5 Digital Products Teachers Can Create And Sell

In classrooms across America, teachers are increasingly looking beyond their primary roles for financial stability. Federal data shows that approximately 20% of educators work second jobs during the school year. This number jumps dramatically when counting all forms of supplemental work—from coaching to mentoring to weekend retail shifts. The Economic Policy Institute found 59% of teachers supplement their income through additional work. In comparison, a 2021 survey by the Teacher Salary Project revealed an even more striking reality: 82% of educators report having worked multiple jobs at some point in their careers. Traditionally, teachers have turned to tutoring, coaching, retail, or service industry roles to make ends meet. Now, digital products offer a more flexible alternative that leverages their professional expertise while addressing the distinct challenges of educator side hustles.

Why Teachers Need A Different Kind of Side Hustle

Traditional second jobs create significant challenges for educators. About half of teachers with side jobs work outside education in retail, service, and gig economy roles. In contrast, the other half takes positions related to teaching, such as tutoring or coaching.

These conventional jobs typically share several limitations:

• Fixed schedules that conflict with teaching responsibilities
• Physical location requirements that add commuting time
• Limited income potential since they’re usually paid hourly
• Energy depletion from managing multiple workplace environments

A 2023 AP News report identified financial strain from inadequate teacher salaries as a key factor in educator stress and burnout. However, according to EdSurge research, many teachers report that these traditional second jobs often conflict with their primary teaching responsibilities, leading to increased stress and reduced classroom preparation time.

Digital Products: The Perfect Teacher Side Hustle

The digital product marketplace offers a compelling alternative. The global e-learning market reached $316.2 billion in 2023 and is projected to hit $661.6 billion by 2032 (GlobeNewswire, 2023). This expanding market presents a substantial opportunity for educators to share their expertise while creating flexible additional income.

Digital products offer teachers unique advantages:

• Complete schedule flexibility with no fixed work hours
• Scalability, as products can sell thousands of times with no additional time investment
• Professional growth through developing skills in design, marketing, and entrepreneurship
• Expanded impact beyond their immediate classroom
• Building business assets that grow over time

With their classroom experience and educational expertise, teachers are uniquely positioned to create resources that meet real market needs.

Five Digital Products Teachers Excel at Creating

1. Specialized Lesson Plans and Curriculum Resources

Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT), the largest online marketplace for educational resources, has paid more than $1 billion to educators since its founding. This remarkable figure demonstrates the enormous demand for quality teaching materials created by educators for educators.

Teachers consistently mention lesson planning as one of their most time-consuming tasks. Educators can solve a real pain point for their colleagues by creating comprehensive, ready-to-use lesson plans while generating income. Quality lesson plans typically sell for $5-20 each, with bundled curriculum resources commanding $30-100 or more.

2. Educational Workbooks and Study Guides

The shift to digital learning has created a high demand for well-designed workbooks that students can complete independently. Practical workbooks target high-demand subjects or test preparation, feature clear instructions with engaging activities, and include self-checking components whenever possible.

Digital workbooks typically sell for $10-25, and comprehensive study guides, depending on their scope, range from $15-50.

3. Professional Development Resources

Schools in the United States spend approximately $18 billion annually on teacher professional development. Educators understand firsthand what practical training their colleagues need, giving them an advantage in creating useful professional development materials.

Depending on depth and specialization, mini-courses and training resources typically sell for $30-150. The most impactful resources include focused workshops on teaching strategies, classroom management, or technology integration.

4. Educational Templates and Organization Systems

Time management is a significant challenge for teachers, with National Education Association surveys showing they work an average of 52 hours weekly. Teachers develop innovative systems to manage their classrooms efficiently, which are valuable to other educators seeking similar efficiency.

Educational templates typically sell for $5-20 individually, with comprehensive systems priced at $25-50.

5. Interactive Digital Activities

According to EdWeek Research Center (2024), 85% of teachers report using digital learning tools with students multiple times weekly. This widespread adoption creates strong demand for subject-specific interactive activities, self-grading assessments, and gamified learning experiences.

Interactive digital activities sell for $3-15 each, with themed bundles ranging from $20 to $ 75.

Practical Steps for Creating Digital Products

Creating a digital product side hustle begins with identifying your unique expertise. Consider what classroom challenges you’ve solved that other teachers might face. Your innovative solutions are valuable assets that can be transformed into marketable products.

The Teachers Pay Teachers platform reports numerous success stories, with over 100 teachers surpassing $1 million in lifetime sales. While these top earners represent a small percentage of sellers, thousands of educators earn significant supplemental income through their digital products.

Start small with your first product. Many successful teacher-creators began by refining resources they had already created for their classrooms. Focus on quality rather than quantity—a single well-designed resource can outperform dozens of simpler products.

The Real Digital Products Income Potential

Individual results vary widely, but data from teacher-creators show potential for meaningful additional income:

• Entry-level creators (1-10 products): $50-300 monthly
• Established sellers (11-50 products): $300-1,000 monthly
• Comprehensive sellers (50+ resources): $1,000-5,000+ monthly

Some successful teacher-creators have turned their side hustles into six-figure businesses. Teachers Pay Teachers reports that approximately 12% of sellers on their platform earn more than $50,000 annually, while the top 1% earn more than $1 million in lifetime sales.

The key factors influencing earnings include product quality and uniqueness, alignment with high-demand standards and topics, effective marketing and presentation, and the ability to create complementary resources that build on successful products.

Turning Classroom Expertise Into Opportunity

Studies show that a significant percentage of teachers take on additional work, ranging from 20% to over 80%, depending on how “additional work” is defined. Digital products offer an alternative that honors their expertise and maximizes earning potential.

Unlike traditional second jobs, digital products can generate passive income even during school breaks and busy teaching periods. This provides greater returns for the time invested while allowing educators to maintain focus on their primary teaching responsibilities.

The most successful teacher-creators emphasize that the greatest reward comes from knowing their materials help students and reduce stress for fellow educators. By transforming classroom solutions into digital products, teachers build side hustles that support their financial goals and commitment to education.