New Product Previews...among other things...

Happy Sunday to you all! :)

Last week, I asked you guys to share with me how you were feeling about product previews in general.  I learned a few pretty important points.

Last week, while I was at the conference, two of the presenters that I saw spoke on marketing.  Both of them had things to say about previews.  Now...I am not the guru of all things 'product preview-y', but...I really thought I was pretty good on this point.  I even have a few videos on You Tube about how to do them.

The quickest way to get feedback, in my opinion, is to ask my fans stuff on Facebook.  They are REALLY responsive, and super honest! :)

Well...I asked...and that's what I got! :)
They must just love me...because...half of my product previews are things that they DON'T want! :/
LOL!
Sometimes, though...and I would say this is true across the board.  If a teacher really respects your practice and purchases from you often...they probably already know--crazy, whack preview unseen--what you're about and are willing to trust you.
That said...if you are trying to brand yourself...or just starting out...these tips can be critical to having people look and linger rather than look...and look away! :)

On TPT, freebies do NOT have a preview, but all paid products do! :)
For my freebies, I've chosen to go this route...

I like to put a few images of the papers...or images of students working on the covers, to give people an overall feel of what they'd be getting! :)  This particular freebie has really resonated with folks who follow me, and I think I'm going to have this be my year round free product as a result! :)

Now...on to paid products...

When I first started in TPT, lots of the people I admired had these types of previews.

They acutually still do...#justsayin

I'm almost embarassed to show you what my first ones looked like...but...this is one that I really liked! :)

My optics have gotten so much better in the last year!  I'm so excited about the look and feel of this product!

This Kitten Unit is one of my top 5 sellers.

I've been teaching it in my room for two years.

But let me tell you...the NUMBER ONE thing that my fans said...AND that other people 'liked' was that these types of images do not help them get the best view of the product.

This looks good to ME because I already KNOW what is in the product...but is that translating to a teacher who is interested in using it in their classroom?  #notsomuch

This one is a tough one for me...but again...one that many readers on my fan page 'liked'.
Can I be honest?
I mean...it's just you and I here and all.
*looks around* *whisper voice* Is it bad that sometimes, I worry that someone will take my idea and copy it if I put too much of it out there?  Or that they will think...I can make that better...or cuter...and by me putting the entire product out there...I give them all the brainstorming they need?  Am I terrible for saying it out loud?
You won't tell anyone...will ya?
I just did this style of a preview on my FB fan page for my Good Citizen Pack.
I haven't heard very much from fans on it as of yet...so, I am still on the fence about actually loading it up onto TPT.  If you already follow me on FB, you can see it.  It will be up until Tuesday.  I even left the water mark off of a few pages so that fans could get a few things from the pack as a sample.  Let me know in the comments what you think.

This was really neat to know!
Many of my readers said that a blog post with lots of great images of student engagement was a HUGE draw to making a purchase.
I'm not advocating ALL product driven posts...but...if this is what my fans are saying about what they need in order to really 'see a product'...I bet yours feel pretty similarly!
But...don't take my word for it!
Ask them!!
You will be glad you asked! :)

Vegas was so key for me because I was able to connect with other teachers who have been sharing their classroom tools longer and/or with more success.  Alyssha from Teaching and Tapas was my roommate for Vegas and she actually got this process rolling for me! :)  Love her! :)
We sat down...looked at my numbers first...then at the previews...and she helped me chart a new course that would be more effective in sharing what I do with my readers! :)  Her previews are AMAZING and I learned so much!  So...thanks Alyssha! :)  From the bottom of my heart! ;) XOXO
Here's my brand new preview for my Kindergarten Fluency: Short Vowels

I hope you guys can see that I took to heart your comments! :)
Thanks for always making me a better teacher with your feedback and sharing! :)
I know for sure I have the bestest fans in the world! :)