How to Sell on Teachers Pay Teachers – 3 Steps to Get Started

If you are a teacher, chances are you are familiar with Teachers Pay Teachers. You may have downloaded a few freebies there or purchased resources to use with your own classroom. Have you ever wondered how to sell on Teachers Pay Teachers. With this blog post, now YOU can get started creating and selling your own resources!

A few years ago, I heard about how a Deanna Jump, a kindergarten teacher from Georgia, unexpectedly became a millionaire through selling worksheets and fun learning units online. I thought 2 things at the time. 1) Well, good for her! That IS amazing! and 2) I wish I knew how to do that!

I put that story and those thoughts on the back burner until I decided to open my own TpT store in January, 2014. We were fairly broke at the time, and I just wanted to earn an extra $20/month to have a little spending money so I could treat myself to a nice, bubbly Diet Coke fountain drink a few times each month! That was my one and only goal. I uploaded my first paid resource (Poppin’ Into a New Year) and a few days later, I received a notification on my phone that it had sold and I had earned 84 cents! Let me tell you, 84 cents never felt so good! Not only had I earned a little money, but some teacher out there had trusted me to make a difference in some way in her classroom.

That was enough to propel me into full action. I began turning my ideas into new resources and by the end of the first month, I had earned $112.38. I realized I had stumbled across something truly wonderful. I had found an opportunity that allowed me to share my love of teaching, to help other educators feel less stressed and more helped in the classroom, and to bring some additional, much-needed income into our home.

As I began to have increased success with my Teachers Pay Teachers business, I felt happier than I had felt in a long time. I finally felt valued as a teacher and the feedback I was getting inspired me to continue creating and growing my store. By the end of the second year, my TpT income surpassed my teaching salary. Since then, my business has continued to grow and I feel incredibly blessed.

If you are looking for a way to gain additional income as a teacher and to make a difference for a larger, worldwide audience of teachers and students, then learning how to sell on Teachers Pay Teachers might be the way to make that happen. I work with many new teacher authors in my Teacherpreneur School, and so many of them are always surprised that it’s not as difficult to create appealing resources and sell them online as they thought it might be. As an educator, you already have the content knowledge and teaching skill set in place. Learning how to package it and sell it is the part you have to learn and master. While it can be challenging, it is also really fun!

If you are ready to get started or even to just explore the possibilities, here are 3 steps on how to sell on Teachers Pay Teachers. You will get started creating and selling teaching resources and lesson plans online:

1) Open Shop. It’s free to sign up for a basic seller’s account and you have nothing to lose. Here’s my referral link, in case you want to use it (you won’t earn anything less for using it):  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Signup/referral:ShellyRees

2) Use PowerPoint to Create Resources. Yes, seriously. PowerPoint is much better making resources than Word for many reasons. You can make products look polished and professional because of the ability to:

• Add and manipulate text boxes and clip art
• Layer elements
• Change backgrounds
• Easily change font effects
• Add shadow and effects to images and text
• Drag, manipulate, and resize objects and text
• Lighten and crop photos and images

You just cannot do all of those things in Word. And, if you try, it will take you a LOT longer, wasting valuable time. Trust me, I started creating my products in Word, and quickly made the change to PPT when another teacher author suggested it. I’m SO glad I listened. Look at these covers I made in PowerPoint:

And here is how I spruced up a resource by quickly adding a little clip art, changing the font of the titles and subtitles, and adding some color to the cover page. All of this was done in PowerPoint.

3) Identify your niche. Many times, teachers will say to me, “I’m just not very creative. I don’t know what to make.” My response is always to ask them 3 questions and to use the answers to those questions to make a list of future products:

If I can do it, you can, too. That is the simple truth. With your set of educational skills and expertise and some hard work, you can begin selling your own teaching resources online.

When I started, I spent hours scouring YouTube for helpful PowerPoint tutorials and Googling answers to questions I had. I often wonder how much more quickly I could have become successful if all of those things were in one place for me.

That’s why I have spent the past few months creating a one-stop site where new teacher authors could get help with all of their questions and get on the fast track to success – learning how to sell on Teachers Pay Teachers. Teacherpreneur School has everything you need to get started with your new business today.

In Teacherpreneur School you will learn how to get started with your very own business selling lesson plans, worksheets, units of study, and other resources that you create. You will be guided each step of the way. From getting started  to learning how to use clip art to uploading your very first product in your store, I have outlined each step for you.

With your registration in this extra-helpful course, you will receive the following:

• 7 Webinar Videos: Each video walks you through the things you need to do to get started with your own teacher author business today! In the videos, I share practical tutorials showing you how to create your own resources, use clip art, make product covers, set up your store on TpT, and add your products! It’s work at your own pace, which is perfect for busy teachers like you!
• Course Planner: This helpful planner helps you get started and stay on track with creating and selling your lesson plans and teaching resources. For each video session, there is a section of the planner that you will complete as a practical assignment. You will stay accountable by posting your progress and questions in our closed Facebook group!
• Clip Art and Font Toolbox: No need to invest in clip art and fonts right away! This course includes over $70 worth of clip art and fonts in one convenient toolbox. Just download and get started!
• PowerPoint Tutorial Library: This collection of short video tutorials is priceless. The vast majority of teacher authors use PowerPoint to create their resources. This tutorial library has quick videos to help you with things like resizing and manipulating clip art, layering text and images, and creating titles that pop!
• Additional PDFs and Helpful Files: To help you get started without worrying about small details, you will have access to extra forms and cheat sheets, such as a Terms of Use page and Bullets and Bold Cheat Sheets.

As a member of Teacherpreneur School, you will also have access to our wonderful Teacherpreneur School Facebook Community! In this closed group, you will post photos and progress as you work through the Teacherpreneur School Course, using the hashtags provided on each session’s challenge slide. The group is amazingly positive and helpful! If you ever have a TpT-related question you need answered, that is the place to go. When you want to share a business worry, fear, or victory, we are there to help. Oh….and the monthly coaching video calls! You do NOT want to miss those!

Here is what you will receive as a member of this exclusive teacher author support group:

• Monthly Coaching Video Call: Once a month (or more), Shelly will provide a video call to offer coaching just for group members. This call is a HUGE bonus, as Shelly will provide up-to-date tips, strategies, and information to keep you motivated and on track with building your business. Each call will close with a Live Q&A session.
• Inclusion in a Closed Facebook Community Group: Many courses just give you the information and leave you hanging out there all on your own. With access to the private FB group, you can ask any questions you have about the course and the world of TpT and also encourage and connect with other course members along the way. We will be right there to help you every step of the way!

I sometimes wonder if I’d still be struggling to come up with twenty extra dollars each month if I hadn’t started my journey on Teachers Pay Teachers. I’m SO glad I didn’t wait and that I just decided to start. You CAN do this. You have the power to make it so. Give it a try!

I’d love to help you on your journey! Click HERE to check out Teacherprenuer School today. Together we can help you find success learning how to sell on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Also, here is where it all started: My TpT Store!

P.S. If you’ve got a blog related to your Teachers Pay Teachers store, here’s some great tips for increasing blog traffic!