Have you ever looked at one of your TPT products and wondered why it isn’t getting more views?
Your resource solves a problem, the reviews are great, and you’ve spent hours perfecting the content…
But if teachers aren’t clicking on your listing in the first place, none of that really matters.
That’s why covers and thumbnails deserve more attention than many sellers give them. They’re often the first impression a buyer has of your resource, and in a crowded search page, they can be the difference between someone clicking on your product or scrolling right past it.
Your TPT Product Cover Should Make Things Obvious
One of the biggest mistakes I see is covers that make teachers work too hard.
When a buyer lands on a search page, they aren’t studying every listing; they’re scanning quickly and looking for something that matches exactly what they need.
That’s why your cover should immediately answer three questions:
- What is this resource about?
- What type of resource is it?
- Why should I choose this one?
If you’re selling a fractions activity, “Fractions” should be the first thing teachers notice. If it’s task cards, a game, a unit, or a set of worksheets, that should be clear too. Then you can add one or two quick value points, such as “Editable,” “Differentiated,” or “Includes Answer Keys.”
The goal isn’t to tell buyers absolutely everything about your resource, but to make them curious enough to click.
If Teachers Can’t Read It, They Won’t Click It
I think many sellers underestimate how small their cover appears in search results.
What looks perfectly readable while you’re designing it may become nearly impossible to read once it’s shrunk down into a thumbnail.
Whenever I’m working on a cover, I like to zoom way out or physically step away from my screen. If I can’t instantly tell what the resource is about, I know something needs to change. Usually, that means making the text larger.
This is one of those situations where simple almost always beats complicated.
Don’t Try to Fit Your Entire TPT Product Description on the Cover
I completely understand the temptation.
You’ve created an amazing resource and you want buyers to know every single thing it includes, but the more information you cram onto the cover, the less likely teachers are to read any of it.
Think of your cover like a movie trailer. Its job isn’t to tell the whole story – it’s to get people interested enough to learn more.
Let Your Teaching Resource Do Some of the Talking
One thing that instantly makes a cover stronger is showing the actual resource because teachers want to see what they are purchasing.
Whether that’s screenshots of your pages, photos of the resource in use, or examples of activities included inside, those visuals help buyers picture themselves using the resource in their own classrooms.
In many cases, a large screenshot of the resource is more effective than adding extra clipart or decorative elements.
Your Product Thumbnails Matter More Than You Think
I think thumbnails are one of the most underutilized parts of a TPT listing.
Many sellers put all their effort into the cover and then throw together a few quick thumbnails just to fill the space.
You need to think of your thumbnails as an extension of the cover. If the cover gets the click, the thumbnails help convince the buyer to keep exploring.
This is where you can show additional pages, explain what’s included, highlight standards, showcase answer keys, or demonstrate how the resource can be used in the classroom.
You don’t need paragraphs of text here, either. A few clear visuals paired with concise information is often all it takes.
Need TPT Cover Inspiration?
If you’re not sure whether your covers are helping or hurting your sales, I recently shared a deeper dive into what makes buyers click in my post about creating TPT covers that get more clicks.
I’ve also been sharing cover audits on TikTok where I take real TPT covers, walk through what’s working, identify what could be improved, and show the before-and-after transformation. Seeing those side-by-side examples can make it much easier to spot opportunities in your own listings.
You can find those audits on TikTok by searching for Lindsay Bowden or clicking here. They’re some of my favorite videos to create because small changes to a cover can often make a surprisingly big difference.
Sometimes seeing real examples is the fastest way to improve your own store.
Ready to Grow Your TPT Store?
Great covers can absolutely help increase clicks, but they’re just one piece of the puzzle.
If you’re ready to learn more about SEO, product creation, pricing, and building a profitable TPT business, check out my free training!
Because sometimes the difference between a resource that gets overlooked and one that consistently sells isn’t the product itself—it’s how clearly you’re presenting it.
