Connecting YouTube

Connect your YouTube channel to bluekona.ai to analyze video performance, understand your audience, and optimize your content strategy with AI-powered insights.

Prerequisites

Account Requirements

• YouTube Channel (any size, any type)
• Google account associated with your channel
• Channel ownership or management access

Channel Types Supported

• Personal YouTube channels
• Brand channels
• Multi-channel management accounts
• Educational channels
• Business channels

Good news: Unlike Instagram or TikTok, any YouTube channel works - no special account type needed!

Connection Process

Step 1: Initiate Connection

From your bluekona.ai dashboard:

1. Navigate to Settings > Social Connections or
2. Click Connect Platform button
3. Select YouTube from the platform list
4. Click Connect YouTube

Step 2: Google OAuth Authorization

You'll be redirected to Google's secure OAuth page:

1. Select Google Account

   • Choose the Google account that owns your YouTube channel
   • Or sign in if not already logged in

2. Review Permissions

   • Google shows what bluekona.ai is requesting
   • All permissions are read-only

3. Grant Access

   • Click Allow or Continue
   • You're authorizing bluekona.ai to read your YouTube analytics

Step 3: Permissions Requested

bluekona.ai needs these read-only permissions:

YouTube Data API v3 Permissions

• youtube.readonly - View YouTube account information
• youtube-analytics.readonly - Read YouTube Analytics data
• yt-analytics-monetary.readonly - View monetization data (if applicable)

What these permissions allow:

• Access channel information (name, subscribers, description)
• Retrieve video analytics (views, watch time, engagement)
• Read audience demographics
• Analyze traffic sources
• View Shorts performance
• Track subscriber growth

What we CANNOT do:

• Upload, edit, or delete videos
• Post comments
• Modify channel settings
• Access private videos
• Change video metadata

Step 4: Complete Connection

After granting permissions:

1. You're redirected back to bluekona.ai
2. Success notification appears
3. YouTube channel is now connected
4. Initial data sync begins (may take 2-5 minutes)

What Data is Collected?

Channel Metrics

• Total subscribers and growth trends
• Overall views and watch time
• Channel impressions
• Click-through rate (CTR)
• Upload frequency

Video Performance (Last 14 Days)

• Individual video views
• Watch time and average view duration
• Likes, comments, shares
• Impressions and CTR
• Traffic sources
• Audience retention

YouTube Shorts

• Shorts views and reach
• Engagement metrics
• Comparison with regular videos
• Trending Shorts performance

Audience Insights

• Demographics (age, gender, location)
• When viewers are on YouTube
• Geographic distribution
• Subscriber vs non-subscriber viewing
• Returning vs new viewers

Content Analysis

• Video titles and descriptions
• Tags and categories
• Upload dates and times
• Thumbnail effectiveness
• Video length patterns

Understanding the Dashboard

Once connected, your YouTube channel appears in Social Connections:

Status Display

• Connected (Green) - Active and syncing
• Token Valid - No action needed
• Sync in Progress - Collecting latest data
• Error - Connection issue detected

Channel Information

• Channel name and icon
• Subscriber count
• Total videos
• Last sync timestamp
• Connection date

Quick Actions

• View Analytics - Jump to YouTube insights
• Refresh Token - Manually update authorization
• Disconnect - Remove connection

Token Management

YouTube access tokens generally don't expire unless:

• You manually revoke access
• You change YouTube account ownership
• Google detects suspicious activity

Token Refresh

Unlike Facebook/Instagram, YouTube tokens are long-lived. However, you can refresh manually:

1. Click Refresh Token or Reconnect
2. Re-authorize through Google OAuth
3. Token is updated
4. No data loss occurs

Token Revocation

If you revoke access from Google:

1. Token becomes invalid
2. Connection status shows "Error"
3. Click Reconnect to restore
4. Historical data remains intact

Running YouTube Audits

Single Platform Audit

1. Go to Dashboard or Analysis
2. Click Start Single Platform Audit
3. Select YouTube
4. Audit begins analyzing your channel
5. Results ready in 3-5 minutes

The AI analyzes:

• Video performance patterns
• Content that drives subscribers
• Audience retention insights
• Optimal upload times
• Shorts vs Long-form performance
• Trending topics on your channel
• Traffic source effectiveness
• Thumbnail and title optimization opportunities

Cross-Platform Audit

With multiple platforms connected:

1. Click Start Cross-Platform Audit
2. YouTube data analyzed with other platforms
3. Identify cross-promotion opportunities
4. Compare content themes across platforms

Content Types Analyzed

Regular Videos

• Long-form content (>1 minute)
• Tutorials, vlogs, educational content
• Entertainment and informational videos

Key metrics:

• Views and watch time
• Average view duration
• Audience retention graph
• Traffic sources
• Engagement rate

YouTube Shorts

• Short-form videos (<60 seconds)
• Vertical format content

Key metrics:

• Shorts feed impressions
• Views from Shorts feed vs search
• Swipe-away rate
• Engagement rate

Performance Comparison

bluekona.ai separates analysis of:

• Regular videos vs Shorts
• Recent uploads vs evergreen content
• High-performing vs low-performing videos

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

"Unable to access YouTube channel"

• Ensure you're signed into the correct Google account
• Verify you own or manage the YouTube channel
• Check that the channel is active (not terminated)

"Insufficient permissions"

• Grant all requested permissions during OAuth
• Some permissions are required for analytics
• Retry connection and accept all requests

"No channel found"

• You may not have a YouTube channel yet
• Create a channel first, then connect
• Ensure channel is published (not draft)

"Authorization failed"

• Clear browser cache and cookies
• Try a different browser
• Disable browser extensions temporarily
• Use incognito/private mode

Data Issues

No videos showing:

• Ensure videos are published (not private/unlisted)
• Wait 10 minutes for initial sync
• Check that videos were uploaded in last 14 days
• Private videos don't appear in API

Missing analytics:

• New channels may have limited data
• Very recent videos need time for metrics to populate
• Some metrics require minimum thresholds

Shorts not appearing:

• Ensure Shorts are public
• Shorts need to be <60 seconds
• Check upload date (must be within analysis window)

Brand Account Confusion

Multiple channels:

• Select the correct Google account that owns your channel
• Brand accounts may require extra steps
• Ensure you have management access

Privacy & Security

What We Access

• Public channel information
• Published video analytics
• Audience insights (aggregated)
• Performance metrics

What We Don't Access

• Private or unlisted videos (unless explicitly granted)
• YouTube Studio draft videos
• Personal email or contact info
• Monetization details (unless relevant for analysis)
• Comment moderation tools

Data Storage

• Analytics stored for historical comparison
• OAuth tokens encrypted
• Used only for your insights
• Never shared with competitors

YouTube's Privacy Standards

bluekona.ai complies with:

• YouTube Terms of Service
• Google API Services User Data Policy
• COPPA regulations (for kids' content)
• GDPR and privacy laws

Disconnecting YouTube

From bluekona.ai

1. Go to Settings > Social Connections
2. Find your YouTube channel
3. Click Disconnect or Remove
4. Confirm the action

What happens:

• Connection removed immediately
• Token is revoked
• Historical audit data preserved
• Can reconnect anytime

From Google Account

You can revoke access from Google's side:

1. Go to myaccount.google.com
2. Navigate to Security
3. Select Third-party apps with account access
4. Find bluekona.ai
5. Click Remove Access

Or from YouTube Studio:

1. Go to YouTube Studio
2. Settings > Advanced Settings
3. Manage authorizations
4. Remove bluekona.ai

Best Practices

For Optimal Insights

• Run audits after uploading new content
• Connect early to build historical data
• Analyze after major campaigns
• Regular weekly or bi-weekly audits

Content Strategy

• Compare Shorts vs regular video performance
• Identify top traffic sources
• Track audience retention patterns
• Monitor subscriber growth triggers
• Optimize upload timing

Multiple Channels

• Connect each channel separately
• Each uses its own Google account authorization
• Track and compare performance across channels
• Useful for multi-brand strategies

Content Optimization Tips

Based on your YouTube audit results:

Video Titles

• AI identifies patterns in high-CTR titles
• Keyword effectiveness analysis
• Length and format recommendations

Thumbnails

• CTR analysis reveals thumbnail effectiveness
• Compare performance across thumbnail styles

Upload Timing

• Best days and times for your audience
• Timezone considerations
• Consistency patterns

Video Length

• Optimal duration for your niche
• Audience retention by video length
• Shorts vs long-form preference

Advanced Features

Shorts Analysis

bluekona.ai specifically analyzes:

• Shorts performance vs regular videos
• Shorts feed exposure
• Conversion to subscribers
• Engagement patterns unique to Shorts

Audience Retention

• Identify drop-off points
• Hook effectiveness (first 30 seconds)
• Mid-roll retention patterns
• End screen performance

Traffic Sources

• YouTube search optimization
• Suggested videos performance
• External sources
• Direct traffic analysis

Common Questions

Q: Can I connect multiple YouTube channels? A: Yes, connect each channel using its associated Google account. Switch between channels in your dashboard.

Q: Will connecting affect my YouTube account? A: No, it's read-only access. Your channel, videos, and settings remain unchanged.

Q: How often is data updated? A: Data syncs when you run an audit or every 24 hours for connected channels.

Q: What if I have a brand account? A: Brand accounts work perfectly. Just ensure you have management access.

Q: Do I need a certain number of subscribers? A: No minimum required. Channels of any size can connect and benefit from insights.

Q: Will this work with monetized channels? A: Yes, bluekona.ai works with all channel types, monetized or not.

Next Steps

• Run your first YouTube audit
• Understand video analytics
• Compare with other platforms
• Manage your connections

Need help? Check the troubleshooting guide or contact support.