10 Steps That Will Grow Your TPT Shop
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Start a Blog
If you haven’t started a blog on Blogger, Weebly, or WordPress yet, you can begin blogging within 15 minutes. If you want to have the most flexibility with your blog and plan to monetize your site, we recommend a self-hosted site with WordPress for $3.95 per month.
Create a Share Page
Make a page on your blog that’s very easy for your blog followers to share. A share page includes embeddable videos, screenshots of your web site, a blog share button, shareable tweets, and a short list of facts about your site.
Work on Social Media Profiles
You’ll want to share your blog content and TPT products on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Your profile images should coordinate with the images on your Teachers Pay Teachers shop and blog. As you create your profiles, make sure you are consistent with the names that you use.
Create an Email List
Having an email list will help you grow your blog and communicate with buyers about your Teachers Pay Teachers products. If readers are willing to share their email addresses with you, they’ve found value in what you’ve already shared on your blog. You should be selective in what you email and show that you appreciate your subscribers.
MailChimp – We recommend an email list through Mailchimp so that you have more control over your communications. With an email list, you can automate when your emails are delivered. You’ll gain access to reports about how users interact with your emails.
Create a Special Opt-in for Subscribers
Give your blog followers something extra in exchange for providing their email address. A lead magnet is often a short eBook, downloadable PDF, or sample of a digital product. It’s offered as an instant download file immediately after providing an email address. Your lead magnet should solve a problem, offer high value, and give your potential Teachers Pay Teachers buyers something that they really want. When you first get started with your blog, you can offer one lead magnet. However, you’ll see better email subscription results if your blog posts include a specific lead magnet that enhances your content. We recommend using Convertkit to deliver your instant download file. For lead magnet ideas, you can take a look at our list here.
Write Pillar Pages
It’s not enough to just periodically post updates on your blog about new Teachers Pay Teachers products. You need to include quality content on your site that will engage your readers.
So what is a pillar page?
- Very in-depth piece of content on a specific topic that can be broken into sections. A pillar page can be broken into several blog posts, infographics, social media updates, videos, and more.
- It’s usually a tutorial style article that includes content with practical tips or advice.
- The content is something you can use for a long period and highlight on other blog posts.
Pillar pages reinforce your content plan and help visitors navigate through the best posts on your site. Think about your blog audience and what problems they are likely looking to solve. As a teacher blogger, you can consider writing pillar pages that cover questions you’ve had as you begin learning how to blog, sell on TPT, and experiences in your classroom or home. You can use sites like Buzzsumo to research what other bloggers and news sites are talking about online.
Join Tailwind
Tailwind is a powerful tool that will increase followers on Pinterest. The drag-and-drop calendar allows you to schedule pins and posts in advance. To maximize your follower engagement, there is an option to automatically optimize your schedules based on when your audience is most engaged.
On Tailwind, you can join groups called tribes to find other teachers on Pinterest. You can share some of your top pins with tribe members and they will share them to their own Pinterest boards. In exchange, you’ll share some of their pins and quickly build up the number of pins on your boards. Tailwind is also a pin scheduler so you can save hours pinning.
Write Blog Content and TPT Schedules
It can feel overwhelming to commit time to write on your blog and create products for your Teachers Pay Teachers shop. Consider mapping out your product release schedule for the entire year if your product sales will be impacted by seasonal trends. You can use Trello to keep track of your due dates for your blog and TPT product release schedule.
If you need ideas for what to write on your blog, we’ve written a list of 50+ blog prompts for teachers.
Show Your Products in Action
A great way to showcase your products is to demonstrate how they work. Take photos and videos of your products to show what they look like when printed.
Reach Out to Other TPT Sellers
Yes, many of the other sellers on Teachers Pay Teachers are your competitors. You may have concerns about them copying your products or making it difficult for you to stand out. It’s very likely that most of your competitors do not offer exactly the same products as you. By getting to know other TPT sellers through Facebook Groups, forums, and blogging, you’ll earn their trust and respect. As they get to know you and what your shop offers, they’ll recommend your products to other teachers. It’s also important that you learn how your competitors on TPT run their shops. Are there things that you could learn from them? Through networking, you can discuss common challenges and opportunities.