Teachers Pay Teachers Seller Tips to be Successful on TPT (2024)

Hey moms! Do you want to learn more about how sellers on Teachers Pay Teachers make money?

Well, you’ve come to the right place!

In today’s digital age, moms have access to more opportunities than ever to generate extra income for their families while continuing to prioritize their motherly duties!

teachers pay teachers website — Photo By: Teachers Pay Teachers

One such avenue is Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT), a popular online marketplace where educators can sell teaching resources and materials.

Whether you were previously a teacher or are still working full-time, TPT provides flexibility and access to an audience of millions of teachers worldwide who are ready to save time and purchase your done-for-you classroom materials!

Plus, you only have to make the products once but can sell them multiple times.

That means a potentially huge return on investment!

And who doesn’t want to add passive income to their monthly budget?

But it needs to be said that it’s more complex than just signing up and watching the extra money roll into your bank account.

So, how do TPT sellers make money?

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Do TPT Sellers Make Money?

Like any online side hustle, you must work hard and run this like a business with strategy.

If you can perfect how you do that, making money as a TPT seller is possible!

The key to success is creating high-quality resources that teachers would be willing to pay for, understanding how to market and promote your products, and utilizing the right tools!

Luckily for you – you’re in the right place to learn how to do that!

How Sellers Of Teachers Pay Teachers Make Money

Remember, you are selling to a niche market of teachers with specific needs.

Your job is to create high-quality materials that meet those needs while standing out from the competition!

But what does that include?

There are several things you can sell:

Lesson Plans

As a teacher, I’m sure you can relate to the painstaking task of planning lessons every week.

That’s why lesson plans are one of the most sought-after resources on Teachers Pay Teachers!

If you can save a teacher time with a high-quality lesson plan, you can make a tremendous amount of money!

Worksheets and Printables

Gone are the days when you could stick a kid in front of a book and expect them to learn.

Instead, teachers rely on worksheets and printables to help keep their students engaged and learn the materials better.

But making this stuff up on the fly is time-consuming.

That’s why selling printables, worksheets, clip art, and more are great ways to make money on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Creating these materials may take some time upfront, but the return on investment can be worth it!

Classroom Decor & Organization

Let’s face it; no teacher wants to spend their free time decorating or organizing their classroom.

That’s why they turn to TPT for ready-made materials like charts, posters, and labels!

If you can design high-quality digital products that teachers will be able to print and use in their classrooms, you’ll save them so much time and headache.

Courses

If you’re willing to show up on camera and deliver course materials, this can also be a fantastic earning opportunity on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Courses and tutorials offer a great way to go in-depth on specific topics.

Some things you could teach in a course include writing tips, teaching strategies, and more.

I’ve even seen art teachers make mini-courses or tutorials on how to do craft projects that the teachers can do in the classroom with their students!

These courses may require more time to create upfront but can be a great source of passive income on the platform.

How To Start Your Own TPT Store

Are you convinced that starting your own TPT shop is a good idea?

Well, then, let’s get to it!

I will walk you through how to start your own TPT store from scratch, following the best practices for success and helping you maximize your money earned.

I know you might be excited and want to set up your account on Teachers Pay Teachers.

However, there are some other steps I recommend completing first.

Step #1 – Choose What You Want To Sell

Trust me; you will have a much better chance of success knowing what products you want to offer!

That way, you can create a consistent brand and design for your shop while also helping you stay focused and organized.

It is a good idea to offer one or two types of digital products but make sure they are high-quality and stand out from the competition.

You’ll also find the top sellers have a niche they tend to stick to.

For one teacher, that might be selling a bunch of math resources for a specific age group, while another teacher focuses on art projects for kids of all ages.

Try to brainstorm some ideas of what materials you’re already good at creating, what the other teachers always beg you to borrow, or what gaps in the market exist that you could serve.

Step #2 – Create A Brand & Design

Once you have decided what you will offer, it’s time to create a brand and design.

You want your online store to stand out to the teacher community, and having a clear brand identity is a great way to do that!

Now, you don’t have to be a graphic designer or have crazy design skills to do this.

All you need to do is:

Pick a store name.
Choose your color palette and fonts for your shop.
Design a logo. (You can find templates on Canva, Creative Market, or Etsy.)

Don’t spend a lot of time doing this step!

The quality of your products will be much more important than how your shop looks.

Just put something together that looks good and makes sense for your brand!

Step #3 – Create Your First Quality Products

Now comes the fun part, creating your first products!

Remember, you are selling to teachers, so make sure your product is high quality and something they can use in their classroom.

Now, why do I recommend this step before setting up a shop?

There are a few reasons.

For starters, it has been my experience that creating products always takes longer than you think it will.

There is no point in having an account set up if you won’t be able to list anything for a week or more for sale.

Secondly, it’s much more fun to launch your store and have something to show potential customers when they visit your page!

Bonus Step – Get Your Teacher Friends To Test Them

Once you’ve created a few products, why not get your fellow teachers to test them?

Especially since these are your target audience, you want to make sure they like the products, that they work, and, most importantly, that they are helpful!

And be sure to ask for feedback once they’ve tried them out.

Doing this will help ensure that your products are high quality and ready for the teachers buying them.

Step #4 – Set Up Your TPT Store

Once you’ve completed your products and digital resources, you can set up your Teachers Pay Teachers store!

Start by creating an account and fill out all the necessary information about yourself, like name, address, payment method, etc.

Now, you might wonder if you should start with the free basic seller account or get a premium account.

I recommend starting with a free account.

Yes, you will make less money from your products, but you’ll also test if this side hustle works for you before investing money in the platform.

When you find success selling on TPT, you can easily upgrade to the paid account to earn more money from your sales and remove the other limitations of free accounts.

Step #5 – Upload Your Products

Once your shop is all setup, you can start adding the digital products or courses you’ve worked hard on.

Thankfully, the uploading process is straightforward.

In your account, click the “Add New Product” button on the right side of the page.

Next, a page will open where you can select the type of product you’d like to add to your store.

Finally, you’ll need to fill out the fields on the page, such as title and product description.

Step #6 – Optimize Your Products for SEO

When filling in the fields, you’ll want to optimize each product for search engine optimization (SEO).

Now, I know that term sounds scary.

But I promise, once you know what it is, it’s not as intimidating as it may seem!

SEO is the practice of increasing visibility in the platform’s search engine.

So, when a teacher searches for a product, you want your store and product to appear first!

That’s all SEO is.

To do this, you should optimize each product by:

Using specific keywords in the title and descriptions.
Adding detailed descriptions, including detailed instructions and answers to commonly asked questions.
Adding beautiful images that are eye-catching and show off your product.

Step #7 – Price Your Products

You’ll also need to price your products to reflect their value.

Now, I recommend researching what others are charging for similar products and considering the time it took you to create your product.

Remember, this is an investment of your time and energy, so make sure it’s worth it!

However, it’s also important to remember the average teacher’s salary to make it affordable.

It’s all about finding a balance.

Step #8 – Make Your Product Active

Before you click on the Create Product button at the bottom of the page, you must check the box that says “Make Product Active.”

The product will only be visible in your shop when you check this box.

Finish your product listing by hitting the Create Product button!

Step #9 – Promote Your Shop & Products

Congratulations, you’ve officially launched your Teachers Pay Teachers store!

Now it’s time to get those products out there and promote your shop.

A great place to start is simply sharing it with your fellow teachers or a network of teachers you know.

Send out an email or share it on your social media accounts.

Now, it’s also a good idea to expand outside of your current network as well to build a more extensive customer base.

Some great ideas you can do include:

Join a Facebook group where a lot of teachers hang out.
Create content showing your products, such as blog posts, YouTube videos, etc.
Attend local networking events for teachers.
Post your products on the bulletin boards in your school.

The more people who know about your store, the better!

Step #10 – Be Patient

Remember to be patient; success doesn’t happen overnight.

But with some hard work and dedication, you can make extra money from selling digital products and courses on Teachers Pay Teachers.

FAQs

Before I wrap up this blog post, I want to answer some of the common questions I hear about TPT.

Q: Do You Need A Premium Seller Account?

A: No, you don’t need a premium seller account to start selling on TPT!

You can get started quickly selling on TPT with a free account.

However, you will find the payout fees are much lower, and there are limits to what size of files and resources you can upload as products in your store.

Without a TPT premium seller account, you can’t upload video previews of your product. Videos can help tremendously with conversion.

At some point, if sales are coming in, you should upgrade to a premium membership to earn more money from the products sold in your TPT shop.

Q: How Do You Get Paid on TPT?

A: You can get paid through PayPal, direct deposit, or check.

You make the choice when setting up your account.

Q: How Much Can I Make Selling On TPT?

A: The amount you make depends on the quality and quantity of products you have in your store.

If you are willing to put in the time and effort, you could eventually earn full-time from TPT.

However, I recommend starting slow and gradually growing your store.

With that said, the sky’s the limit when it comes to how much you can make!

Q: What If I Have Problems Setting Up My Store?

A: TPT has a great help center and a community forum where you can get your questions answered.

Additionally, plenty of YouTube tutorials and blogs can help you get started.

Final Thoughts

Now that you know how sellers on Teachers Pay Teachers make money, it’s time to start your own store.

And hopefully, this guide has helped walk you through the steps you need to follow to succeed with your TPT shop!

As long as you are willing to put in the time and effort, there’s no doubt you can make extra money with Teachers Pay Teachers.

Good luck and happy selling!

How To Use Teachers Pay Teachers To Make Money

Do TPT Sellers Make Money?