Email Marketing For Teacherpreneurs

Hey teacherpreneur,

If you are a TPT seller, you’ve probably heard that you should have an email list, right? But I bet the thought of it is overwhelming. I remember that feeling.

You also probably have these questions (if so, you’re not alone!) –

• Do I really need an email list?
• How do I set up an email list?
• Where do I get subscribers from?
• How often should I email my list?
• What emails should I send my subscribers?
• How do I make money from my email list?

Well don’t worry, I’m going to be answering those questions for you. By the end of this post, you’ll have lots more knowledge about email marketing for teacherpreneurs. Let’s dive in!

Do I really need an email list?

The answer to this depends on where you’re at on your journey.

If you are a brand new TPT seller (in the first 6 months on TPT), I strongly advise you to focus on product creation. You need products before you can start marketing!

In fact, if you are still in your first year on TPT, I don’t think email marketing should be your first step. You need to build other platforms first (like an Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or blog). Otherwise, how will you get people on your list?

The other thing is burnout. When you are a new seller, you should not be doing ‘all the things’.

However, if you have been on TPT a bit longer, it’s a different story. If you have a bunch of great products and you have marketing platforms where you can grow your list, you should definitely start an email list!

Email marketing for teacherpreneurs is a must in the long-term.

Why are email lists so powerful?

On Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, you are competing with a fickle algorithm. But YOU own an email list. On social media, barely any of your followers see your posts. But a lot more people open their emails!

You don’t own social media. Your Instagram account could get hacked any day. Your email list is a far more secure asset.

Overall, email is a great way to serve your audience and build the ‘know, like, trust’ factor that leads to sales!

How do I set up an email list?

You can’t just send people emails from your gmail account. You need to sign up with an email service provider. It sounds scarier than it is, I promise!

Here’s a list of some email providers –

• Flodesk (this is what I use!)
• Mailchimp
• ConvertKit
• Mailerlite
• ActiveCampaign
• Wix
• Constant Contact
• SendInBlue

I suggest that you research service providers and pick one that will suit you. I started off on Mailchimp because the first 2k subscribers are free. However, after that it gets pricey. Even before I reached 2k subscribers, I was limited in how many emails I could send. That’s why I switched to Flodesk. They offered a great deal of only $19.99 a month which is way cheaper than most.

Setting up an email list can seem daunting but it doesn’t have to be. The email service providers are often quite user friendly. They also offer lots of free videos, articles, and tutorials to help you.

Where do I get subscribers from?

This is probably the hardest part about email marketing for teacherpreneurs. Growing an email list can be a challenge at first. That’s why I suggest that you have an Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or a blog first. That way, you have somewhere to ask for subscribers.

The simple set up for getting subscribers is this –

You market a high-quality freebie. This is called a lead magnet. People give their email address to you and you send them the freebie. Then, they are on your list!

High quality is important because an email address is a precious piece of personal information. Personally, I’m not going to hand it over for a bad freebie.

So, you need to create a lead magnet (you will create a few over time). You need to market this lead magnet a LOT! Make pins, Facebook posts, and blog posts about it. Talk about it on Instagram a lot!

Your email service provider will often let you set up a landing page where you can collect addresses. You can share this link everywhere. Blogs and websites are great. You can push your lead magnet within your blog posts, but you can also create pop-ups too.

How often should I email my list?

This depends on your schedule. I think that once a week is a great amount. You can certainly email more than that, but you don’t want to annoy your subscribers.

Every other week is also fine. But I don’t recommend less than that. If you only email once a month (or even less), your subscribers will forget who you are.

So, that’s my recommendation for frequency. But consistency is the other thing to consider. You don’t want to email every week for a month and then ghost your list for two months.

Set a goal that is realistic and achievable and stick to it. Inconsistency doesn’t bring sales!

What emails do I send to my subscribers?

The options are endless! But the trick is to serve your audience and provide value. Constant salesy emails are the worst. That’s the fastest way to have a low open rate or lose subscribers. Strike a balance though. The other extreme is sending freebies every week and never marketing your products.

So, stick with the 80/20 rule (80% value, 20% salesy).

Here’s some ideas –

• Freebies
• Blog posts
• Videos
• Tips, tricks, and hacks
• Strategies, tools, and ideas
• Updates about you or your business
• Personal stories and anecdotes
• New products
• Best sellers and bundles

Welcome sequences are usually what people send after the first freebie. This allows your audience to get to know you. You can also create funnels and sequences that lead up to a paid product.

The best advice I can give for your emails is this –

Tell a story.

Yep, create a hook in your subject line. Something enticing.

Then, start off your email with something personal. Like a story or anecdote. Segue from that into your content. This increases engagement AND builds the ‘know, like, trust’ factor.

Psst! You can sign up for flodesk here. It’s an amazing email provider. It’s very user-friendly and the email templates are stunning!

How do I make money from my email list?

Making money from your email list is the goal. But how do you make it happen?

This isn’t something that happens overnight. Unfortunately, you won’t make money in the first email you send!

However, email lists can be profitable. But they do require the following things –

• A decent sized list

You can make money from a small list of a few hundred people. BUT you probably won’t make money if you only have 20 people on your list. So, focus on growing it.

• Consistency

If you ghost your list, they are not going to be inclined to purchase from you. If you are consistent, you’ll reap the rewards.

• Value

If you are too salesy, people will lose interest. Serve your audience with free value, so that when you do try to sell, they’re open to it.

• Relationships

If you are consistently providing value, this builds the ‘know, like, trust’ factor. The other thing that builds relationships is when your subscribers get to know you. Share personal stories and anecdotes so that you are a real person to them (and not just a business)!

Email marketing for teacherpreneurs

I hope you’ve found some helpful information in this post about email marketing for teacherpreneurs. Here’s the link to sign up to flodesk. This is an affiliate link, where I will receive a small commission (at no cost to you). If you sign up with this link, you’ll get the bargain price.

P.S. Did you know that I have a podcast? Click here to learn more about The Terrific Teacherpreneur. There are some episodes about email marketing!