How to Start An Email List for TPTers

An email list will earn you $800 every time you email.

At least that’s what one teacherpreneur said in a Facebook group. (And everything on Facebook is true.)

An email list sounds like the best way to make money and drive traffic to your TPT store. Every TPTer you follow has an email list. And they say that every time they email, they make hundreds of dollars.

Well—that sounds nice.

So you start to build an email list.

But realize, you don’t know how to don’t like how you sound when you write marketing emails.

Then you start trying to find ways to practice having an email list. Without paying $40 a month for teachers to get a front row seat to you accidentally sending the wrong email. With the wrong links attached.

Because you know there’s more to starting an email list than signing up for ConvertKit or Flodesk’s free trial.

Since I know you’re going to ask. Neither of those is the free trial I’d choose.

The one I’d chose is free until you’re ready to upgrade.

Start with Free and Easy

No, not Mailchimp.

Noooo, not Flodesk.

Your Note to Followers. 

Not only is this the easiest and cheapest way to “email”, but it starts you off emailing teachers who already love your stuff.

It’s a basic email platform preloaded with raving fans. Who doesn’t want to start by emailing fans? (Isn’t that why our mom’s are on our lists? No? Just me?)

You can email your audience and not have to hunt them down through a lead magnet.

And you won’t have to pay $40 a month just to have teachers not open your emails because you don’t know how to write fun marketing emails yet.

It’ll also help you get Sorority Sister Suzie out of your head. She’s going to pop into your head and make you think you need to sell in a slimy, sleezy, or salesy way. Or always send a super obvious sales email.

But, email marketing isn’t about the products.

Decide 3 Reasons You Want to Email

If your emails feel like a TPT version of a QVC sell-a-thon, you’ve been shown wrong.

You can sell your products, but not in an obvious, over the top way.

What is your email list purpose? Is it about sharing funny teaching stories? Is it about taking the curriculum back from the overstandardizing politicians who want to test students to death? Is it about fun math strategies?

If you’re stuck on why you want to start email marketing, grab this list of ideas.

Then pick 3 reasons you want to email. Knowing why you are emailing will help you deliver emails that your audience will read. Knowing your purpose sets your emails apart from other sellers who are shoving products down your audience’s throat.

Occasionally, even after you know why you are creating an email list, you get stuck when you sit down to write.

Nothing “good” comes to you. 

It’s all “stuff” teachers already know. 

Skip second guessing yourself, and use emails that have already been started.

Use Emails That Have Already Been Started

Sitting down to write is so much easier when the email has been started for you. Pick one of the 5 subject lines for the month, look at the icon to see if it’s selling or an inspirational email, copy the first line over, and keep typing.

Then you’ll have an email you can be proud of about in just a few minutes.

And more importantly, it’ll be an email your audience wants to read because it will help them.

But a word of caution.

While email is new and exciting, it’s easy to email every month or week. But then you get behind on a product, run out of templates (I have a SOLuuuution to this!), or just plain forget.

And you skip a week. Or two. Or seventeen.

Then it’s easy to put email on the “I’ll Get to it Later” list. Instead, why not make a back up plan that avoids missing weeks?

Be Persistent and Consistent

Being persistent is having a plan for when inspiration doesn’t come. Or when you feel like you don’t have time to email. (Or when Google decides to update everything and you panic and question your whole email marketing existence…just me?)

Teachers have last minute lesson plans and subplans, you need a backup email plan. 

For me this is writing my emails…

Okay, don’t freak out… 

6 months in advance and scheduling them out. 

You don’t need to do that. Just write yours a month in advance. Which is easy to do with those starters.

Or write 4 back up emails for when you get behind.

It doesn’t have to be a big deal. Just a plan for the the moment when you don’t have time or inspiration to email.

Starting an Email List Isn’t Signing Up with Flodesk

It’s so much more than signing up with an email service provider.

It’s your realm.

It’s your world of teaching.

It’s your way of doing things that makes teaching easier.

It’s all the work and effort that has to be done to make the email list worth it.

Your purpose for emailing.

Your wording and tone of voice.

Your email style and structure.

These are the email marketing topics that should be talked about and consciously decided.

Unfortunately most, TPTers that have email lists either don’t know how to plan to run an email list or don’t realize the importance of planning to run an email list.

So, if you’re planning on starting an email list or planning to treat your TPT Note to Followers like an email list, then grab this bundle.

You’ll be prepared to run an amazing email list that readers adore.