Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) is a marketplace for original educator created content. This includes clip art, classroom decor, instructional resources and more. Man was I excited when I realized I could actually sell my resources to other educators! And that there are materials out there that I can buy so I don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
It has been a long process to get to this point where I have my store. SO let me guide you through my struggle so you don’t have to repeat my mistakes.
1. Download the TpT sellers app
In Play-store search for TpT seller and download to your mobile devices. I have it on my mobile phone as it is easy to manage. Initially choose the FREE Basic Membership just to get used to the layout and options, but as soon as possible move over to the Premium Membership. Trust me, there is lot more you can do and you will have higher payout rates. Keep in mind that you will need a PayPal account to link to the app. Here in South Africa, it only took me two years to sort that part out :()
2. Personalize your store
There are a few elements that is important to have in your store. First your Branding is important.
- Your store name
- Your store logo
- Create a banner for the store (See my very fist banner below)
- Create a side banner
- Have a terms of use page ready
3. Create quality products
You need to decide on your niche as soon as possible. This might not be so easy as sometimes our interest change, or you might find that a product that is not related to your niche sells better than the rest, opening up new possibilities.
I, like most sellers, use PowerPoint to design my products. It is fast and easy and extremely versatile. Some benefits of using PPT to create content is the ability to move elements around on the pages, duplicating pages to increase consistency in the look, the variety of fonts, backgrounds… I cant even go through the whole list. Files can be saved as gif’s, png’s, jpeg’s; you can even make videos. Other programs to use include Microsoft Publisher and Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop.
But more important than the medium you use, is the content you provide. Think about what you use and would use in your classroom. Quality is important. Another consideration is copyright. Do not use another content creator’s work and sell it as your own. Seriously! what kind of person does that? For your own protection add copyright information to your pages as small print at the top or bottom – you can even include a link to your product.
Create quality covers that will stand out and is brand specific. A professional cover will definitely draw more attention and increase your chances of selling.
Activate!
Upload! Keep in mind your first upload must be a free product so buyers gets a feel for your content. From there keep uploading.
Become active and join TpT Seller’s forums. Here you will get a lot of advice from experienced seller. But please abide by a forum’s guidelines.
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