Back in 2015, when I was a brand new, baby teacher, I knew I was good at making things for my classroom. That’s not me being arrogant—that’s just an observation supported by my students and colleagues. I had a vague idea that I wanted to do this thing called TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers) because I had seen a pin on Pinterest about it, but I realistically knew nothing about starting TPT.
After I got done googling "Is TPT legit or a scam," I started brainstorming store names.
Then I waited.
For months.
Wanting to do it, but scared to get started.If you’ve had similar “I wonder if…” type thoughts, let me save you some time.
Starting a Teachers Pay Teachers store is not:
- upload one worksheet and make passive income
- quit your job in a month
- upload exactly what you already have with no changes or extra effort
It is, however:
- a genuine way to make income after putting in some initial effort
- a great creative outlet
- a way to share resources across the community and get compensated for your hard work
It can make money. I’ve done it.
But it’s slower, messier, and takes way more strategy than people make it sound.
First—What TPT Actually Is (and Isn’t)
What TPT is:
A marketplace where teachers buy ready-to-use resources.
That’s it.
You are not just “sharing cute ideas”or uploading random worksheets. You are solving a problem for a tired teacher who needs something right now. That’s the whole point, and if you keep that in mind, it’s going to be a lot easier.
Why should you listen to me anyway?
I’m not a full-time TPT seller (yet). I am, however, someone who has figured out the hard way how to make semi-reliable money on TPT. I make between $100 and $300 a month on TPT with no following and very little promotion (I only just started posting on TikTok, Pinterest, and here). I currently have 71 listings, with a goal of 200+ by the end of the year.
Here are the things I wish I knew before I got started.
Ready to start your store? Read my step-by-step guide here [COMING SOON]
Already started your store but feeling stuck? I offer TPT audits—check them out here.
Now on to the tips.
1. Pick your focus
This is where most people mess up immediately. They make a random mix of resources that are cool, trendy, or just fun to make, post them, and hope for the best.
That can work—or it can stay completely invisible.
I’ll be honest: I did the “post and hope” method for a while.
I got some sales, but not many.We’re talking 2–5 a month.
Now it’s not uncommon for me to get that in a day.
So what changed?
Instead of asking, “What do I feel like making today?”
I now ask: “What would I have paid for when I was exhausted at 9:30 PM?
That’s your product.
Examples that actually sell:
- test prep
- review activities
- end-of-year activities
anything that saves time
TPT is:
Type your paragraph here
2. Don't Overcomplicate the first product
Your first product is required to be free when you list on Teachers Pay Teachers. When I first started, I saw that as get something up immediately and then start actually trying on the paid stuff.
I threw an embarrassingly simple freebie up (literally directly from my Drive as is, no improvements, design or modifications) and moved on to paid products. It worked…kind of. But it’s not what I’d recommend.
It took me quite a while to work out that your free product is your first impression. It should show people the quality they can expect from your store. It doesn’t have to be a 50 page masterpice. It honestly shouldn’t be. What it should be is a clear demonstration of the quality and type of product people can expect from your paid resources.
Think about it this way. If a customer downloads your free resource and sees typos, inconsistend formatting or obvious mistakes, how likely are they to want to pay for a resource from you in the future? Probably not very.
Your first product is also a great way to funnel people into your social media, blogs, or other resources. I’ll be adding more on that in a future post.
3. Your cover images matter so much more than you think...don't ignore them
At first, my covers were terrible. I just wanted to get my products listed as quickly as possible, so I cut corners.
I used the “create thumbnails from product” option and let TPT pull random pages from my product. I hit list and thought it was good enough. It wasn't.
Looking back, this was one of the biggest mistakes I made. If your cover looks confusing, bland or cluttered, people won’t click.
People are scrolling fast and the visual aspect is what grabs their attention first. Your goal with the cover images you're using is to make them stop their scroll and pay attention.
Your cover needs to:
- be easy to see at thumbnail size
- clearly show what your product is
- NOT be cluttered, busy or chaotic
Pro Tip: Establish a set style on Canva, then use that as a template for every future product. That is going to make your workflow so much easier, and over time it’s going to build brand recognition for your store across TPT.
4. Titles are for search, not creative writing
This is not the time to be clever.
Bad title: “Grammar Practice Fun Pack”
Better title: “7th Grade Grammar Review Activity | Editing & Revising Practice | Test Prep”
You’re writing for what teachers are actually searching—not what sounds cute.
And honestly? This is one place where AI can help if you use it correctly.
If you use it to create your actual products, they’ll be useless. But if you use it to generate SEO-friendly titles and descriptions based on your real ideas? That’s a smart use of the tool.
5. You need more than one product
This is where people quit too early.TPT is a volume game.One product = no sales
Five products = still very few sales
Twenty products = things start moving...slowlyI didn’t see consistent traction until I had volume—around 50 listings.Right now I have 70+ products. That’s when it starts to feel real. Not full time income yet, but enough to cover a monthly bill. My new goals are to get to 100 and then 200 products, because that's where I think the income is actually going to increase noticeably (I'll let y'all know).
6. Bundle like it's your job
Learn how to bundle. Immediately.
Single products are fine.
Bundles are better.
I wish I had started creating resources in groups with bundles in mind.
For example: I have separate products for teaching conflict—notes, practice worksheets, and an escape room.
Individually? Some sales.
Bundled together as a full teach–practice–reinforce set? Way more sales—and higher perceived value.
Teachers love buying everything at once. I love selling more things.
7. Don't just wait for people to find you
TPT is crowded.
And it takes time for TPT to even decide you’re worth pushing out. It's called indexing, which is just a word for deciding if you matter in internet language.
If you want more sales, you need traffic from somewhere else, especailly at first.
That’s why I’m building a blog, TikTok and Pinterest.
Since I started promoting outside of TPT, I’ve had my highest earning month yet—$362.
Not life-changing money yet, but it’s progress.
what i'd do differently if i started over today
If I had to restart today, I would:
- start sooner
- go all in sooner
- focus on better targeted products
- get to 50+ listings ASAP
- use clearer, searchable titles from the start
- create a consistent system for cover templates early
- bundle sooner
- build traffic sooner
Not:
upload random things and hope they sell
So how long does it actually take to make money?
Honest answer: it depends on what you put into it.
For me? Years. Plural.Because I was inconsistent.
I'd list a few things, wait a few weeks, or months, or years. Then list a few more.
Now that I’m actually treating it like a business and posting regularly, I’m seeing growth much more quickly.
Is it worth it?
It honestly depends on your goals. If you want fast cash today, don’t bother with TPT. It isn't going to make you money today, and it may not even make you much this month.
If you want long-term income and the possibility of hearing a random cha-ching while doing the dishes…then yes, it's absolutely worth it.
.Because once a product is up, it can sell over and over.
Even when you’re not working that day. And that's a pretty cool feeling.
If you already have a store and it isn't selling
If you already started your store, it’s easy to start hyperanalyzing and self doubting.
You might be wondering:
“Is my product bad?”
“Why am I not getting sales?”“
What am I doing wrong?”
Sometimes it’s not the product.
It’s:the cover, the title, the positioning.
Small things that make a big difference. It took me an embarrassingly long time (and way too many rabbit holes) to figure that out. If you want someone to actually look at your store and tell you what’s working vs. not, I do that now too.
You can connect with me on Fiverr for a custom analysis of your specific store.
Starting a TPT store isn’t instant.
But it’s one of the few things where your effort today can still make money later.
And if you stick with it long enough, it can turn into something real.