• My Account
  • My Cart
  • Checkout

Terrific Teaching Tactics

Make Learning Fun

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Shop
    • Wishlist
    • My Account
    • Cart
    • Checkout
  • For Teachers
    • Blog
    • Shop My TpT Store
    • Free Resource Library
  • For TPT Sellers
    • Blog
    • Podcast
    • Facebook Group
    • TPT Seller Courses
    • Coaching
  • Contact Me
  • 0 items

The BIG Mistake I Made As A New TPT Seller

Hey teacher author,

I want to talk about the BIG mistake I made as a new TPT seller.

Actually, I feel that I have to confess…I made this mistake for YEARS (not just when I was a new seller).

I know you’re a busy business owner so I’ll get straight to the point.

I didn’t invest in my business.

Yep, I had a mindset problem where I thought I was ‘saving money’ by doing things for free and never paying for anything.

If I had a time machine, I would go back in time to 2015 and shake old me and scream, ‘Invest in your business!’

I truly mean it. I don’t like to think about the thousands of dollars I’ve lost over the years because of this mistake. So, I’m writing this post in the hopes that I’ll be able to prevent other sellers from making the same mistake.

Why Should You Invest?

Ever heard the saying ‘you get out what you put in?’ or ‘you have to spend money to make money’?

Yep, turns out they are true. Doing things for ‘free’, winging it, and figuring it out on my own cost me in the long run.

I wasted time on things I could have automated (e.g. I manually pinned on Pinterest instead of using Tailwind or I manually flattened my products instead of using Flat Pack). Those are hours and hours of my life I will never get back. Those are hours I could have been making TPT products (and therefore money).

I got things wrong. A lot.

Yep, I made so many mistakes because I didn’t take courses and learn how to do things the right way.

I made poor quality resources. Not investing in fonts and clip art early on was a huge mistake. My products looked terrible and didn’t sell well.

So, what should you invest in?

Here’s a list of the things you can spend money on in this business. You don’t have to (and you definitely shouldn’t) do it all at once. But you could try a few things –

  • Fees (Teachers Pay Teachers, Boom Learning, etc). The premium seller account on TPT is a MUST. Read more here.
  • Clip Art & Fonts (TPT has the best choices!)
  • Courses (for TPT in general or for specific marketing platforms like Pinterest)
  • Coaching (accountability, ya’ll!)
  • Schedulers (like Tailwind for Pinterest)
  • Photography equipment (ring lights, backgrounds, props)
  • Office Equipment (laptops, printers, stationery)
  • Photos (stock photo packages, photo memberships, mock-ups, branded pictures)
  • Flattening and Securing Programs (Flat Pack, Adobe Pro)
  • Website Costs (domains, hosting, website designers)
  • Memberships (masterminds, course memberships, Facebook group memberships).
  • Virtual Assistants (outsource and scale your business!)
  • Ads (Facebook, Instagram, promoted pins)

What to invest in when you’re new

When you’re a brand-new seller, the premium fee is your main investment. Next, you can get some quality fonts and clip art. That’s enough at first (when you’re not earning a lot).

However, as you grow, it is essential to start investing. I strongly urge you to take a course and learn to do things the right way. You can piece together tips but nothing replaces having the answers in one place.

A lot of the other investments depend on where you’re at in your business. But whatever you do, don’t be stubborn like me and try to do things for free all the time.

I was so smug. I thought I was saving money. It’s pretty ironic that I stunted my growth and lost money because of that mindset!

It’s like running a marathon. Are you going to do it in sandals or are you going to invest in running shoes?

I really wanted to share the big mistake I made as a new TPT seller and I hope you’ve found this post motivational!

Treating TPT like a side hustle can slow your growth. A mindset shift is so important, because TPT is a business! Once you start to see it that way, you begin investing more time and money into it and it grows!

P.S. Are you struggling with Pinterest? Grab my cheat sheet here!

Sharing is caring!

«
»

TPT Seller Blog Posts 4

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Adriana says

    March 6, 2021 at 10:52 pm

    Thanks Alex. I didn’t even know anything about the Flat Pack. I need it. Thanks for sharing!!

    Reply
    • Alex says

      March 7, 2021 at 10:00 pm

      Hey Adriana, I’m so glad the post helped! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Hayley Opiela says

    September 14, 2022 at 4:54 pm

    Can you drop a few of your favorite accounts to get your clip arts? All the ones I’ve looked at the wording on their copy right page makes it sound like it can’t be used for TPT products which is weird because why else would you need clip arts? Hahaha
    Thanks in advance!

    Reply
    • Alex says

      September 15, 2022 at 5:10 am

      Hey! I personally love creative clips, whimsy clips, educlips, and rainbow sprinkle studio, and creating 4 the classroom. They are on TpT and you can use their clip art!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hi, my name is Alex! I love creating fun, colorful, and engaging resources for the early years. I’ve taught 3rd and 1st grade and I’m passionate about creating interactive activities that engage all learners Read More…

Teachers

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Cart

Teacher Sellers

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Cart

For Teachers

Interested in FREE resources? Become a V.I.P.

Click here to join

For TPT Sellers

Interested in TIPS for TpT? Join the community.

Click here to join

Categories

Footer

Teacher Instagram

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 🙂

 #Writingcurriculum #writingprompts #writingteachers #writingteacher #writingworkshop #writingworkshops #writersworkshop #writinglessons #writinglesson #writingcenter #writingcenters #bulletinboardideas #writingactivity #writingactivities #iteachwriting #kindergartenwriting #firstgradewriting #secondgradewriting #thirdgradewriting #literacycenters #literacycentres #literacycenter #bulletinboards #literacylearning #elateacher #elateachers #iteachela #iteachelementary #bulletinboard #winterbulletinboard
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? 😂

 #Igteachers #igteacher #instateacher #instateachers #instagramteachers #instagramteacher #teachersofig #teachersofinsta #teachersofthegram #teacherig #teacherinsta #teacherinstagram #educatorsofig #educatorsofinsta #educatorsofinstagram  #teacherssupportingteachers #teachersoninstagram #iteachkindergarten #iteach1st #educatorsofinstagram #elementaryteacher #elementaryeducation #educatorsofinsta  #iteach2nd #edugram #educatorsofig #teachersconnect #iteachelementaryschool #teachertalk #teacherblogger #teacherbloggers
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 💗

 #Writingcurriculum #writingprompts #writingteachers #writingteacher #writingworkshop #writingworkshops #writersworkshop #writinglessons #writinglesson #writingcenter #writingcenters #writingforkids #writingactivity #writingactivities #iteachwriting #kindergartenwriting #firstgradewriting #secondgradewriting #thirdgradewriting #literacycenters  #literacycenter  #literacylearning #elateacher #elateachers #iteachela #iteachelementary #teachertips #teachertip #1stgradeteachers #2ndgradeteachers
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 🙂

 #Writingcurriculum #writingprompts #writingteachers #writingteacher #writingworkshop #writingworkshops #writersworkshop #writinglessons #writinglesson #writingcenter #writingcenters #writingforkids #writingactivity #writingactivities #iteachwriting #kindergartenwriting #firstgradewriting #secondgradewriting #thirdgradewriting #literacycenters #literacycentres #literacycenter #literacycentre #literacylearning #elateacher #elateachers #iteachela #iteachelementary #tptfreebie
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! 

 #teacherssupportingteachers #teachersoninstagram #iteachkindergarten #iteach1st #educatorsofinstagram #elementaryteacher #educatorsofinsta  #igteacher #teacherlifestyle  #iteach2nd #igteachers #educatorsofig #teachersconnect #iteachelementaryschool #teachertalk #teachersofthegram #instateachers #instagramteacher #teachersofaustralia #teachersoninsta #teachersrock #teacherinstagram #teachergoals  #teacherinspo #teacherthoughts #teacherthings #teachersengaging #teachershare #teachersofigau #teachersonig
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?

 #Writingcurriculum #writingprompts #writingteachers #writingteacher #writingworkshop #writingworkshops #writersworkshop #writinglessons #writinglesson #writingcenter #writingcenters #writingforkids #writingactivity #writingactivities #iteachwriting #kindergartenwriting #firstgradewriting #secondgradewriting #thirdgradewriting #literacycenters #literacycentres #literacycenter #literacycentre #literacylearning #elateacher #elateachers #iteachela #iteachelementary
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 🙂

#christmascrafts #christmascraft #christmascraftsforkids #lettertosanta #santaletters #xmascrafts #xmascraft #writingprompts #writingteachers #writingteacher #writingworkshop #writingworkshops #writersworkshop #writinglessons #writinglesson #writingcenter #writingcenters #writingforkids #writingactivity #writingactivities #iteachwriting  #firstgradewriting #secondgradewriting #thirdgradewriting #literacycenters #literacycenter  #literacylearning #elateacher #elateachers #iteachela
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 🙂

#christmascrafts #christmascraft #christmascraftsforkids #lettertosanta #santaletters #xmascrafts #xmascraft #writingprompts #writingteachers #writingteacher #writingworkshop #writingworkshops #writersworkshop #writinglessons #writinglesson #writingcenter #writingcenters #writingforkids #writingactivity #writingactivities #iteachwriting  #firstgradewriting #secondgradewriting #thirdgradewriting #literacycenters #literacycenter  #literacylearning #elateacher #elateachers #iteachela
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 🙂

#freetpt #tptfreebie #tptfreebies #freelessonplans #freelesson #freelessons #freeteachingresources #freeteacherresources #freeactivitiesforkids #freeprintables #sentencebuilding #sentencescramble #sentencewriting #sentencestructure #writingteachers #writingteacher #iteachwriting #writinglessons #writinglesson #firstgradewriting #secondgradewriting #kindergartenwriting #literacylearning #kindergartenclassroom #kindergartenfun #kindergartenliteracy #kindergartenideas #firstgradeactivities #firstgradefun #firstgradetribe

Pinterest

TPT Seller Instagram

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 🙂

#teacherpreneurs #teacherpreneurship #teacherpreneurtribe #tptsellers #teacherauthors #tptauthor #tptauthors  #teacherspayteachersresources #teacherauthors #teachersidegig #teachersidehustle  #teacherentrepreneur #teacherpreneurlife  #tpttips #teacherauthor  #teacherspayteachersstore #tptnewbie #teacherboss #teachertiptpt  #teacherseller #teacherhustle #teacherbusiness #teachercreator #tptsellers #teacherpreneurcommunity
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 💗

 #Scienceteachers #iteachsped #artteachers #iteachmusic #elateachers #iteachmath #readingteachers #iteachsocialstudies #languageartsteacher #iteachesl #peteachers #iteachmiddleschool #highschoolteachers #iteachprimary #prepteachers #slpsofinstagram #schoolcounselorlife #iteachelementary #schoolteachers #teachersfollowingteachers #teacherfollowteacher #teachersconnect #teachersonthegram #teacherpreneurs #teacherpreneurship #teacherpreneurtribe #tptsellers #teacherauthors #tptauthor #tptauthors
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! 💗

 #Igteachers #igteacher #instateacher #instateachers #instagramteachers #instagramteacher #teachersofig #teachersofinsta #teachersofthegram #teacherig #teacherinsta #teacherinstagram #educatorsofig #educatorsofinsta #educatorsofinstagram #teacherhustle #teachersidehustle #teacherbusiness #teacherpreneurs #teacherpreneurship #teacherpreneurtribe #tptsellers #teacherauthors #tptauthor #tptauthors
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 🙂

 #teacherspayteachersresources #teacherauthors #teachersidegig #teachersidehustle  #teacherentrepreneur #lifeafterteaching #teacherpreneurs #tptauthors #teacherpreneurlife  #tpttips #teacherauthor  #teacherspayteachersstore #tptnewbie #teacherboss #teachertiptpt #teacherpreneurship  #teacherseller #teacherhustle #teacherbusiness #teachercreator #tptsellers #tptauthor #teacherpreneurcommunity  #tptteachers #tptseller #tptteacher #tptstore #teachersoftpt #teacherpreneur #teacherpreneurtribe
Wait…you can make money by offering something fo Wait…you can make money by offering something for free?!

Yep! This is a topic that we are diving into this week on The Terrific Teacherpreneur Podcast! 

I am talking all about the power of freebies and how they can really help to expand your reach and grow your audience 🎉

I sometimes think that freebies get a real bad rap. When actually, they have a lot of potential and can have a really powerful impact on increasing our sales. 

Be sure to tune in to learn more about this! 🎙 

Tell me below, are you a freebie fan or not? Open to hearing your thoughts! 🙂

#teachingandlearning #englishteacher #englishteachers #mathteacher #mathteachers #teachingscience #teachingmusic #teachingspanish #schoolslp #speechlanguagepathologist #ellteacher #elateachers #teachingphonics  #teachingtips #teachingtip #teachingadvice #teacheradvice #adviceforteachers #teachertips #teachertip  #tipsforteachers  #teacherhack #teacherhacks #teachinghacks #teachinghack #newteacher #newteachertips #teachertricks  #newteachers
I’ve heard so many heartbreaking stories of sell I’ve heard so many heartbreaking stories of sellers who have had their Facebook and Instagram accounts hacked. 🥲

They have lost tens of thousands of followers and years of hard work. This is something that will never happen with your email list! 

And if you do get hacked on social media, you’ll feel a lot better if you have an email list. You’ll be able to send an email and ask people to follow you on your new account!

Email can be wonderful in the sense that it’s something you truly own and it’s really secure. You’re not relying on renting someone else’s platform in anyway.

My email marketing course for TPT sellers, terrific email, is still open! Check it out through the link in my bio 🙂

Tell me below, have you ever been hacked? Have you heard of anyone this has happened to?

#teachermarketing #teacherproblems #teachersofmelbourne #healthteachers #teachershare #teachertip #teacherideas #teachersfollowingteachers #teacherlyf #teacherthings #teacherblog #teachinglife #teachershelpingteachers #teachersdownunder #teachersforteachers #teacherslife #physedteacher #teachersoftiktok #teachersonbreak #primaryteaching

Copyright © 2023 · Website + Branding Design by Christi Fultz