# Before you start publishing

#### **Before You Start Publishing**

Before uploading any product data, there are a few quick steps to ensure your brand is set up correctly and approved for publishing. This helps maintain quality and consistency across the Canoa platform and ensures your products are discoverable and ready for designers to use.

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**✅ Step 1: Get Approved as a Publisher**

To protect data quality across the platform, all brands must be approved before publishing. This is a one-time review process to ensure your product information meets the minimum completeness standards.

**What’s required for approval:**

* You must have full, unencumbered rights to any content you upload (images, CAD files, etc.)
* You must agree to Canoa’s terms and conditions
* You must provide accurate company information when applying

**How to apply:**

* [Fill out the Publisher Application Form](/docs/for-brands/before-you-start-publishing/application-to-publish-a-brand-catalog.md)
* Canoa’s team will review your submission (typically within 2 business days)
* Once approved, your account will be upgraded and you’ll gain access to publishing tools

> 📌 Until your application is approved, you can build your catalog in draft mode but will not be able to publish it live.

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**✅ Step 2: Set Up Your Account**

Once approved, you’ll need to create your brand account on Canoa:

1. Visit [canoa.supply/signup](https://canoa.supply/signup)
2. Enter your brand or parent company name for easy recognition
3. Choose your preferred contact email and create a password
4. Log in and confirm your email to activate the account

> 🔹 If you manage multiple brands, consider using your parent company name or agency account to organize product lines under one login.

***

**✅ Step 3: Define What You Plan to Publish**

Before uploading any files, take a moment to plan what data you'll share.

* Do you want to publish your **entire catalog**, a specific product line, or selected SKUs tied to a campaign?
* Will you **exclude pricing**, certain variants, or B2B-only items?
* Do you need to **segment** product types or regional catalogs?

You can always adjust visibility settings later, but having a clear structure up front will make uploading and organizing much easier.


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