123: Why Small Niches Can Be Big Money on Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT)

Summer Series 7: Why Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) Sellers Should Start an Email List Before Social Media

Are you ready to grow beyond Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT), but not sure what your next step should be? When you feel like you have your product listings, covers, thumbnails, previews, and product line in place, it can be tempting to jump into social media, Etsy, Amazon KDP, or even your own website. But before you spread your energy across more platforms, there is one business-building step that can make a much bigger impact, starting an email list. In this short summer series episode, Lindsay breaks down why an email list should come before most other expansion strategies for Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) sellers. She shares why email has been such a key part of her own business growth, how it helps you nurture a warm audience, and why starting sooner can save you a lot of time as your store grows. Key Discussion Points: [00:00:41] Expanding Beyond Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) the Smart Way Before you branch into social media, Etsy, Amazon KDP, or other platforms, Lindsay explains why an email list is the best next step once your Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) store foundations are in place. [00:01:19] What Not to Prioritize Before Email A look at the outside platforms and strategies that can wait, including social media, selling on your own website, and joining other Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) competitor platforms. [00:01:43] Why Email Lists Matter for Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) Sellers Lindsay shares how building and nurturing a high-quality email list has contributed to her own business growth, both in her coaching business and her Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) store. [00:02:01] Building a Targeted Audience for Your Resources How Lindsay uses a specific email list segment for people interested in her Algebra 1 and Geometry resources, and why targeted communication can support consistent sales. [00:02:25] When to Start Your Email List You do not need hundreds of products or a huge income stream before starting. Lindsay explains why even sellers with a few sales and some capacity can begin building their list. [00:02:40] Adding Email Sign-Ups Inside Your Resources Why placing your email sign-up link inside your Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) resources early can save you major time later, especially before your store grows to hundreds of products. [00:03:05] Getting Your Email List Set Up Lindsay introduces Subscribers to Sales, her short, actionable program that walks sellers through the tech, setup, email service providers, domains, and strategy behind starting a list. [00:03:47] Turning Subscribers Into Buyers What kind of freebie to offer, what to email your list each week, what to send new subscribers, and how to attract the right people who are likely to buy from your Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) store. Connect further: * Join the 1k TPT Challenge: https://lindsaybowden.com/challenge * Sell Education Workbooks with Amazon KDP: https://lindsaybowden.com/KDP * Earn 3-4 figures per month on TPT | https://lindsaybowden.com/start * Start or grow your TPT email list | https://lindsaybowden.com/email * And make sure to follow me! https://www.tiktok.com/@lindsay.bowden and http://instagram.com/lindsaybowden * Watch full episodes on Youtube + Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@Lindsay.Bowden?sub_confirmation=1 Resources mentioned may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products and resources I truly love and use myself.

Summer Series 6: The Product Line Strategy Every Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) Seller Needs to Increase Sales

How strategic are your product lines? If you're uploading resources one by one without a long-term plan, you could be leaving significant revenue on the table. In this episode, we're diving into mistake number six in the summer mistake series: not using product lines strategically. Lindsay explains the difference between a product line and a bundle, shares real examples from successful Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) sellers, and walks through how to build product lines that lead to higher-ticket sales. You'll also learn how AI can help you organize your existing products and identify your next best-selling bundle in just minutes. Key Discussion Points: [00:00:41] Mistake #6: Not Building Strategic Product Lines Why creating intentional product lines helps you organize your store, increase average order value, and create scalable offers. [00:01:22] A Real Example of a Strong Product Line A look inside Miss Gamification's store and how her choice board resources create a cohesive, easy-to-shop product line. [00:02:01] Resource-Based vs. Topic-Based Product Lines The differences between organizing products by resource type or by topic, and why resource-based product lines often provide more room for growth. [00:03:02] How a Product Line Becomes a Curriculum How customer requests naturally led from individual resources to activities, assessments, complete units, and eventually a full curriculum. [00:04:13] Creating Higher-Ticket Bundles Why mega bundles generate larger sales and how seasonal and holiday resources can become valuable product lines. [00:05:22] Avoid Overlapping Too Many Bundles Common bundling mistakes to avoid and why keeping a clear product organization strategy creates a better customer experience. [00:06:46] Using AI to Plan Your Next Product Line How to use your product statistics and AI to identify your strongest sellers, generate product line ideas, and strategically grow your store. [00:07:29] Product Line vs. Bundle The simple distinction between a product line as a collection of related resources and a bundle as the Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) product that packages them together. Resources Mentioned: * Miss Gamification TPT Store [https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/ms-gamification] Connect further: * Join the 1k TPT Challenge: https://lindsaybowden.com/challenge * Sell Education Workbooks with Amazon KDP: https://lindsaybowden.com/KDP * Earn 3-4 figures per month on TPT | https://lindsaybowden.com/start * Start or grow your TPT email list | https://lindsaybowden.com/email * And make sure to follow me! https://www.tiktok.com/@lindsay.bowden and http://instagram.com/lindsaybowden * Watch full episodes on Youtube + Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@Lindsay.Bowden?sub_confirmation=1 Resources mentioned may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products and resources I truly love and use myself.

Summer Series 5: Stop Losing Sales on Teacher Pay Teachers (TPT), Fix Your Product Previews Today

Are your Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) resources missing one of the biggest factors that influences buying decisions? If you don't have a preview on every product in your store, including your bundles, you could be missing out on sales without even realizing it. In this episode, Lindsay explains why previews matter so much, shares data directly from Teacher Pay Teachers (TPT) buyer research, and walks you through a simple process for identifying products that need previews. You'll also see real examples of effective previews for individual resources, bundles, and full curriculum products, along with practical tips you can implement this summer. Key Discussion Points: [00:00:41] Why Product Previews Matter Research from the Teacher Pay Teachers (TPT) Town Hall survey found that 73% of teachers rank detailed previews among their top three purchasing considerations, making previews one of the most important conversion tools in your store. [00:01:22] Find Products Missing Previews Learn how to quickly identify products without previews by using your Teacher Pay Teachers (TPT) Product Statistics dashboard, even if you have hundreds of resources in your store. [00:02:22] Why Bundles Need Their Own Preview Even though bundle listings display previews from individual products, buyers rarely click through dozens of resources. A dedicated bundle preview helps summarize everything included and makes purchasing easier. [00:02:53] Organizing Curriculum Bundles Lindsay explains why she sometimes avoids the bundle tool for large curriculum products and instead creates organized downloadable files while still offering a discounted bundle price. [00:03:31] What Makes an Effective Bundle Preview Discover the essential elements of a high-converting bundle preview, including mockups, product highlights, what's included, unit breakdowns, and customer testimonials. [00:04:39] Preview Strategy for Smaller Bundles See how to structure previews for multi-resource bundles by showcasing each included product, explaining teacher benefits, and helping buyers quickly understand the value. [00:05:29] What to Include in Individual Resource Previews Highlight guided notes, answer keys, differentiation, video lessons, resource features, and other teacher-friendly benefits using both visuals and concise text. [00:06:11] Your Summer Homework Identify every product missing a preview, then create previews for each one using the free Canva template or your preferred design program to help increase future sales. Resources Mentioned: • Free Canva Preview Template [https://learn.lindsaybowden.com/preview] • TPT Product Statistics Dashboard Connect further: * Join the 1k TPT Challenge: https://lindsaybowden.com/challenge * Sell Education Workbooks with Amazon KDP: https://lindsaybowden.com/KDP * Earn 3-4 figures per month on TPT | https://lindsaybowden.com/start * Start or grow your TPT email list | https://lindsaybowden.com/email * And make sure to follow me! https://www.tiktok.com/@lindsay.bowden and http://instagram.com/lindsaybowden * Watch full episodes on Youtube + Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@Lindsay.Bowden?sub_confirmation=1 Resources mentioned may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products and resources I truly love and use myself.

Summer Series 4: The Biggest Teacher Pay Teachers (TPT) Cover and Thumbnail Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)

Are your Teacher Pay Teachers (TPT) covers and thumbnails helping your resources get noticed, or are they getting lost in the scroll? In week four of the Summer Mistakes Series, Lindsay breaks down one of the most common issues she still sees in the Teacher Pay Teachers (TPT) world: ineffective covers and thumbnails. Even if you've listened to previous episodes on this topic, these mistakes continue to show up across listings and could be costing you clicks and sales. In this episode, Lindsay shares a simple formula for creating stronger covers, explains what should and shouldn't be included, and walks through how to use thumbnails strategically to showcase the value of your resource. Key Discussion Points: [00:00:41] Common Cover and Thumbnail Mistakes Why covers and thumbnails remain one of the biggest areas of improvement for many Teacher Pay Teachers (TPT) sellers and how small design choices can impact visibility and conversions. [00:01:01] The Four-Part Formula for Effective Covers The essential elements every cover should include: a clear topic, the resource type, one to two value-driven features, and strong visuals of the actual resource. [00:02:41] Prioritizing Readability and Visual Clarity How font size, contrast, and simplicity make your cover easier to read and more likely to stop potential buyers from scrolling past. [00:03:23] Using Resource Images Instead of Extra Clip Art Why screenshots and real resource photos are often more effective than decorative clip art, and how to avoid creating a cluttered design. [00:04:26] What to Include on Your Thumbnails How to use thumbnails to highlight what's included, classroom applications, standards alignment, covered topics, and additional resource benefits. [00:07:03] Homework: Learn from Real Cover Makeovers Where to find Lindsay's cover audit series on TikTok and how studying real before-and-after examples can help improve your own listings. Resources Mentioned: • Lindsay's TikTok account (@LindsayBowden) for cover and thumbnail audits • Canva blur feature for protecting answer keys shown in thumbnails Connect further: * Join the 1k TPT Challenge: https://lindsaybowden.com/challenge * Sell Education Workbooks with Amazon KDP: https://lindsaybowden.com/KDP * Earn 3-4 figures per month on TPT | https://lindsaybowden.com/start * Start or grow your TPT email list | https://lindsaybowden.com/email * And make sure to follow me! https://www.tiktok.com/@lindsay.bowden and http://instagram.com/lindsaybowden * Watch full episodes on Youtube + Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@Lindsay.Bowden?sub_confirmation=1 Resources mentioned may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products and resources I truly love and use myself.

Summer Series 3: Navigating A.I. in Teaching Resources What You Need to Know

Are you relying too heavily on AI in your Teacher Pay Teachers (TPT) business, or worried that AI will eventually replace teacher-created resources? In this episode, Lindsay continues her Mistakes I’m Seeing with Teachers series by tackling one of the hottest topics in the teacher business world: AI. She shares her honest perspective on using AI for resource creation, cover photos, and business tasks, while explaining why teacher expertise remains one of the most valuable assets in the marketplace. You'll hear practical ways to use AI as a tool without sacrificing quality, along with strategies for creating resources that stand out in an increasingly AI-driven world. Key Discussion Points: [00:00:41] The AI Mistake Many Teachers Are Making Why more sellers are relying on AI-generated resources and graphics, and why it's becoming increasingly obvious to buyers. [00:01:41] Why Teachers Don't Want AI-Created Resources The common signs of AI-generated cover photos and materials, and why authenticity and quality still matter to educators purchasing resources. [00:02:41] Testing AI Resource Creation in Real Time A firsthand experiment using AI tools to create a simple kindergarten resource and what the results reveal about AI's current limitations. [00:03:41] Using AI as a Support Tool Instead of a Replacement How AI can help with brainstorming, data analysis, keyword organization, titles, and drafting content while still requiring teacher oversight and expertise. [00:04:11] Will AI Eventually Take Over Teacher Pay Teachers (TPT)? An honest discussion about the future of AI, what may change over the next several years, and why teacher creators should stay focused on long-term value. [00:04:41] Creating Resources AI Can't Replicate Why projects, real-world applications, video lessons, and teacher-led instruction create a competitive advantage that AI cannot easily duplicate. [00:05:21] The Value of Teacher Experience How classroom knowledge, student misconceptions, and practical teaching experience remain powerful differentiators for teacher entrepreneurs. Resources Mentioned: * ChatGPT * Canva AI * Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) Connect further: * Join the 1k TPT Challenge: https://lindsaybowden.com/challenge * Sell Education Workbooks with Amazon KDP: https://lindsaybowden.com/KDP * Earn 3-4 figures per month on TPT | https://lindsaybowden.com/start * Start or grow your TPT email list | https://lindsaybowden.com/email * And make sure to follow me! https://www.tiktok.com/@lindsay.bowden and http://instagram.com/lindsaybowden * Watch full episodes on Youtube + Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@Lindsay.Bowden?sub_confirmation=1 Resources mentioned may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products and resources I truly love and use myself.