There are SO many wonderful free tutorials out there, on everything from what level of membership of TpT you should choose, to how to zip a file, to how join a collaborative pin board, to how to handle negative feedback.
Today, I'd like to mention JUST TWO stores who are offering free tutorials that are helpful to our TpT friends starting out. FREE really is key sometimes, and while you do need to spend money to make money, sometimes you just don't have the money to spend - am I right?? Providing a great freebie that helps fellow TpT-ers also helps YOU.
And you know that - people just might linger in your store LONG ENOUGH to see another item and purchase it!
TIP ONE - Apart from your First Item, Which Must Be Free, Consider Having a Free Item Which May Help Your Fellow Sellers.
- Reason 1 : As mentioned above, fellow TPT sellers visiting your store for a helpful freebie might also find an indispensable paid item resulting in a few nice sales for you.
- Reason 2 : You get more store views, traffic. likes, and interactions with others, creating more of a community feel. Remember the MALL? There were always more browsers than buyers, but browsing is a good thing. People popping in and visiting because you put in the effort to offer a few helpful items will only help your store and your relationships - possibly in ways you cannot foresee.
TIP TWO - Do you even remember your first item? Well THAT Free Item, and every other Paid Item, May occasionally have to be Done Over. And then, Done Over again.
Do you ever teach writing? And the rewrite process? Few of us get it right the first time. Many $1000-a-month+ sellers say, and say often that they dedicate time to taking a hard look at their poor-performing items and reworking them, changing the covers, tweaking, editing, or overhauling them.
Case in point: I spent MONTHS working on what I thought would be a wonderful series. It's my SONNET SERIES. Just THINK about this. . .
Part One Product
The Sonnet: A History: A Power Point Presentation with companion Notes, Quiz and Key - Total 22 pages.
Part Two Product
The Sonnet: Meter and structure with Shakespeare with Shakespeare - a Power Point with
Notes, 7 Activities, 2 assessments, Keys. 45 pages+
I'm not even finished with the third product and I realized these might be TOO big, too inflexible, or too much of a commitment for what the topic is. Maybe buyers want choice and flexibility. Perhaps they just want a day activity for the sonnet, and not two whole weeks just for meter and structure!
These questions and more are the types of questions sellers should ask themselves when a product is not moving - especially for a product that they otherwise strongly believe in.
Other questions may have to do with aesthetics - the cover - its title size, font, placement, etc. Is the look of the cover "age appropriate" for the audience? It's important to remember that when you work on your computer, everything looks quite large. Your product will be reduced on TPT to a 1x1 inch tile (or maybe 1 and 1/2 inch, which is still very small) when a consumer is scrolling through items on the website. Remember this and place your large clear and readable font as close to the center of the product cover page as you can!!
Tip Three - Use Free Tutorials When You Can - And Say Thank You! It is Good Form
Before we start, remember that as teachers we live to educate and help others. Often times we aren't even aware of who we help. We don't always get the thanks we deserve. When we do get thanked, it means so much. If you download someone's freebie, if you read my blog or anyone's and it helps you, if you like someone's store and their offerings, if someone has helped you in any way at all, you really should:
- Send them a little note of thanks
- Like their store
- Follow them via the venue in which you found them (their blog, Face Book, etc)
- Give them positive feedback in some way
1. You can start right now with Charity Preston's free "Mini Video Course on TPT and Social Marketing" - This is RIGHT on YOUR DASHBOARD on the lower right hand side. There are eight or nine videos you can watch that will walk you through how to use TPT and maximize your effectiveness from the beginning.
2. Visit Core Inspiration by Laura Santos. A wonderful woman who not only has a great store with great items worth looking at, but who has taken the time to put together a couple of GREAT resources I STILL use today. She has a FANTASTIC product that walks you through. . . .
how to enhance your product description in TPT so that your BOLD and underline, will stay put, how to link a secondary product in your description, for example:
"If you like this product but feel you'd also like an assessment to go along with it, consider our bundle:" (and here would go a LIVE link to your larger more expensive item which if clicked would divert readers to another product inside your store).
BUT that's not all. She is kind enough to provide a sample blurb that provides advice to folks reading YOUR product description on how to follow you, like you, and receive your updates. In my opinion, it's one of those really exceptional items I keep around and always open up . . . "How do I add that html again?" It's just great. She has other wonderful items too, and I am grateful enough that I am asking you all to follow and LIKE her store, see her great items, download this FREE product, say THANKS, and, there is at least one other free product you might really want, too. But Easter did just pass. You might need to go hunting for it. :)
Selling Strategies may have been around for a long time, OR may be the new kid in town. I do know that right now, Selling strategies has at least 25 items in store, all geared specifically towards setting up and succeeding at being a seller. Most of these are very reasonably priced, and at least 6 of these are FREE.
I particularly liked "All Fonts are Not Created Equal" and "How to Create a Terms of Use Page." It takes many new sellers a long time to get around to buying or looking for fancy fonts. Terms of Use can be tricky, and many newbies - and I was newbier than most - simply didn't have or use a TOU page for a long time, which is not acceptable. Protect your work.
Similarly, download some items, like the store, and say thank you. Provide feedback in exchange for your good fortune!
More Great TPT Tips Next Tuesday!
And DO stop in on Friday for Feature Friday - When we secondary English folks get cozy and chat it up.
Feature Friday With your HOST Gina
Feature Friday With your HOST Gina
And our wonderful
New English Teacher Friend
Laney from Teacher's Craft!
WE'll KEEP the Coffee Brewing!
Gina - ThePerfettoWritingRoom
Do you want you join TpT but haven't?
