The Rebranded Teacher
The Rebranded Teacher
The Future of TPT: Trends & Predictions in 2025
What if the secret to thriving in the ever-evolving Teachers Pay Teachers marketplace wasn't just about creating content but about crafting resources that reflect your unique expertise and creativity? This episode of the Rebranded Teacher Podcast promises to equip you with the insights to navigate the shifting dynamics of the TPT landscape. Host Lauren Fulton dives into the growing influence of AI-generated content and why it's crucial to steer clear of easily duplicable resources like simple worksheets. Instead, she advocates for innovative educational materials that highlight your distinct value—something technology simply can't replicate. As teacher influencers increasingly shape purchasing behaviors, Lauren shares strategies to build a strong social media presence, tapping into the trend of impulse buying and seasonal resource demand.
Amidst the bustling teacher influencer space, discover how to stand out and secure your success in a saturated market. As the episode unfolds, you'll gain a comprehensive understanding of the anticipated industry shifts, including a move towards minimalism and foundational learning as consumers seek a break from excessive spending. Whether you're a TPT veteran or a newcomer, this episode is your blueprint for sustainable growth and long-term success. And as a call to action, Lauren emphasizes the power of community support—encouraging listeners to leave reviews and share the podcast to help more TPT sellers access these valuable insights and contribute to the show's growth. Tune in for a transformative discussion that could redefine your journey as a teacher entrepreneur.
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Welcome to the Rebranded Teacher Podcast. My name is Lauren Fulton. I'm a full-time teacher, author and seller on Teachers, pay Teachers and I help other teacher entrepreneurs grow their TPT businesses in a way that's purposeful and sustainable. So if you're looking for actionable, step-by-step ways to grow your business, you're in the right place. Let's get started it.
Speaker 2:Listen, I don't pretend to have any kind of hookup or insider information with TPT, so just know that the things that I'm about to tell you, it's not because I have some sort of inside contact. It's just that I've been in the business for a while and these are some trends that I'm seeing and predictions that I'm making about the future of TPT and specifically what it means for me and you. So let's get started. I've been selling on TPT since 2016, and I've been out earning my old teaching salary since 2019. So I've been around the block a few times and I know a few things when it comes to growing your TPT store and making sure that you're setting yourself up for long term success, because who wants to do all TPT store? And making sure that you're setting yourself up for long-term success, because who wants to do all of this work and it all be for nothing in like three, four or five years? No, we want to make sure that the things that we're doing right now are going to benefit us in the long term. So let's talk about three things that I'm seeing in the TPT world that I think could impact your business long term, and how you can set yourself up for success with that knowledge Number one. Ai is going to become your competition.
Speaker 2:Now, I'm not saying that AI stores are going to completely take over TPT. I am not a doom and gloom type of person. I am not one of those people that you're going to find scrolling looking for content that was created with AI and reporting it to TPT, because I don't have time for that. And if you do have time for that, I'm not saying that's a bad thing, good for you. I'm glad somebody is out there doing it, but it ain't going to be me, because I am not scared of content created by robots Okay, I'm just not. But there are some things that you do need to keep in mind, not if AI, but when AI becomes competition. Because let's be real, right now, the kind of content that AI is creating especially like I'm in the math world chat GPT can't even properly solve an equation, so I'm not too worried about it being able to generate upper level worksheets or anything like that.
Speaker 2:Yet that said, there are some really smart AI programmers and I think that it's just going to be a matter of time before AI softwares are able to generate really simple things like notes, lesson plans and worksheets. So what does that mean for you? The main thing it means for me and you is that we need to make sure that we are creating things that AI cannot create. So if I'm entering the TPT world, I'm not going to be making really simple worksheets, I'm not going to be making simple sets of notes and probably not going to be making task cards. To be honest with you, I'm going to be making simple sets of notes and probably not going to be making task cards. To be honest with you, I'm going to be making things that require some creativity, require some out-of-the-box thinking and that really showcase my teacher knowledge and expertise in a way that AI cannot. So if you're just starting out on TPT, while creating worksheets and task cards and things like that are really simple ways to get started, it should absolutely not be your long-term strategy. Make sure, when you're designing a product line, that you're asking yourself, five years from now do I think that this is something that AI could generate on its own? If the answer is yes or maybe, then maybe go back to the drawing board, okay. So I don't think that AI is going to become competition for the vast majority of TPT sellers because we're out here creating super high quality content with our knowledge, expertise and creativity, and those are things that ChatGPT doesn't have right now and probably never will have.
Speaker 2:But at the same, I want to make sure that I'm creating resources that don't have to stand toe to toe with AI technology, because if AI can create a worksheet that's 80% as good as my worksheet, then a teacher would probably be willing to pay 50% for the 80% as good worksheet, because, let's be real, teachers don't make a lot of money. A good example of this would be CUDA software. I don't know if any of you guys are familiar with that, but when I was a teacher in the classroom I would use like CUDA worksheets K-U-T-A and these worksheets were probably not AI generated, but they were extremely simple. It was skill and drill, multiplication, solving equations, crafting lines, things like that. There might be some work problems interspersed in there, which was great, but for the most part these were just rote skill and drill math problems. That is not the kind of thing that I want to be creating as a TPT seller right now, even though five or 10 years ago that might have done really well and I might have been able to showcase my expertise, provide scaffolded, types of questions and things like that and that not be readily available online. But in this day and age, even though AI doesn't quite have the technology to produce that type of quality, vetted content, I'm thinking that in the next two to five years it absolutely will. So this isn't something I should be scared of. It's just something I need to keep in mind when I'm creating those resources.
Speaker 2:Number two TPT influencers will be on the rise. If you think teacher influencers are everywhere now, I'm going to say give it two to three years and it's going to be even more of a saturated market. And that prediction is pretty much fueling my next two predictions, so stick around for those. If you've been in the teacher influencer space in the last two or three years, you've noticed that there has been a major come up in teacher influencers. I mean honestly, there's been a major surge in content creators in general. But in the teacher space, oh my gosh, like Two or three years ago, especially five years ago, there were just a few select teacher influencers who were really knocking it out of the park, and today it's the norm, like there are teacher influencers who are followed and have been from people who aren't even teachers. It's just them showcasing their everyday life and people really flock to that. So I'm predicting in the next few years that we're going to see a continued rise.
Speaker 2:So that means three things. The first thing that it means is that people are going to purchase more on no like and trust factor. So if I am a follower of yours on Instagram or well, maybe not TikTok we'll have to see what happens with that and you see them using worksheets or you hear them talking about something that they're doing in their classroom or decor that they use, you're going to be so much more likely to purchase that from them versus going to TPT to look for products. So I think, as we see more and more teachers enter the influencer space, a lot more products are going to be purchased on impulse from people they know, like and trust versus people going to TPT to look for specific products. Just a prediction that I have Not saying that TPT search won't still be super important. It absolutely will. What I'm saying is that I think that we're just going to see more and more impulse purchases made from the social media teacher influencer space. That's what I'm saying. So what that means for you, if you want to get ahead of that trend is start building your social media following, start creating videos, start creating content content that doesn't necessarily revolve around the resources that you're selling, that revolves around your everyday life and then, naturally, you're going to start to sell some of those resources as you build your following.
Speaker 2:The other two trends I think we're going to see, as it relates to the rise of teacher influencers, is that seasonal resources are going to be hot. Now they're already hot, don't get me wrong, but I think they're going to become more and more hot, and here's why I think this. If you've noticed, over the last few years, in just the influencer space, people are starting to market holidays way before the holiday even gets here. So, like, holidays that didn't used to be a really big deal are suddenly huge. The Christmas season is so much longer now than it ever was because influencers are starting to decorate on Halloween, right, and then, as soon that Christmas ends, they're taking down all of that Christmas decor.
Speaker 2:And right now, as I'm recording this, it's January 18th, and over the course of the last week, everyone's decorating for Valentine's Day. Yeah, so we're a month away from Valentine's Day and people are already decorating for it because they know that, in order to get you to purchase, they have to allow you plenty of time to be able to make plans for that season. So if they're showing you what they're doing for Valentine's Day or how they're decorating for Valentine's Day the week before Valentine's Day, it's not enough time for you to make that purchase, to make that order and to get prepared, and so you probably won't do it. But if they start talking about Valentine's Day now, you're adding to cart, you're adding things to wishlist and you're already getting the ideas going.
Speaker 2:So what that means for us as TPT sellers is I think we're going to see more and more of a push for these seasonal resources as this surge in teacher influencers grows. So there's going to be more content produced that revolves around seasonal classroom decor, seasonal classroom projects and things of that nature, and with that we're going to start to see a surge in sales for seasonal resources. So if you don't have seasonal resources in your store, go ahead and start creating them now, because, as it becomes more and more popular, more and more moms, more and more teachers, more and more child caretakers are going to be looking for those seasonal items in order to stay up with the trends and because we're starting these holidays so far back. It gives them more time to need more products for that season, right? So if Valentine's Day is starting a month early, then we're going to have two weeks of Valentine's Day products that we need to fill our classroom. I mean, heck, I just bought 12 Valentine's Day books for my daughter, and that is not something that I would have done in years past. I would have bought a couple of Valentine's Day books and then other regular books for her for the month of, have bought a couple of Valentine's Day books and then other regular books for her for the month of February, but now that Valentine's Day is hitting so big, I feel the need to make it a month-long holiday. Do you know what I mean? And other people are going to feel that way too. So I'm predicting that we're going to see an increase in demand for seasonal items. Last but not least, after this increase in seasonal items, I think over the next couple of years, we're then going to see a strong dip in seasonal item sales.
Speaker 2:Okay, so I know this is kind of like contradictory advice, but I think the next trend that I'm seeing come up after this big surge and push for buying more, more, more is that people are going to get burnt out on constantly feeling like they're spending and they're not getting the results that they want. I think we're going to start to see a real push for going back to the basics in education and following that social media trend where a push for buying more, more, more is followed up by a push to do less, less, less. I think that that's where we're really going to start to see parents want to get back to the very basics with their youngsters, with their preschool and kindergartners. We're going to see teachers start to focus on minimizing the type of content that they're bringing into their classroom and they're going to be looking for some really strong basics. So this isn't worksheets, this isn't notes or task cards or some of those things that are generated by AI, but we're talking about some really good, unique staple pieces. For example, last week I was on social media and I started to notice this trend in the mom movement, where there are a lot of moms who are like hand drawing little activities and worksheets for their students to do so, rather than purchasing like tracing worksheets on TPT. They're like hand drawing little, cute, little traceable paths for their kids to trace at home. Right, it's super simple. It takes a couple of minutes for them, but it's very basic. I can 100% see, over time, some of these basic, hand-drawn, more unique sort of teaching tools becoming staples inside the classroom.
Speaker 2:So, as with any trend where people are purchasing more and more and more and consuming more and more content, at some point there's going to be a little bit of a burnout and we're going to go okay, I need to get back to the basics in my classroom, because that was way less stress for me. Like, these things over here might be really fun, but they're also causing me a lot of stress and anxiety and causing me to put unnecessary pressure on myself, and so I think then we'll see this trend where people really started to seek out basic materials for their classroom, things that they can use over and over and over again, rather than having to purchase multiple items. So that's something else that you can keep in mind. I guess I want to create seasonal resources, because I'm going to continue to see a demand for the next couple of years, but I also want to make sure that I'm creating resources that teachers can rinse and repeat, that they can buy one time and use them over and over and over again, because they're going to find lifelong value in those resources and they're going to be dedicated customers because they feel like if I purchase her product or if I purchase his product, I'm going to get a lot of use out of that product and it's not like single use plastic that I'm going to buy and throw away. It's kind of like the stainless steel tumbler that I'm going to use every day until I die or until things start coming apart, right?
Speaker 2:So let's do a quick recap for how you can set yourself up for success long-term TPT. Number one make sure you're creating products that aren't going to compete with AI, right. Make sure you're creating resources that are going to stand the test of time and that really showcase your knowledge and expertise and creativity as a teacher. Number two get ahead of the influencer trend. If you are at all interested in being on social media as a teacher, now is the time to do it, and I would honestly place more of a focus on talking about your day-to-day life rather than trying to hard sell right now. I would focus more on building a brand and building a following, and then the sales will come.
Speaker 2:Third, remember that seasonal resources are going to be hot for a little while. And so make sure that you're creating those seasonal items. Don't neglect those seasonal items, because they can make you a lot of money and gain you a lot of traction in the short term and probably even in the long term, because they're not going to go away. People are not going to suddenly wake up tomorrow and not want to purchase any Christmas resources, but I do think that we're going to just see an increase in demand as people are using them for longer periods of time inside of their classroom and kind of extending those holiday seasons out. And then, lastly, make sure that you have some really good, high quality staples in your TPT store that teachers can rinse and repeat and use over and over and over again without having to purchase multiple products.
Speaker 2:If you're listening via podcast right now, then when you stop what you're doing, I want to, if you don't mind, take a second and leave me a little review. It doesn't have to be a big one, just a quick thanks, a little five stars here and there, whatever. Leave a review for this podcast, and not only is that gonna help other TPT sellers grow their business by finding this podcast, but it's also gonna help me with my goal of growing the podcast this year, so if you don't mind leaving a little review, sharing it with a friend. Thank you guys so much for being here every single week. I.