My TPT Income Report for Quarter 1 in 2023 + Lessons Learned

Q1 has finished! And that means it's time for our Q1 TPT income report! If you're a teacher-author like me, you are aware of the recent happenings in the TPT world, such as IXL buying TPT, the neverending problem with personalized search, the teachers/buyers' struggle with the search, slow/low sales due to inflation, and many more.

I didn't want to continue broadcasting my TPT income report to the Internet anymore. Still, my income reports have gotten a lot of attention in the Internet world, and I may be helping/inspiring other teachers to open their TPT store or have a side hustle, so I decided to continue with it. But like other sellers, my sales were down for January and February. I had high hopes for 2023, but with all the changes, I've learned to adjust, market more, accept things I cannot control, and not put all my eggs in one basket. 

So without further ado, let's proceed to our Q1 income report. If you don't like talking about money, please click out. 

JANUARY

January started ok. But my earnings were down 40% compared to January 2022. If I remember correctly, two main issues at the time (and until now) were personalized search and inflation.

Conversion rate: 8.7%

Views: 2,419

Units Sold: 131

Bestsellers: Chinese New Year resources

Check my Q1 2022 income report here.

FEBRUARY

My February was also down 31% compared to February 2022. I guess after January, I stopped expecting that my sales would skyrocket. But you know what I did? I kept creating and updating resources, sending emails to my list, posting on my Facebook page, and making pins. Despite doing those things, my sales were still down (LOL), but what's important is I kept going. Those things I did may not result in something big now, but they will in the future.

Conversion rate: 7.7%

Views: 2,579

Units Sold: 115

Bestsellers: Black History Month resources and reading passages

March

For the first time in 2023, my earnings were up 10% in March! How did it happen? I have no idea. As a small TPT seller, I'm still navigating the ebbs and flows of sales.

As you can see in my graph, I had a good 1st day of March. It gave me the boost I needed to continue what I do. 

Conversion rate: 8.9%

Views: 1, 782

Units Sold: 122

Bestsellers: Women's History Month resources, math worksheets, and reading passages. I've been selling many reading passages bundles, so I consider it a win!

Lessons from Q1 2023:

1. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. I don't own TPT, so I have no control over whatever they want to do with the site. I'm selling on Boom (since April 2021) and Made by Teachers. I have resources on Etsy, but I realized it's not for me. I know some sellers have been successful on Etsy, but maybe one day, I'll change my mind and take Etsy seriously.
2. I've started joining email collabs, and while it's not the best way to gain email subscribers organically, it's helped me in some ways. I recently joined a hashtag sale and emailed about the dollar deals I was offering to my email list. That email made me earn $13. That's $13 I won't get elsewhere. So, if you find email collaborations within your niche (they usually post on TPT Facebook groups), I encourage you to join.
3. Accept things you can't control. I can't control how much I earn every month, but I have control over what I can/should/must do to increase my earnings. So, I'm focusing on that.
4. Create the perfect listing. I know there's no such thing as perfect, but make sure you have eye-catching covers, detailed previews and descriptions, and all that jazz. 

A little bit of a life update:

It's April 17 (I'm probably stressing out about the flight by the time you read this), and I'm flying back to the Philippines with Gabriel and Nugget next month! I have mixed feelings about leaving and starting a new life back home, but I know I'll be fine! 

If you plan to travel like me, I recommend you start batching your blog posts, emails, and IG/FB posts. How's your Q1? Leave a comment below or DM me on Instagram to chat! 

Talk soon.