YouTube feeds
Choose starting videos, then pick up new channel uploads automatically.
A YouTube feed turns videos from a YouTube channel into written blog articles. Use it in Pro if you publish webinars, how-to videos, interviews or podcasts on YouTube. The channel must be yours, or one you have permission to repurpose.
Cost: 25 credits per weekly refresh (including the first one at setup). Articles are 25 credits each.
Why it helps
- Every video becomes a searchable article, so people who prefer reading (and search engines) can find what you said.
- You choose which older videos to start with. New uploads are picked up automatically.
- outwrite.ai reads the video's captions, or transcribes the audio itself when there are none. You do not need to supply transcripts.
- Your own channel is treated as your expertise. A sales pitch in a video is fine: the article uses the useful substance, not the pitch.
Before you start
- The channel's address, for example
https://www.youtube.com/@yourchannel. - Ownership of the videos, or permission to repurpose them.
- Videos must be public, finished (not live or upcoming) and no longer than 60 minutes.
Set it up
- Open Auto Blog → Feeds and select New feed.
- Choose YouTube channel.
- Optional: type a Feed name. If blank, it is named after the channel's handle.
- Paste the channel address into YouTube channel URL.
- Tick I own this content or have permission to repurpose it.
- Check the cost box (Per refresh: 25 credits, Schedule: On setup, then weekly).
- Select Create feed.
- Wait for the channel's recent videos to appear. The feed shows "Choose the videos you want to start with."
- Select Add video next to each video you want, or tick several and select Add selected.
If you see "This YouTube channel could not be identified. Use its /channel/UC… URL.", open the channel on YouTube, copy the address that contains /channel/UC… and paste that instead.
The starting list shows the channel's recent uploads that YouTube returns. It is not the whole channel archive. Nothing is turned into articles until you add it.
What happens next
- Transcript. For each video you add (and each new upload), outwrite.ai first reads YouTube's captions. If there are none, it transcribes the audio automatically. Videos with captions go first, so a long video without captions never holds up the others. Transcribing audio can take a while for long videos.
- Review. The transcript is reviewed for a clear, useful point for your readers. A short clip qualifies if it makes one specific point; teasers with no real point are not used.
- Idea. A kept video becomes an idea with a working title, a reader question and an outline.
- New uploads. Each weekly check picks up videos published after you connected the channel. A new video whose upload date cannot be confirmed waits in the list for you to add it.
If YouTube temporarily blocks a transcript request, outwrite.ai keeps retrying on its own for about a day, waiting a little longer each time (30 minutes, then 1, 2, 4 and 6 hours). The video's note tells you as soon as YouTube is blocking it, so you can paste the transcript straight away instead of waiting. If it still can't get the transcript after about a day, the video asks you to paste it.
Limits
| Limit | What happens |
|---|---|
| Videos up to 60 minutes | Longer videos are held with "Choose a video up to 60 minutes for this article workflow." |
| Transcripts up to 80,000 characters (about a full hour of speech) | Covers any video within the 60-minute limit. Pasted transcripts have the same limit. |
| Enough speech | Very short clips are held with "This video has too little spoken material for an article." |
| Public, finished videos | Live or upcoming videos, and videos that need an account to watch, cannot be transcribed automatically. |
| Rights confirmation | Required for every YouTube feed. |
Video statuses and notes
| Readiness | What it means |
|---|---|
| Available to import | One of the channel's older videos. Select Add video to use it. |
| Transcript queued | Waiting for automatic transcription ("Waiting for automatic video transcription."). A video without captions says so and waits until videos with captions are done. |
| Retrying transcription | The last try failed. It retries on its own for about a day ("Transcription will retry automatically…"). If YouTube is blocking the video, the note says pasting the transcript is the fastest way to continue. |
| Transcribing video | The audio is being transcribed now. |
| Checking brand fit | The transcript is ready and is being reviewed for your brand. |
| Ready to write | A campaign can pick it. |
| For your review | The review judged it a poor fit, with the reason in the note. In Planned automation you can still choose it. |
| Needs source material | No usable transcript yet. The note says why (see below). |
| Already added | It has already become an article. |
When a transcript is saved, the note says where it came from: "Transcript read from YouTube captions.", "Transcribed from the video audio." or "Transcript supplied by you."
Common notes on Needs source material:
| Note | What to do |
|---|---|
| "Automatic transcription kept failing for about a day. Paste the transcript to continue." | Paste a transcript. |
| "Transcription stopped repeatedly. Add a transcript or contact support." | Paste a transcript. |
| "This video has too little spoken material for an article." | Choose a longer video, or paste a fuller transcript if you have one. |
| "Choose a video up to 60 minutes for this article workflow." | Use a shorter video. |
| "Live or upcoming videos must finish before transcription." | Wait until the video has finished. |
| "This video requires account access." or "This video is private…" | Make the video public, or paste a transcript. |
| "This video is age-restricted and requires account access…" | Paste a transcript. |
| "This video is no longer available on YouTube." | The video was removed. Choose another video. |
| "The transcript repeats too much to use reliably." or "Parts of this recording could not be transcribed confidently." | Check the video's audio, or paste an accurate transcript. |
Add a transcript yourself
You can paste a transcript for any video still waiting for one (Transcript queued, Retrying transcription or Needs source material). If the video has captions on YouTube, you can copy them there: open the video, expand its description and select Show transcript.
- Open the feed and find the video.
- Select Add transcript.
- Paste the full transcript (at least 200 characters, up to 80,000).
- Select Save transcript.
Your transcript replaces any automatic one and is reviewed like any other source.
How to tell it's working
| Feed status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Checking sources | Reading the channel now |
| Connected | Ready ideas are available |
| Preparing transcripts | Transcripts are being made ("Your videos were found. outwrite.ai is preparing their transcripts…"). It continues on its own. |
| Reading sources | Saved videos are still being read or checked for brand fit. It continues on its own. |
| Needs attention | The channel could not be read. See When a feed needs attention. |
Common questions
Will it turn my whole channel into articles?
No. You choose the older videos you want. Only videos published after you connect are added automatically.
Why is a video still waiting?
It is usually waiting for its transcript. Automatic transcription can take time, and if YouTube is busy, retries continue on their own for about a day. You can always paste a transcript.
Should I check the article?
Yes, especially for names, numbers and technical terms. Automatic transcription can mishear words when audio is unclear, so outwrite.ai double-checks those details against other sources.
Can I add videos while refreshes are paused?
No. Resume the feed's refreshes first.
