Why should we flatten and secure our resources?

⭐️ The Terms of Use of most clipart artists require that our resources are flattened and secured as a PDF file.

⭐️If your resource is saved as a PDF file, but not flattened, anyone could lift the images and copy your content easily.

I use Flatpack from @bearwoodlabs to flatten my resources. It’s one of the best investments I have made in my business. I used to save my resources as JPEG and then insert each of the images, one at a time, on my pages. It worked, but it took a lot of time. Flatpack solved that problem. It does it in a few seconds. I no longer have to convert my resources into JPEG to flatten them.

Once flattened, I save them as PDF files using Adobe Acrobat Pro, which is also one of my best purchases. Once saved, I add a password that will be needed to edit them.

In the comments section below, please share what programs you use to flatten and save your files.

During my TpT journey, I have learned a few things that have worked well for me. I will share some of them with you today while others will be shared in another post.

⭐️Focus on creating new products. This is key to being successful!
⭐️Update your resources, not just the cover and preview, but the resource per se to make sure that it is still relevant, competitive and marketable.
⭐️Advertise once you have a good number of products in your store. If Pinterest works for you, use Pinterest. If Instagram or Facebook work for you, advertise on them. You do not have to advertise on all of them. Try what works better for you and the ones that bring money to your TpT store. At this time, I only advertise on Pinterest.
⭐️You do not need to have a blog to be successful. I have a blog, but I do not post regularly. However, my blog brings business to my TpT store.
⭐️Invest in high quality clipart and fonts.
⭐️Take photos of your products in action.
⭐️Make sure that your paid products have a preview, and if possible, a video preview too.
⭐️Flatten and secure your resources.
⭐️Create good quality freebies. They are free advertising.⭐️Covers should be squared. Some people make them 8”x8” while others make them larger.

The cover below is an example of the types of covers I create. It is square and measures 8″x8″. It includes the resource title, the type of resource, the target grade levels, an example of one of the pages included, my logo, and date of creation.

What other tips would you add to my list? Please share what has worked well you.

A few years ago , my computer crashed. I had most of my work saved on a couple jump drives; however, I forgot to save my recent files on the jump drives. I took my computer to an expert, but he couldn’t recover my files. I had most of the files on my jump drives, so to recover my recent files, I downloaded the PDF files from TpT and converted them to PowerPoint. The PowerPoint files were not perfect after being converted; however, they were a great way to recover the lost files.

I learned my lesson. From then on, I have used an external hard drive and also One Drive to save my files.

In the comments section below please share how you save your files.

I don’t know about you, but I would never purchase a resource that doesn’t have a preview. A preview is a must in your TpT product. It should clearly explain what the resource includes. It should be inviting and provide samples of the product. Photos of the resource in action are preferred as they clearly show what the buyer can do in their own classroom.

Some TpT sellers choose to show the entire product in their preview. Others show the most important features in their products. I think this is a personal preference. The most important thing is to make sure that all the resources that you sell have a preview.

Please check out my of video preview below. I created it on PowerPoint, but I also use Canva to create video previews.

In the comments below please share if previews or video previews is something you routinely do or if you don’t think a preview is needed.