How to Make Money on Teachers Pay Teachers

Teachers Pay Teachers is an online resource that provides teachers with the capacity to monetize their educational materials. Here, educators can publish and make their own products available at a custom price. In doing so, they can benefit from a share of the profit on every sale made.

How to make money on Teachers Pay Teachers

When you create digital products to sell, you can benefit from recurring passive income for a long time after the initial design process. Your efforts reward you with profits anytime someone buys a copy of your product.

You can sell all sorts of educational resources on the site, including:

• Lesson plans
• Worksheets
• Awards
• Planners
• Task cards
• Tags
• Note templates
• Anchor charts
• Games
• Labs
• Bulletin board and classroom decorations
• Calendars
• Newsletter templates

Tap into your creative energies and make sure your products are both innovative and practical. This will give you an edge when it’s time to upload them to your store and set a price.

Setting up your store

Before you can start selling your items, you need to set up your store on Teachers Pay Teachers. It’s a simple process where you enter your information and create a store name. You can choose a free basic seller account or upgrade to a paid premium seller account. 

As a premium seller, you get a larger percentage of each sale and lower transaction fees. You also get an increased file size limit, the ability to upload videos, and additional premium tools. Once you create your store, you can start uploading your items immediately.

Creating your materials

When creating your materials, consider your strengths. Did you design a unique classroom management system that works better than anything you’ve tried? Maybe you’re an expert in teaching algebra concepts to students who don’t like math. Look at the resources you’ve already made for your students and decide whether you can turn them into a product you can sell. 

Many sellers choose a niche and center most of their products around it. By doing this, you become the go-to creator for that niche. You might choose a specific type of product, such as teacher planners or task cards, or you might specialize in a particular topic. Researching to see what’s already available in your niche lets you fill gaps with new resources, which can help you gain traction within that specialty area.

The best Teachers Pay Teachers worksheets and other materials are ones that are unique and effective. Everything you create should be your own design. You can find inspiration from existing materials, but you need to come up with your own version. It also needs to be a high-quality resource. Consider whether you’d pay money for what you’re creating. 

If you’re creating a resource from scratch that you’ve never used, test it out in your classroom. You’ll often find ways to improve the material as you use it yourself. Your students might also offer suggestions or even spot mistakes for you in the design. This step can help you make a more polished product. 

Software for creating teaching materials

To sell your products effectively, they need to be useful — and they also need to look good. Professional-quality resources are more likely to stand out among the many Teachers Pay Teachers lesson plans, worksheets, and other resources. 

Many sellers on this marketplace use Microsoft PowerPoint to create their products. You can easily add text, graphics, and backgrounds using this software program. It also simplifies editing, moving elements, and duplicating pages. Google Slides offers similar functionality if you’re looking for a free option. 

If you prefer Adobe tools, you can make your materials using Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. These tools can take a little more time to learn all the features, but you might prefer some of the functions they offer. Playing around with various programs or trying the programs you already have can get you started. You can test out other options later or use a combination of software for different products you create. 

Marketing your products

Standing out can be tough with all of the Teachers Pay Teachers worksheets and other materials already available. Promoting your teaching materials can help you get noticed and increase your sales. Here are some ways to drive traffic to your shop and increase your sales.

Brand your shop

Creating a consistent brand for your Teachers Pay Teachers shop can make it more recognizable and appealing. It looks professional and can give your shop a reputable feel. Branding your shop might include choosing a color palette, using professional-quality images with a consistent appearance, and designing similar covers for your products for a unified, tidy look. 

Use social media

Starting a teaching-related social media account lets you show off your teaching expertise and connect with others in the profession. Sharing helpful tips and exciting lessons you’re teaching can help grow relationships with your followers. Occasionally mentioning your Teachers Pay Teachers shop can encourage your followers to buy from you, but don’t be overly focused on sales pitches. Pinterest is another effective platform where you can create posts about your resources. 

Create a blog

A blog is a similar option that lets you go more in-depth. Write blog posts on topics that teachers search online to help get search engine traffic. By producing high-quality blog posts, you establish yourself as a teaching expert. Your reputation encourages people to trust you and look to you for recommendations. You can sprinkle in relevant links to your products or offer a freebie on your blog to give readers a taste of your materials. 

Offer freebies

You might want to offer free products in your store, which can be a good way to encourage sales. After all, teachers want to know they’re getting a quality product when they buy from you. A freebie is a sample product that can hook shoppers and encourage them to pay for other products. 

Start an email list

If you have a blog or website, start an email list. When someone signs up for your email list, they agree to receive occasional emails from you. You can create newsletter-style emails that share tips and information. It’s a good way to include links to your store or promote sales and new products. 

Tax considerations

When you’re learning how to make money on Teachers Pay Teachers, you’ll need to consider the tax implications. Teachers Pay Teachers takes care of the sales taxes for each purchase, but you’ll have to handle income taxes on your own. 

The money you get for your products is considered income, so you must claim it on your taxes. You’ll get a 1099 form at the end of the year to show how much you earned from the platform. If you don’t report the income, you could face serious penalties. A tax professional can help you do your taxes if you’re not sure how to manage the tax situation.

Figuring out how to make money on Teachers Pay Teachers can help you start a successful stream of income outside of your teaching paycheck. It’s a flexible side gig for teachers that you can do in your spare time. Knowing how to create and market high-quality content can increase your success.