Wondering how to get started on Teachers Pay Teachers? Here’s a crash course on the major steps to becoming a seller on TPT. 

What is Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT)?

Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) is an online marketplace where resources for educators are bought and sold. All instructional materials sold on TPT are digital and downloadable. You can use TPT as a buyer, a seller, or both!

What Kind of Resources Are Offered on TPT?

There are so many different types of resources offered on TPT with new goodies added every day! If you’re just getting started on Teachers Pay Teachers, you’ll be blown away by the range of activities and teaching materials offered.

Looking for something unique for your classroom? There’s a good chance it’s on Teachers Pay Teachers. It’s just the best website for teacher resources, no question. Here are a few examples of resources you can find on TPT:

• Whole units
• Assessments
• Project-based learning activities
• Special education resources
• Social/ emotional learning materials
• Educational games
• Full- year curriculum
• Bulletin board materials and classroom décor

Why Do Teachers Use TPT Resources?

There are quite a few advantages to using resources from Teachers Pay Teachers. It’s like a treasure trove of teacher goodies all waiting to be discovered on one website. 

Buyers can search for materials to use in their classrooms and tailor their results by grade, subject, standards, etc. Why recreate the wheel when other teachers may have posted exactly what you need for your next lesson? You can save yourself so much time by doing a quick search on TPT to find what you need. The TPT mission is to “unlock the collective wisdom of teachers.”

Here are a few more reasons teachers love using TPT:

• Most resources on TPT require little to no prep, saving teachers time. Just print and go!
• Busy teachers use TPT to find exciting new lessons and activities.
• TPT offers LOTS of freebies and most resources are under $3.

Selling on TPT: Membership Options

Okay, so maybe you’ve created some really great resources for your own classroom and you’re wondering if other teachers can use them. Educators can upload resources to be sold on TPT. There are two seller membership levels:

• Basic (free)
• Premium ($59.99 per year)

Note: You can stick with the free membership for as long as you want. You don’t ever have to upgrade to the premium level.

Before upgrading, determine if the premium membership would be worth it for you. The annual fee to be a premium seller is $59.95 at the time of this publication, so you would need to earn more than $5 per month in order for the premium membership would make sense for you.

What Should I Sell?

Wondering what to sell on Teachers Pay Teachers? A good starting place is to consider pain points in the field of teaching. Ask yourself these questions:

• What do teachers in your field of interest struggle with the most?
• What can you create to help them with these problems?
• Can you create something to save them time?

Set your timer for 5 minutes. In that time, jot down as many ideas for these points as you can and see what you come up with. You may even already have created something that you can turn into a resource for other teachers.

What Should My First Freebie Be?

To become a seller on TPT, you’ll need to create one freebie to get started. This will become what is referred to as your “primary freebie.” Once you’ve uploaded your primary freebie, you’ll be able to start posting resources to sell.

It doesn’t need to be complicated. Here are some examples of resources you can create as your first freebie:

• Checklists
• Worksheets
• Games
• Lesson plans
• A token system
• A calendar set
• Posters
• A newsletter template
• Task cards
• Classroom forms
• Flash cards
• Graphic organizers
• Templates
• Data sheets
• Rubrics
• Parent handouts

Steps to Becoming a Seller on Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT):

1. Sign up: Basic or premium seller membership
2. Create a PayPal account.
3. Learn it: Research copyright and trademark DOs and DON’Ts
4. Consider investing in commercial fonts and clipart (optional)
5. Make it: Create your first resource.
6. Sell it: Upload it to TPT!

What to Include in Your Resources

Typically, when uploading a resource, you’ll want to include the following components:

• Cover Page
• Terms of Use
• Credits
• Teacher Guidelines
• Assembly Instructions (if necessary)
• Table of Contents
• Answer Key (if necessary)
• Black and White Pages
• Preview

Steps to Creating a Resource

1. Create something that teachers can use in the program you’re most comfortable with (PowerPoint, Google Slides, Keynote, Publisher, etc. 
2. Add a cover page to the beginning.
3. Add a page that includes your terms of use and credits for any font or clipart you used to create your resource.
4. Include instructions, a table of contents, answer key, black/ white pages, etc.
5. Print out your resource and take photos of it.
6. Create a preview for your resource. Use your photos.
7. Save your resource and preview files as PDFs.
8. Upload your files to TPT!

What Do I Need to Upload for Each TPT Resource?

Here’s a list of the files you’ll need to upload for each TPT resource:

• Resource File (PDF)
• Cover Image (JPEG)
• Preview (PDF)*
• 3 Thumbnail Images (JPEG)- Not required but highly recommended

TIP 1: Save time by taking your cover and thumbnail images right from your preview.
TIP 2: Make your preview layout square (ex. 12×12). It fills up the space provided and looks more professional.

Where Can I Find More Information?

There’s a steep learning curve when starting out on TPT. Fortunately, there is a TPT seller’s forum (located on the pull-down tab at the top of the TPT website) where you can search and ask questions. It’s a great source of information for sellers at any level.

Once you get started with TPT, you’ll find that there’s a supportive community of sellers who thrive by lifting each other up and working together. Yes, you read that right. TPT sellers work together, not against one another. After all, it is a community of teachers who ultimately strive to help and inspire. 

The most successful TPT sellers are those who collaborate with others and work together. Teams of sellers often help each other come up with product ideas, editing, and constructive feedback. They cheer each other on in times of success and support one another when needed. 

Are you a seller on TPT? What other advice would you give new sellers starting out on Teachers Pay Teachers? Let us know in the comments below!

Other posts from Exceptional Thinkers that you may like:

• Everything You Need to Teach Online
• How to Differentiate Instruction
• How Many Skills Can You Teach in 5 Minutes a Day?
• Master Small Group Instruction (with Free Differentiation Tools)

Follow Exceptional Thinkers on TPT for freebies, sales, and new resources.

Keep teaching. Keep learning.

~Christy from Exceptional Thinkers

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