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How to Make a Preview on Teachers Pay Teachers

Hey teacherpreneurs,

In this blog post, I want to talk all about product previews on TPT. I’m going to tell you what a preview is, answer the question of whether you need them, tell you how to make them and upload them, and help you protect them.

Previews on TPT

What is a preview?

If you’re new to TPT, you may not know what a preview is. Essentially, we are given lots of ways to help buyers understand our product before they purchase. We have the cover, thumbnails, description, and preview. The cover and thumbnails are small square pictures. The preview is often a PDF (although you can also upload a picture).

The difference between thumbnails and previews is the size. Thumbnails are very small and they are made slightly blurry by TPT in order to protect our work. Previews are big and clear close ups.

You can use a TPT preview to show a full page (or more) of your product. You can also overlap screenshots and show everything included in your product.

Do you need a preview?

The short answer is YES.

The slightly longer answer is YES YES YES!

TPT has confirmed that over 60% of buyers won’t purchase without seeing a preview. This is because buyers want to know exactly what they are going to get. Thumbnails are small and blurry. Descriptions are just words. Buyers need a clear visual look at your product to help them make their decision.

What holds people back from making previews is often laziness or paranoia of theft. My advice is don’t be lazy and miss out on those 60% of buyers. Theft, however, is a genuine concern. But don’t worry, we’ll talk about protecting our previews at the end of this post.

Previews on TPT
Be like this cute and smart dog. Make previews!

How do you make a preview?

It’s simple! You can create TPT previews using whatever program you use to create your products. Personally, I use PowerPoint.

I simply copy and paste some of my product into a new PowerPoint and use it as a preview. I often show a few full worksheets. Occasionally, I create a page with overlapping screenshots of all my worksheets so that a buyer can see how many activities are included. I save my PowerPoint as a PDF and upload it to TPT.

Here’s where to upload a preview on your tpt listing. The gray box is where you can upload your PDF or JPEG.

Previews on TPT

How do you protect TPT previewS?

A sneaky buyer could easily download, print, or screenshot a preview. They could lift clip art (which violates most clip artist’s terms of use) or edit your pages. That is why we must protect our work.

The first step is to add a watermark to your pages. I create a circle shape in PowerPoint and adjust the transparency (go to format shape) so it is slightly see-through but still colored enough to cover my work. I write the word ‘preview’ across the shape too.

Pro tip – Create a PowerPoint template with your watermark. You can copy and paste it into your previews, which is quicker than making a watermark from scratch every time!

Make sure you flatten your work so that the watermark has value and can’t just be removed. The free option is to simply save your PowerPoint slides as jpegs. Then re-insert the jpegs into your PowerPoint. This flattens the clip art and prevents editing.

It is also important to secure your work by password protecting it. Flat Pack and Adobe Pro are ways to flatten and secure your work if you are willing to invest.

I hope you’ve found this post about previews on TPT useful! If you’re looking for explicit tutorials, check out my TPT seller course.

P.S – I hope you’ve found some useful tips in this post! Sign up to my email community here or follow me on Instagram for MORE free advice. I also have lots of free tips in my TPT Facebook group. 

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Comments

  1. nadine says

    October 4, 2022 at 11:32 pm

    Thanks, Alex, this exactly answered my question. Heading off to make some now.

    Reply
    • Alex says

      October 5, 2022 at 2:38 am

      That’s great to hear!

      Reply

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If you’re looking for a cute writing craft, thes If you’re looking for a cute writing craft, these snow globe narrative writing prompts are perfect for bulletin boards and writing centers! ❄️ 

Comment below or message me if you’d like the link! I’ll also add a link to my bio and stories 🙂

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Bump is coming along 😬 I know this isn’t te Bump is coming along 😬 

I know this isn’t teaching or tpt related in anyway, but so many of you have been through this.

Any tips for 3rd trimester? Things to pack in hospital bag? Must buy things for baby? I’ve heard I should do batch cooking. 

Should I just try to enjoy my sleep while I can? 😂

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Just an FYI! Revising involves making major change Just an FYI! Revising involves making major changes to the content and editing is more sentence level changes.

For example, you might ask your students to edit their writing by checking for spelling and punctuation errors.

But for revision, they might add or remove ideas to their writing.

I hope you enjoy these writing tips! Double tap if you do 💗

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You can grab these for free at the link in my bio! You can grab these for free at the link in my bio! Or you can comment below or message me if you like the link 🙂

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I’ve been so quiet on this account lately! So ju I’ve been so quiet on this account lately! So just popping in to say hi 👋🏻 

Had my baby shower yesterday and it was great fun 👶🏻🎉

I’m having a girl in Feb and apparently unicorns is the theme for everything so I hope she likes it 😂

I’m 30 weeks this week and need to pack my hospital bag soon. Definitely give me any tips for things I’ll need! 

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If so, it’s important to start doing some lesson If so, it’s important to start doing some lessons where you explicitly teach sentence structure! 

I remember teaching writing in my first year. I was teaching 3rd grade and it just never occurred to me that I need to explicitly teach students how to write a proper sentence.

But after seeing their first writing piece, I was shocked!

Do your students struggle with this too?

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Cute craft idea for December! (If you’re allowed Cute craft idea for December! (If you’re allowed to do Christmas themed activities in your school).

Just grab white, red, and skin colored paper that you have in beige/brown etc. and let the students create their own Santa!

With younger students, you could cut some strips of white paper out or red triangles to help them. 

For older students, they could do it on their own! 

All the cutting and gluing is great for fine motor and I think this would make a pretty cute bulletin board! 

You could also make this craft more educational by having students write math facts or words on the beard strips!

Save this post so you don’t forget to try it 🙂

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Are you looking for a cute bulletin board or door Are you looking for a cute bulletin board or door decor idea for December? This letter to Santa writing craft is super cute and  fun for students to complete! 

The best news? It’s 25% off at the moment! 

There’s a link in my bio 🙂

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Freebie Alert! I’m offering these cute sentenc Freebie Alert! 

I’m offering these cute sentence building worksheets for free, so grab them at the link in my bio 🙂

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Have you heard of masterminds? They’re an amazin Have you heard of masterminds? They’re an amazing way to connect with other TPT sellers and grow your biz!

If you’ve been thinking about starting or joining one, be sure to tune into this week’s episode of the terrific teacherpreneur podcast! 🎉

I chat with a fellow mastermind member of mine, @kimberlyjayne.teacher.xox and you’ll love that there’s an Aussie accent on the podcast! 🇦🇺 

Tell me below, what’s your mastermind situation?
🤯 Never heard of masterminds!
🔥 I’d love to start my own!
🤞🏻 I’d love to join one!
🎉 I’m already in one!

#tptdownunder #teachersofaustralia #australianteachers #australianteacher #aussieteachersrock #aussieteachers #aussieteacher #teachinginaustralia #aussieteachertribe #aussieteachersofinstagram #aussieteachersofig #aussieteacherstribe #aussieteachersrock #aussieteachersdownunder #aussieteacherlife #brisbaneteacher #brisbaneteachers #sydneyteachers #sydneyteacher #melbourneteachers #melbourneteacher #perthteacher #perthteachers #adelaideteachers #adelaideteacher #canberrateachers #canberrateacher #nswteachers #nswteacher #qldteachers #qldteacher
This is especially important with the way that TPT This is especially important with the way that TPT search, the economy, and teacher burnout is affecting people’s sales 💔

This is just a reminder that there will be hard times in this business, but you’ve got this! 🙌🏻🎉 

As Dory from Finding Nemo says, ‘just keep swimming!’ 🐠 

Let me know in the comments, did you need this reminder? How are you feeling?

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Sometimes it’s exhausting being at the mercy of Sometimes it’s exhausting being at the mercy of an algorithm everywhere you turn! Whether it’s TPT or social media. 😴 

The great thing about email is that it just lands in your subscriber’s inbox!

If you are interested in learning more about email marketing, be sure to check out my new course! There’s a link in my bio 🙂

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Do you want your bundles to convert to more sales? Do you want your bundles to convert to more sales? 

The key is to have really great covers, thumbnails, and descriptions. 🙌🏻

This week on the terrific teacherpreneur podcast, I chat all about making less busy covers and thumbnails. I also talk about the importance of more detailed descriptions. 

We should be making so much more effort on bundles because they are big ticket items! 💰

Let me know in the comments below, have you listened to the episode yet? I’d love to know what you thought! 

If not, will you be listening soon? 🙂

 #teachersoftpt #teacherssupportteachers #teacherhacks #teachertalk #teachersofigau #teachershare #teacherideas #teachersfollowingteachers #teachersonig #teachertips #teachertribe #teacherresources #teacherproblems #teachersbelike #tptstore #tptdownunder #tptsellertips #teacherspayteacher #teacherspayteacherssellers #tptteachers #tptteacher #tptnewbie #tptproduct #tptresources #teachersofaustralia #australianteachers #australianteacher #aussieteachersrock #aussieteachers #aussieteacher
The answer is there I promise! It’s all in the d The answer is there I promise! It’s all in the data. 

Providing that you have had the resource up for a few months at least, you can usually get a bit of an idea about why it isn’t selling. 

Most of the time? It’s not selling because it’s not being seen. If you have a really low number of views, then I would suggest working on your SEO or making a new cover! Or perhaps doing some outside marketing. 

The other thing to keep an eye on is conversion rates. Does your resource have a really low conversion, say under 3%? Maybe your resource needs a new set of thumbnails or a new preview!

Either way, stop thinking that your resource is bad! It’s probably amazing and your buyers probably need it and would love it! 

It’s probably just that it’s not being seen or it’s not converting. Those are things that you do have some control over.

I challenge you to take a look at some of your worst sellers. Look at the data and see if there’s something you can tweak! 

Double tap if you enjoyed this post 💗

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Bundle specific previews are a non negotiable! Yep Bundle specific previews are a non negotiable! Yep, I said it. 

I know, I know. You’re thinking, ‘why do I need a bundle specific preview? When someone previews my bundle, they can see all the individual previews! Why should I make all the extra effort?’ 

But here’s the thing, buyers are time poor. They don’t wanna sit and scroll through 10 individual previews, especially if they all look the same. 

A bundle specific preview allows you to give an overall big picture look at what is in a bundle. This is a really powerful sales opportunity. 

Also, bundles are a big deal. They are more expensive and we want to sell more of them! These are the listings that we should be making more effort on 🙌🏻

I think that if you want to sell more bundles, you need to make amazing bundle specific previews.

Share an emoji below -

Have you been making bundle specific previews? 🙌🏻

If not, do you feel motivated now? 🔥 

Or have you not got the time? 🥲

#Iteachscience #spedteachers #iteachart #musicteachers #iteachela #mathteachers #iteachreading #socialstudiesteacher #iteachlanguagearts #eslteachers #iteachpe #middleschoolteachers #iteachhighschool #primaryschoolteachers #iteachprep #prekteachers #schoolslp #schoolcounselorsofinstagram #iteachk12 #iteach345 #iteach789 #teacherfollow #teacherpreneurs #teacherpreneurship #teacherpreneurtribe #tptsellers #teacherauthors #tptauthor #tptauthors
With everything that’s been going on at TPT late With everything that’s been going on at TPT lately, I am definitely glad that I invest in my website costs and email service provider. 

Lately, I’ve been feeling a lot like I need to make sure there are things in my business that are secure.

I also invest in a bunch of other things I probably couldn’t fit in this reel! Maybe I’ll have to do a part two!

Investing is truly such a powerful thing. When I was just running a hobby/side hustle, I didn’t really invest any money. But I didn’t really grow much either. I really love nowadays treating my business like an actual business and spending money on it so it can grow!

Double tap if you feel the same! 💗

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Is it just me or does it feel like everywhere we l Is it just me or does it feel like everywhere we look, there’s another algorithm that we have to compete with in this business? 😅

If it’s not TPT, it’s Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube or Pinterest! Even Google for blogging/websites.

The worst thing is they always seem to change! 🤯

It feels like you constantly have to adapt and learn more about SEO or create certain types of content that the algorithm prefers. 

It’s quite exhausting, right?! 😴 

The more I think about it, the more I realize why a lot of TPT sellers have gravitated to email marketing over the years. Because it feels like the only safe haven where you don’t have to think about algorithms! 😅

Which algorithm drives you the most crazy? 😅 

 #teachersoftpt #teacherssupportteachers #teacherhacks #teachertalk #teachersofigau #teachershare #teacherideas #teachersfollowingteachers #teachersonig #teachertips #teachertribe #teacherresources #teacherproblems #teachersbelike #tptstore #tptdownunder #tptsellertips #teacherspayteacher #teacherspayteacherssellers #tptteachers #tptteacher #tptnewbie #tptproduct #tptresources #teachersofaustralia #australianteachers #australianteacher #aussieteachersrock #aussieteachers #aussieteacher
If you have an email list, here’s a few ideas fo If you have an email list, here’s a few ideas for you!

• Share a freebie 🎉

It could be something that’s already in your TPT store, trust me your email list probably doesn’t know about it! It could be a sample of a paid resource that you want more sales from. The options are endless! Just don’t send too many freebies.

• Share your long-form content 💻

If you have a blog, podcast, or YouTube channel, send some of your content! It can be new or you can repurpose old things, I highly doubt your list will have seen it/remember it!

• Share some tips, hacks, tricks, or advice 👩🏼‍🏫

Think about what you are an expert in and share some value with your audience. This could be a classroom hack, teaching tip for a certain subject area, or advice for teachers in your niche!

• Share a paid resource 💰

Got a new resource in your store? Or perhaps a bundle or seasonal item that you think your audience would love right now? Be sure to send it their way so that your email list can be profitable!

Double tap if you found this post helpful! 💗

Remember, if you want to learn more about email marketing, check out my course! It’s still open 🙂

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