Thinking about becoming an Envato author? You're in the right place!
Selling digital products on Envato can be a great way to build a passive income, improve your skills, and reach customers from all over the world. While getting your first item approved isn't always easy, preparation and quality make a huge difference.
Step 1: Choose Your Marketplace
Envato operates several marketplaces, each focused on different types of digital products, such as:
- CodeCanyon – PHP scripts, plugins, mobile apps, desktop software, SaaS applications, APIs, and development tools.
- ThemeForest – Website themes and templates.
- GraphicRiver – Graphics, icons, logos, UI kits, and design assets.
- VideoHive – Motion graphics and video templates.
- AudioJungle – Music and sound effects.
Choose the marketplace that best matches your skills and experience.
Step 2: Research Before You Build
One of the biggest mistakes new authors make is building a product without checking the market first.
Spend time researching:
- Best-selling products
- Recently approved items
- Customer reviews
- Frequently requested features
- Products with poor ratings that could be improved
Understanding what customers need is just as important as writing good code.
Step 3: Build a High-Quality Product
Quality is the most important factor.
Your product should be:
- Well designed
- Easy to install
- Fully functional
- Responsive (when applicable)
- Secure
- Optimized for performance
- Free of obvious bugs
Take time to polish every detail before submitting.
Step 4: Write Clean and Maintainable Code
Reviewers pay attention to code quality.
Good practices include:
- Clear project structure
- Consistent coding style
- Meaningful variable and function names
- Proper validation
- Security best practices
- Comments where appropriate
- No unused files or code
A clean project is much easier to review and maintain.
Step 5: Create Excellent Documentation
Many rejections happen because documentation is incomplete.
Include:
- Installation guide
- System requirements
- Configuration steps
- Feature overview
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Troubleshooting
- Update instructions
A customer should be able to install your product without contacting support.
Step 6: Prepare Professional Preview Material
Your presentation matters.
Create:
- High-quality screenshots
- Attractive preview images
- Feature graphics
- Icons
- A short demo video if possible
- A live demo when appropriate
A professional presentation increases buyer confidence.
Step 7: Test Everything
Before submitting, test your product thoroughly.
Check:
- Installation from scratch
- Different browsers
- Different screen sizes
- Error handling
- Performance
- Security
- Upgrade process
- Uninstall process (if applicable)
Ask friends or beta testers to try your product before submission.
Step 8: Submit Your Item
Upload all required files and carefully complete your product page:
- Clear title
- Detailed description
- Feature list
- Keywords
- Documentation
- Demo links
- Support information
Double-check everything before clicking Submit.
Step 9: Don't Be Discouraged by Rejections
Many successful authors were rejected multiple times before their first approval.
A rejection doesn't necessarily mean your idea is bad—it often means the product needs improvements.
Read the reviewer comments carefully and focus on:
- Better design
- Better documentation
- Cleaner code
- More features
- Better user experience
- Stronger presentation
Every revision helps you improve.
Step 10: Keep Improving After Approval
Getting approved is only the beginning.
Successful authors continue to:
- Release updates
- Fix bugs quickly
- Listen to customer feedback
- Improve documentation
- Add new features
- Maintain compatibility with new technologies
Long-term success comes from supporting your products consistently.
Tips from Experienced Authors
- Focus on solving real problems.
- Quality always beats quantity.
- Build something you would enjoy using yourself.
- Never stop learning new technologies.
- Respond politely to customers and reviewers.
- Keep improving your products over time.
Join the Discussion
Already an Envato author?
Share your experience below:
- How long did it take to get your first approval?
- What was your biggest challenge?
- What advice would you give to new authors?
- What do you wish you had known before submitting your first item?
Your experience could help the next successful author.
Happy coding, and good luck with your first submission! 🚀