Turning Your Puzzle Hobby Into a Side Hustle

If you love puzzles, you’re not alone. Millions of people around the world enjoy crosswords, logic problems, escape rooms, riddles, word searches, and more. But what if your passion for puzzles could be more than just a fun pastime? What if it could earn you income?

Turning your puzzle hobby into a side hustle is entirely possible, even if you’re just getting started. Whether you want to earn some extra money on the weekends or eventually build a full-time creative business, the path begins with understanding the value of what you create—and knowing how to share it with the world.

In this guide, we’ll walk through how to turn your puzzle-making skills into a real source of income, with practical tips, platform suggestions, and beginner-friendly steps.

Know What Kind of Puzzles You Want to Sell

Before you can monetize your puzzle hobby, it’s important to narrow down your focus. Puzzle creators can specialize in many formats, each with its own audience and income potential.

Some popular puzzle types include:

• Crossword puzzles (daily, themed, or cryptic)
• Logic puzzles and brainteasers
• Sudoku and number-based puzzles
• Escape room puzzles or kits
• Word searches and anagram games
• Puzzle books (mixed types or themed)
• Printable puzzles for kids or teachers
• Digital puzzles or mobile games

Think about what kind of puzzles you most enjoy creating and what format they work best in—printable, digital, interactive, or game-based.

Build a Portfolio of Your Work

Before selling your puzzles, you need something to show. Even if you’re a beginner, having 3–5 sample puzzles demonstrates your creativity and gives potential customers a reason to trust your quality.

You can publish your puzzles in simple formats first, such as PDFs, Google Docs, or blog posts. Add your name or logo to them. Make sure they are well-formatted and tested by others to ensure clarity and solvability.

As your portfolio grows, consider organizing it into themes or levels of difficulty, which adds professionalism and helps people quickly find what they’re looking for.

Choose Your Sales Platform

There are several popular platforms where you can sell your puzzles, each with different benefits depending on the format and audience.

Etsy
Ideal for selling printable puzzles, escape room kits, puzzle bundles, and educational content. Buyers on Etsy often look for creative, ready-to-use content, especially for kids, events, and classrooms.

Gumroad
Great for selling digital puzzle books, subscription packs, or original creations. Gumroad is easy to use, lets you build a customer base, and supports pay-what-you-want pricing.

Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT)
Perfect for educational puzzle creators. If your puzzles are geared toward learning—math logic, word skills, critical thinking—TPT has a built-in audience of teachers looking for quality materials.

Self-Publishing (Amazon KDP)
If you want to publish a full puzzle book, Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing allows you to publish and sell your book globally. You keep a percentage of every sale and don’t need to hold inventory.

Apps or Games
For creators with coding knowledge or game development skills, puzzles can be turned into mobile apps, browser-based games, or interactive stories using tools like Unity, Twine, or Godot.

Design and Presentation Matter

Your puzzles may be brilliant, but presentation can make or break the sale. Invest time in formatting your puzzles so they are clean, easy to understand, and visually appealing.

Use professional design tools like Canva, Affinity Publisher, or Adobe InDesign to create layouts. Choose fonts that are readable and make sure instructions are clearly written.

You don’t need to be a graphic designer, but a little attention to visual detail can set your puzzles apart from others in the marketplace.

Offer Free Samples to Attract Fans

Giving away a free sample puzzle or mini-pack is a powerful marketing strategy. It allows potential customers to experience your work, builds trust, and often leads to paid sales later.

You can include a freebie on your website, offer it in a social media post, or attach it as a bonus in your Etsy store or Gumroad page. Encourage people to share it, tag you, or join your email list to receive more.

This strategy also gives you valuable feedback from real users, helping you improve and grow your audience.

Use Social Media to Promote Your Work

Even if you’re just starting, having a basic presence on platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, or TikTok can bring attention to your puzzles.

Share sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes moments, puzzle challenges, and customer reviews. Use hashtags related to puzzles, brain games, and education to reach new followers. You can also join puzzle-related groups or forums and engage with other creators and solvers.

Consistency is more important than perfection. Even a few posts per week can build momentum over time.

Consider Subscription Models

Once you’ve built a small audience, consider offering puzzle subscriptions. This model allows you to send puzzles regularly—weekly, monthly, or by theme—and receive recurring income.

You can do this through platforms like Patreon, Substack, or even email newsletters with payment links. Subscribers love knowing they’ll get fresh puzzles on a regular schedule, and it helps you build a long-term fan base.

Make sure to deliver high-quality, on-time content and consider offering bonus puzzles or previews to reward loyal supporters.

Collaborate or License Your Work

Another income path is licensing your puzzles to publications, magazines, apps, or educational companies. Many outlets are constantly looking for fresh puzzle content.

Reach out to puzzle magazines, newspapers, or online platforms. Provide samples and a short pitch about the kind of puzzles you create. Some may offer one-time payments, others may pay per puzzle or per issue.

You can also collaborate with other creators—artists, writers, teachers—to create themed puzzle products that blend talents and reach new markets.

Track Your Earnings and Time

As your side hustle grows, treat it like a real business. Track your income, expenses, and time investment. This helps you decide which platforms and products are worth focusing on, and which ones to phase out.

Use basic tools like spreadsheets or small business software to stay organized. Set goals, even if small: your first $10, first 10 customers, or first 5-star review. Every step is part of building something sustainable.

Keep Learning and Evolving

The puzzle industry is creative, dynamic, and always changing. Keep challenging yourself to improve your puzzles, explore new formats, and experiment with new tools.

Learn from customer feedback. Study other successful puzzle creators. Take courses on puzzle design, layout, or digital publishing. The more you grow your skills, the more value you offer—and the more potential your side hustle has to become a meaningful source of income.