After submitting content, it goes through several automated and manual stages before becoming available to Cathopic users. Understanding this workflow helps you know what to expect and track your submission progress.
Stage 1: Upload and automatic processing
The moment you click submit, several automated processes begin immediately:
File transfer and storage:
Your images or videos transfer to our secure cloud storage infrastructure
Files are encrypted during transfer and at rest
Multiple backup copies created automatically
Original high-resolution files preserved
Automated processing tasks:
Thumbnail generation: Preview images created for browse pages and search results
Multiple size creation: Various resolution versions generated (small, medium, large for different download needs)
Video encoding (if applicable): Videos converted to streaming-ready formats with multiple quality options
Metadata extraction: IPTC and XMP metadata extracted from file if present
Color analysis: Dominant colors identified for search and filtering
Dimension verification: Resolution and aspect ratio recorded
Status during this stage: PROCESSING
Duration: Minutes for photos, up to several hours for large video files
Stage 2: Automatic validation
Before human review, automated systems verify basic requirements:
Technical validation checks:
File format is supported (JPG for photos, MP4/MOV for videos)
File size meets minimums (4MB photos, 20MB videos)
Resolution adequate for professional use
Files are not corrupted or damaged
Image dimensions are reasonable
Metadata completeness verification:
Title field is not empty
At least 7 tags are provided
Category has been selected
Basic description present
If automatic validation fails, you receive immediate notification and content does not proceed to human review. You can then fix issues and resubmit.
If validation passes, content status changes from PROCESSING to PENDING and enters the moderation queue.
Stage 3: Moderation queue
Your content joins the review queue:
Queue operates first-in, first-out for fairness
Position determined by upload timestamp
Visible in your Creator Dashboard as "Under Review"
Status remains PENDING throughout human review
Typically waits 1-3 days before moderator review begins
Stage 4: Human moderation review
A trained moderator thoroughly evaluates your submission:
Technical quality assessment:
Is focus sharp on intended subject?
Is exposure appropriate without blown highlights or blocked shadows?
Are colors accurate and well-balanced?
Is composition professional?
Is resolution truly high enough for stated purpose?
Are there visible artifacts, noise, or distortions?
Catholic relevance evaluation:
Does content clearly relate to Catholic faith or practice?
Are liturgical elements accurately represented?
Is treatment of sacred subjects reverent and appropriate?
Would this serve actual needs of Catholic users?
Does it align with Church teaching?
Metadata quality review:
Does title accurately and clearly describe content?
Are all keywords genuinely descriptive of what is shown?
Is minimum keyword count (7) met with quality terms?
Are there spam or irrelevant tags?
Is categorization appropriate?
Originality verification:
Does upload pattern suggest original work?
Are there copyright concerns or red flags?
Is style consistent with contributor's other work?
Review duration: 3-7 business days typically
Stage 5: Review decision
The moderator makes one of three decisions:
Decision A: APPROVE ✓
Content meets all quality standards
Status changes from PENDING to APPROVED
Content goes live immediately
You receive email notification of approval
Content becomes searchable and downloadable
Earnings begin for premium content
Decision B: APPROVE with minor corrections
Content quality is good but small metadata improvements needed
Moderator makes minor fixes (typo correction, obvious missing tag)
Status changes to APPROVED
You're notified of corrections made
Content goes live
Decision C: REJECT ✗
Content does not meet one or more quality standards
Status changes to REJECTED
You receive detailed email explaining specific issues
Content remains in dashboard as rejected
You can review feedback and improve for future submissions
Stage 6: Going live (for approved content)
Once approved, several things happen automatically:
Search engine indexing:
Content added to Algolia search engine with your tags
Searchable by title, keywords, and description
Indexed in both English and Spanish if you provided bilingual metadata
Ranking algorithm begins tracking performance
Platform integration:
Appears in browse pages for your selected category
Added to your public Contributor profile portfolio
Visible in relevant filtered views (type, orientation, etc.)
Included in search results for matching queries
Visibility settings applied:
Free content visible to all users
Premium content visible only to active subscribers
Download buttons appear for eligible users
Earning capability activated:
Premium content begins generating earnings from each download
Download tracking initiated
Performance metrics collection starts
What you see in Creator Dashboard
Throughout the entire process, your dashboard provides real-time status:
During processing:
Status: PROCESSING
Progress indicator for video encoding if applicable
Estimated completion time
During review:
Status: PENDING or "Under Review"
Days since submission
Typical timeline reminder
After decision:
Status: APPROVED or REJECTED
Date of decision
For approved: Link to live content
For rejected: Link to feedback details
Performance tracking (once live):
View count
Download count
Earnings generated
Search terms bringing users to content
Typical complete timeline
From upload to earning:
Upload: Day 0
Processing complete: Day 0 (minutes to hours later)
Automatic validation: Day 0 (immediate)
Queue wait: Days 0-2
Human review: Days 2-7
Decision and go-live: Day 3-7 (if approved)
First downloads: Day 3-7+ (depends on demand and quality)
What to do while waiting
The review period does not mean you should pause contributor activity:
Keep uploading:
No need to wait for one batch approval before uploading more
Build your content library continuously
Spread uploads over time rather than bulk uploads
Optimize your presence:
Complete your Contributor profile (bio, photo, social links)
Review and improve metadata on pending submissions if you notice issues
Study approved content to understand successful patterns
Plan future content:
Use Trends to identify market demand
Prepare seasonal content for upcoming liturgical seasons
Edit and prepare next round of uploads
Build content series (Stations of Cross, different rosary types, etc.)
Email notifications you will receive
Upload confirmation:
Sent immediately after successful upload
Confirms files received
Provides submission details
Approval notification:
Sent when content is approved
Includes link to live content
Confirms content is now earning-capable
Rejection notification:
Sent when content is rejected
Details specific reasons for rejection
Provides improvement guidance
May include suggestions for resubmission
After content goes live
Once approved and published, the real value creation begins:
Discoverability phase:
Search engine ranks your content based on metadata relevance
Well-tagged content appears in more search results
Seasonal and trending content gets priority visibility
Quality content naturally rises in rankings over time
Download and earning phase:
Each subscriber download of premium content earns you commission
Earnings accumulate toward payout threshold
Popular content generates recurring downloads
Performance data helps you understand what works
Ongoing management:
Edit metadata anytime to improve discoverability
Monitor which content performs best
Learn from successful content to inform future uploads
Delete content if you need to reclaim exclusivity
If something seems wrong
Occasionally issues may arise during the workflow:
Processing stuck for many hours:
Large video files can take several hours - this is normal
If stuck over 24 hours, contact support
No decision after 10 business days:
Check dashboard for current status
Verify you did not miss email notification (check spam folder)
If genuinely stalled, contact support at cathopic.com/support
Did not receive expected notification:
Check spam/junk folder
Verify email address in profile settings
Check dashboard - status updates there regardless of email
Add Cathopic to email whitelist/safe senders
Success metrics to watch
After content goes live, track these indicators in your dashboard:
Views: How many users are seeing your content in search/browse?
View-to-download rate: What percentage of viewers choose to download?
Download frequency: Is content generating regular downloads?
Earnings per piece: Which content generates most revenue?
Search terms: What keywords bring users to your content?
Use this data to continuously refine your approach and create more of what works.
The upload-to-publish-to-earn workflow is designed to maintain Cathopic's quality standards while efficiently getting your content to Catholic users who need it. Quality review benefits the entire community by ensuring the library remains valuable and trustworthy.
