Using Data to Make Smarter Decisions for Your TPT Store
When I first started selling on Teachers Pay Teachers, I made decisions based on instinct and what I thought might work. But as my store grew, I realized that I needed to take a more strategic approach. Tracking and analyzing data has completely changed the way I run my business, and I want to share some key insights that can help you make smarter, more profitable decisions for your own TPT store.
Track Your Time to Maximize Profits
One of my biggest regrets is not starting time-tracking early. Now, I log how long it takes to create each new product, write each newsletter and blog post, and handle other business-related tasks. I then use this data to calculate dollars earned per hour for each product line and task. This allows me to compare everything using the same metric and to focus my time on the highest dollars-per-hour activities. Instead of just looking at raw profits, I analyze how much I’m actually earning for the time invested.
Some Key Insights from Time Tracking:
- Prioritize Product Lines That Are Worth the Effort – If a certain category of products consistently brings in high profits relative to its time investment, that’s where I direct more of my attention. I now categorize my products based on their dollars-per-hour return. If a certain type of product consistently outperforms others, I double down on it.
- Bigger Isn’t Always Better – You’ll often hear TPT sellers say that $1 products just aren’t worth your time to create. It’s true that when you earn less than $1 per sale, after TPT’s cut is taken out, the profits don’t add up very quickly. But I’ve found that the dollars earned per hour on $1 products can sometimes rival or even surpass larger products. That’s because cheap products are also quick to make! This isn’t true in every case, but it was a surprising insight!
- Maximize Quick but Profitable Products – Bundles and free samples that lead to upsells (tracked using UTM codes) are far and away my most profitable product types. Since they take little time to create but drive significant sales, they are a top priority. I try to include a free sample for every medium-to-large product in my store, and I try to bundle related products together wherever possible.
- Evaluate Other Activities – For example, my newsletter hasn’t been a major revenue driver for me. I know other sellers have found success with theirs, so I’m not giving up on it altogether, but I’m not spending a lot of time crafting beautiful weekly newsletters if they’re not going to drive sales.
- Find Ways to Work More Efficiently – Time-saving strategies, like automating the creation of black-and-white versions of products, help increase my hourly rate. Additionally, batching similar tasks (like creating previews for multiple products at once) has helped me streamline my workflow and get more done in less time. The goal is always to improve my dollars-per-hour rate for every task.
Don’t Rely on a Single “Magic” Conversion Rate
You’ve probably heard advice like, “If your conversion rate is above X%, raise your price.” But the truth is, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to pricing. A good conversion rate depends on multiple factors, including:
- The type of product
- Your niche
- The competition
- The current price point
For example, low-priced resources naturally have higher conversion rates than higher-priced bundles. If you compare a $2 worksheet to a $50 curriculum set, their conversion rates will be drastically different, but both can still be profitable.
If you decide to experiment with raising (or lowering) a price, keep track of the exact date you make the change. This allows you to compare year-over-year (YOY) sales from that point forward and see whether the pricing adjustment was beneficial. I keep a pricing experiment log where I note any changes and the subsequent effects on sales. I check back in a few months and change the price back if sales did not increase.
Keep a Record of Any Changes You Make
Making updates to your product listings is a smart strategy, but only if you know whether those changes actually helped. Whenever I update a product’s SEO, cover, preview, thumbnails, or description, I note the date of the change in a spreadsheet. Then, after some time has passed, I review my YOY sales data to assess the impact of those updates. If sales improved, I know I’m on the right track. If they didn’t, I may need to make additional tweaks or even revert back to the old version.
For instance, I once raised a product’s price by $0.25 and noticed a drop in views, conversion rate, units sold, and overall earnings. Yikes! I quickly changed the price back to where it was, and later experimented with lowering it. On the other hand, I once changed the title of a product so that it would rank for different TPT keywords and watched as its earnings shot up over 600%! That was a change that I kept and tried to emulate in other products.
Monitor Product Trends Over Time
One of the most valuable data points I track is how my products perform year after year. If a product is consistently rising in sales, that’s a strong indicator that my updates or marketing strategies are working. If a product is declining, it’s a sign that something needs to change—maybe the product needs a refresh, a new preview, or a price adjustment.
To make this easier, I use a spreadsheet to track these trends. I use this data to note the products that are declining most aggressively, and then I focus on these products for updates and optimization.
Leverage UTM Tracking for Better Insights
One often-overlooked way to track what’s driving sales is UTM codes. You can generate these free, trackable links right on TPT – go to your Dashboard, click Traffic, then click Link Builder. By adding tracking parameters to links, you can see exactly which marketing efforts are leading to conversions. For example, I use UTM codes to track sales from:
- Pinterest pins
- Email newsletters
- Freebie downloads
- Blog posts
By analyzing this data, I can determine which marketing channels are worth my time and which aren’t delivering a strong return on investment.
Final Thoughts: Data Helps You Work Smarter, Not Harder
Instead of making decisions based on gut feeling, I now rely on data to guide my TPT strategy. This has allowed me to focus on the products and activities that yield the best return on investment while cutting back on those that don’t.
If you’re not already tracking your time, sales trends, and product updates, I highly recommend starting now. It might seem like extra work at first, but the insights you gain will make your business far more efficient and profitable in the long run.
Your future self will thank you!
You might also be interested in:
The Ultimate TPT SEO Guide
TPT Seller Tips: Create Products That Will Sell
