamm.com/mac/callrecorder/) and Pamela for PCs (http://www.pamela.biz/en/download/). Do you have a question about podcast recording? 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 Sara, who has a question about a service I’ve recommended, E-junkie. Sara’s site is http://www.inventingclarified.com/. Sara mentions my book, eBooks the Smart Way (http://ebooksthesmartway.com) and E-junkie, a tool for selling ebooks (http://www.e-junkie.com/). Another shopping solution I mention is Gumroad (http://gumroad.com/), which we’re using over at FoodTruckr (http://foodtruckr.com). Do you have a question about selling ebooks? 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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

AP 0289: Should I Change the Order of My Autoresponder Series? Today’s question comes from Andy, who has an autoresponder series. Some have a higher open rate—should he rearrange the emails so that those ones come first? Andy’s site is http://channelempire.com/. Do you have a question about email marketing? 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 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 Chris, who would like to know how I relax after working long into the night. I recommend Flux (https://justgetflux.com/) for automatically adjusting the brightness of your screen. I also talk about Smart Passive Income Podcast #150 (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session150). Do you have a question about maintaining a daily schedule? 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 California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s question comes from Nick, who is in the process of creating an online business. He’d like his day job to help him build skills useful to his business. What’s a good field to work in? I give my advice—share yours with #AskPat287. Do you have a question about your career? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to today's sponsor, SkilledUp, who helps you find the online courses you need to build your skills. Go to http://www.askpat.com/skilledup to download the free toolkit for web entrepreneurs. 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 asks about podcasting traffic. His show’s traffic fell over the holidays and hasn’t rebounded yet. Is this normal? David’s site is http://www.xonebros.com/. I mention GameFly (http://www.gamefly.com/) and one of my other podcasts, 1 Day Business Breakthrough (http://1daybb.com/). Do you have a question about your podcast? 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 California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s question comes from Gary, who wants to know how best encourage his social media following to contribute to his charitable cause. Gary’s site is http://www.545miles.com. I mention my videographer, Caleb Wocjik (http://diyvideoguy.com/), as well as Edgar (http://meetedgar.com/), Buffer (http://bufferapp.com/), and using image posts on Facebook. The campaign sites that allow fundraising are Indiegogo (http://indiegogo.com/) and GoFundMe (http://www.gofundme.com/). Do you have a question about promoting your cause? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to today's sponsor, SkilledUp, who helps you find the online courses you need to build your skills. Go to http://www.askpat.com/skilledup to download the free toolkit for web entrepreneurs. Thanks also to our other sponsor, 99Designs. Go to http://www.99designs.com/pat to get a Power Pack upgrade for free. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.