A Deep Dive into Teachers Pay Teachers Store Branding
Your store brand is your unique voice in a crowded marketplace. It’s the first thing potential buyers see about who you are and what you represent.
Make sure you're creating a strong and memorable first impression.
Customers buy from companies, brands, or individuals they know, like, and trust. How the heck do we get someone to know, like, and trust us without speaking to them?! We use our branding.
Branding isn't just about having a cute logo or a catchy name—it’s about making your store recognizable, trustworthy, and reflective of the value you bring to your audience. Taking your time with this initial step will be the difference between selling on TPT for a hobby and coffee money or selling on TPT to grow into something big.
Here are my top 5 steps to creating a standout brand for your TPT store that will resonate with teachers and keep them coming back.
Define Your Store's Identity
Who are you, and who do you serve? Know your niche and your target audience. Your niche is your specialized subject, concept, or market in which you are an expert. For example, my niche is upper-level science with an emphasis on physics. This is my degree; I’ve taught physics and chemistry since 2007. I know this area and the teachers’ pain points because I share them.
I can create exactly what other upper-level science teachers need, and I know students' engagement levels and learning outcomes because I see it in my classroom.
“In short, stick to what you know. You are your target audience. ”
But what makes you and your resources unique and different from all the current products? This is a critical question because it will help you stand out online.
Not sure? Download a copy of the TPT Playbook for worksheets to help you in this process.
For me, I bounced around creating so many different things: academic games, PowerPoints and guided notes, lesson plans and pacing guides, calendars, and yada yada yada—you name it, I tried it.
Until one day when it all clicked. I wanted to create a toolbox of resources for each unit and lesson that the classroom teacher could pull from. The pain point was that we never have enough resources to use from the textbook, and let’s face it, textbook resources are boring.
So, I created toolboxes. I’ve had many, many, MANY buyers reach out asking if I had lesson plans or pacing guides. I stick to my brand. No, I do not because that is not what I do. I allow teachers the autonomy to pull from each toolbox, creating a lesson that works best for them and their students.
Your answers will help you understand your niche and focus on what you do best. Stay true to your strengths and brand.
Create a Memorable Store Name
Aside from colors and thumbnails, your store name is often the first impression buyers will have of your brand. Choose something professional but memorable that reflects your niche. Also, consider how this name will grow as your business grows.
When I first started out, my store name was based off a Carl Sagan quote. I was Wandering Minds. This did not scale well as my business grew.
In 2020, I rebranded and became The Captain’s Desk. I liked this. It worked for a long time. But then…I started blogging and branching out. Again, I had a store name that didn’t grow with me.
So , we rebranded.
After attending the TPT Forward event in Boston and getting the opportunity to pick the brains of sellers a few steps ahead, I chose to go simple and use my name for my store.
Here’s the secret, though…I use my middle name.
I did this back in 2017 when I first started my store. I used an avatar in my logo, terms of use page, and everything. I worried that my students would find me and purchase the work for themselves or sell it to other classmates, trying to pass with an easy A.
Maybe I have trust issues.
But there I was, Liz Smith (not my last name either lol). Doing business and making moves. And then I remarried, and I bet you won’t guess the man’s last name. Smith! My TPT store was the only place I didn’t have to change my last name. It’s a funny story in our home.
“So, allow me to introduce myself; my first name is Heidi. Hello there. ”
I say all of this to help you in your own store naming process. Keep it simple, clear, and easy to spell. Think about what you want out of your TPT store: side gig or growth.
Design Your Brand Kit
Branding is important for TPT sellers because it makes your store memorable, builds customer trust, and helps you stand out in a competitive marketplace.
Branding helps reflect your unique style and attract repeat buyers.
What parts are necessary to build your branding kit? There are more resources to help you in the TPT Playbook!
Your store logo: Keep this simple. TPT logos are not huge; some text can be challenging to read. To create your logo, go into Canva and search ‘logo templates’. These templates are typically 500px. x 500px. Start playing around with colors and layouts, but think simple and eye-catching.
My store went through many iterations. Here are just a few of my logo designs over the years.
You’re free to experiment and play as you grow. This is your business.
Your store banner: Again, clean and simple but aesthetically pleasing. Your TPT store banner sets the tone for your shop. Make a strong, professional first impression by showcasing what your store offers and tailoring your message to attract your target audience. Don’t overcomplicate it or crowd the banner with images. Remember, this banner has to look good on the desktop and the phone displays. Head over to Canva! Design a custom graphic using the dimensions 1200 × 320 pixels.
Here’s my store banner for reference.
Your store colors: I could go on for days…months, even about colors. I’ve revisited this particular branding kit piece countless times. Let me map it out from what I’ve learned through all my trial and error.
For your store colors, you’ll start with black and white. I like to use a black that’s not straight-up black. I use hex code #0a0a0a.
Side note: download the ColorSlurp app to help pull hex codes!
Pinterest is the best place to start searching for color schemes and palettes. Start slurping up the hex codes!
Let’s always keep growth in mind. Your TPT store will grow and evolve as you learn new tricks and your focus shifts. With this thought, plan and find the following for a full-color scheme:
black
dark accent
highlight
light accent
white
You may find that these colors are not enough as you grow. Here’s my pro-tip. If you don’t want to search for other complementary colors, use your brand color's darker or lighter shades for additional website options!
Your brand fonts: This is a loaded piece, too. First and foremost, you cannot sell fonts you do not have a commercial license to use. This means that if the font came with your Microsoft suite, you cannot sell documents that use that font. The same goes for Canva fonts.
Here’s what you can do; you have options.
Search free commercial fonts on 1001 Fonts
Buy commercially licensed fonts from Creative Market
Here’s the best option…buy commercially licensed fonts (and clipart) from other TPT sellers! So many sellers focus on providing the resources to help others succeed on the platform. They only ask that you give credit to their store on your Terms of Use page.
Here are the types of fonts to look for and add to your kit:
Serif or sans serif
script or handwritten
bold header
decorative or fun
Write a Compelling Store Tagline
This is a short and easy step, but impactful.
A tagline is a short, catchy phrase that sums up your brand. Think of it as your mission statement or elevator pitch in a few words.
For example:
"Creative resources for curious minds."
"Organized tools for seamless teaching."
“Making teacher’s lives easier one lesson plan at a time.”
“Supporting TPT sellers every step of the way.”
Your tagline should immediately let buyers know what you offer and what makes you unique.
Be Consistent Across Platforms
Your branding should be consistent across all platforms—your TPT store, website, social media, and email newsletters. Use the same colors, fonts, and tone of voice everywhere to build recognition and trust.
If someone sees your Instagram post, they should immediately associate it with your TPT store.
But how in the world do you keep all this information organized? Binders? External hard drives? Post-it notes everywhere?
No, silly. Use Canva!
An entire branding kit is built into Canva. You can upload logos, fonts, and all your colors. Canva makes it easy to maintain brand consistency. For every project you create in Canva, your colors, fonts, and logos will be readily available.
This leads me to another important point regarding this topic. Don’t create in Word or PowerPoint. I used to use PowerPoint for every single one of my resources. I can’t even count how many external hard drives I’ve purchased to store all my files.
Now, I use Canva pro to streamline all my business creations and related files. Just get Canva pro. It’s $120 USD annually and well worth it.
Conclusion
Well, thanks for hanging with me through this long-winded article.
To wrap it up with a pretty bow, branding your TPT store is an ongoing process that evolves as you learn more about your audience and your own goals.
A strong, consistent brand helps you stand out in a crowded marketplace, builds trust with buyers, and keeps them coming back for more. Remember…know, like, and trust.
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So, take the time to refine your brand—you’ll be setting yourself up for long-term success and making a lasting impact on teachers and students alike.
Plus, you’ll save yourself time down the road when your business grows. Take it from me, the rebranding pro.
What steps will you take to build your TPT brand today? Let me know in the comments!
