Youtube Channel Author Finder

Find YouTube creators, extract their contact details, and see engagement + partnership scores — no coding needed. Runs with limited permissions for safety. Best for partnerships/outreach and growth teams who want quick, contactable leads. Jump to Partnership Score & Engagement for how we calculate it.

Why it’s easy:

• Simple input: pick a mode (channel / search / playlist) and paste one field.
• Built-in budget guard: actor stops at your limit.
• Output ready to export (CSV/Excel/JSON) from the Output tab.

💰 Simple Pricing: $0.02 per operation. All operations cost the same. Budget automatically enforced.

What it does (short)

• Find channel authors by niche keywords (default mode) or analyze specific handles.
• Search videos by keyword or ready-made links.
• Analyze playlists (or channel uploads).
• Extract contact info (emails, socials), calculate engagement rate per channel, and a partnership score (see Partnership Score & Engagement).
• Export everything from the Output tab (CSV/Excel/JSON).

What data you get

Record type	Key fields
channelSummary	channel title, subscriber count, contact emails/socials, engagement averages, partnership score, best contact
channelVideo	video id/title/url, views/likes/comments, engagement rate, published date, thumbnails
video (search)	video id/title/url, channel info, views/likes/comments (if requested), published date, thumbnails
playlistItem	playlist item video id/title, published date, thumbnails

💰 Pricing

Simple: ~$0.02 per operation. Budget is enforced automatically.

• Rule of thumb: ~25 events per analyzed channel ≈ $0.50/channel.
• Quick test: 5 channels × 10 videos ≈ $2–$3. Raise budget for more results.

Permissions

This Actor uses Limited permissions for maximum security and trust. It only accesses:

• Default key-value store (for checkpoint/resume)
• Default dataset (for output)
• No access to other user storages or account data

This ensures your data stays secure while maintaining full functionality.

Trust & Security

• Limited permissions only (KVS + dataset).
• Budget guard stops runs at your limit.
• Retries and checkpoint/resume prevent data loss on failures/migrations.

Quick Start

30-second setup (no coding):

1. Pick mode in the UI: channel (default), search, or playlist.
2. Paste one field:

{"mode":"channel","channelSearchQuery":"coding tutorials","maxChannelsToAnalyze":5,"maxVideos":10,"budget":2}

3. Click Start → open Output tab → export CSV/Excel/JSON.

Common fixes:

• Zero results? Set all min* to 0 and broaden the query.
• Budget stop? Raise budget a bit; checkpointing prevents double work.
• Invalid handle? Use fireship / @fireship / youtube.com/@fireship.

Starter configs (with fast cost hint)

• Channel discovery (default): {"mode":"channel","channelSearchQuery":"coding tutorials","maxChannelsToAnalyze":5,"maxVideos":10,"budget":2} (~$2–$3)
• Micro-influencers (beauty): {"mode":"channel","channelSearchQuery":"beauty makeup tutorial","videoCategoryId":"26","maxChannelsToAnalyze":15,"maxVideos":20,"minSubscribers":2000,"maxSubscribers":150000,"budget":6} (~$6–$8)
• Video search: {"mode":"search","searchQuery":"ai news 2025","maxResults":50,"includeStatistics":false,"budget":2} (~$1–$2)
• Playlist uploads: {"mode":"playlist","playlistChannelHandle":"fireship","maxResults":50,"budget":2} (~$1–$2)

Input cheat sheet (safe defaults)

Field	When to use	Safe default
mode	Pick channel / search / playlist	channel
channelSearchQuery	Channel mode niche keywords	Something broad (e.g., “coding tutorials”)
maxChannelsToAnalyze	How many channels to fully scan	10–20
maxVideos	Videos per channel for averages	15–25
includeContactData	Partnerships / outreach	true
videoCategoryId	Narrow by category	0 (all)
regionCode	Geo targeting	"" (global)
Filters (min*, max*)	Only after a broad run	0 to ignore

If you get zero results: set all mins/max to 0, broaden channelSearchQuery, remove channelTags, and increase budget a little (checkpointing prevents double work).

Common mistakes (fast checks)

• Using @ in handles is fine, but URLs/handles must be valid/public.
• Filters too tight → zero results: set all min* and max* to 0 first.
• Budget too low → actor stops early: raise budget or lower counts.
• Playlist vs channel: use playlistChannelHandle for uploads, playlistId for a specific list.

Run in 3 clicks (Apify Console)

1. Open the Actor → Input → paste one starter config.
2. Set budget (e.g., 2–5 USD).
3. Run → Output tab → export CSV/Excel/JSON.

First-Time User Guide

• Use presets: start with the JSON above, only change channelSearchQuery.
• Keep filters light: set minSubscribers/minAverageViews to 0 for the first run.
• Budget guard: actor stops automatically when your budget is hit.
• Rerun quickly: reuse the same input; checkpointing prevents duplicates.
• Export fast: open the run → Output → Download CSV/Excel/JSON.

Common Use Cases (ready configs)

• SaaS / B2B leads:

{"mode":"channel","channelSearchQuery":"saas startup founders","maxChannelsToAnalyze":15,"maxVideos":20,"minSubscribers":5000,"budget":4}

• Fitness / wellness creators:

{"mode":"channel","channelSearchQuery":"fitness coach workout","videoCategoryId":"17","regionCode":"US","maxChannelsToAnalyze":20,"maxVideos":20,"budget":5}

• Beauty / how-to micro:

{"mode":"channel","channelSearchQuery":"beauty makeup tutorial","videoCategoryId":"26","maxChannelsToAnalyze":25,"maxVideos":20,"minSubscribers":2000,"maxSubscribers":150000,"budget":6}

• Crypto / fintech education:

{"mode":"channel","channelSearchQuery":"crypto trading education","maxChannelsToAnalyze":15,"maxVideos":25,"budget":5}

• Playlist deep-dive (channel uploads):

{"mode":"playlist","playlistChannelHandle":"fireship","maxResults":50,"budget":2}

Best Practices

• Start broad, then tighten filters after you see results.
• Keep maxChannelsToAnalyze modest (10–20) for faster, cheaper runs.
• Turn on includeContactData for partnerships; leave off only for pure stats.
• Use videoCategoryId + regionCode for geo/industry targeting.
• Raise budget ~+$1 per 5 extra channels you want fully analyzed.
• For accuracy, use maxVideos 15–30; higher = slower but better averages.

How to Use

On Apify Platform (Recommended):

1. Go to your Actor in Apify Console
2. Configure your input (see examples below)
3. Set your spending limit
4. Click "Start" and wait for results
5. Open Output tab → export CSV/Excel/JSON

Run in 3 clicks (recap):

1. Paste one starter config → 2) Set budget → 3) Run → Output tab.

CLI/local quick run (for power users):

APIFY_INPUT_JSON='{"mode":"search","searchQuery":"apify tutorials","maxResults":3,"includeStatistics":false,"budget":1,"concurrentRequests":1}' \
DATA_API_KEY=YOUR_KEY \
node src/main.js

Then open the dataset (default) to confirm output.

View & export results

• Default dataset link (Console): Run → Output tab → Download CSV/Excel/JSON.
• API template: {{links.apiDefaultDatasetUrl}}/items (add ?format=csv or ?view=overview as needed).

Input Examples:

Video search mode:

{
  "mode": "search",
  "searchQuery": "apify tutorial",
  "videoLinks": [
    "https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ"
  ],
  "maxResults": 100,
  "orderBy": "viewCount",
  "includeStatistics": true,
  "includeCommentReplies": false,
  "budget": 2
}

Playlist analysis mode:

{
  "mode": "playlist",
  "playlistId": "PLrAXtmRdnEQy6nuLM2cP9lLbP1sIVv2wI",
  "playlistDateRange": {
    "startDate": "2025-01-01",
    "endDate": "2025-02-01"
  },
  "maxResults": 100,
  "includeStatistics": true,
  "budget": 2
}

Playlist analysis mode (channel uploads):

{
  "mode": "playlist",
  "playlistChannelHandle": "fireship",
  "playlistDateRange": {
    "startDate": "2025-01-01",
    "endDate": "2025-02-01"
  },
  "maxResults": 50,
  "includeStatistics": true,
  "budget": 1
}

Find channel authors mode (default):

{
  "mode": "channel",
  "channelSearchQuery": "coding tutorials",
  "videoCategoryId": 27,
  "regionCode": "US",
  "channelSearchStrategy": "hybrid",
  "channelTags": ["programming", "web development"],
  "includeContactData": true,
  "maxChannelsToAnalyze": 10,
  "maxVideos": 50,
  "minSubscribers": 10000,
  "maxSubscribers": 1000000,
  "minAverageViews": 5000,
  "minAverageLikes": 200,
  "minAverageEngagementRate": 3,
  "budget": 3
}

Analyze specific channels:

{
  "mode": "channel",
  "channelHandles": ["fireship", "vibecoding"],
  "includeContactData": true,
  "maxVideos": 25,
  "budget": 2
}

Output Schema

The Actor stores all results in the default dataset. You can access the output in several ways:

Accessing Output

1. Apify Console: Go to your run → Output tab to view all results in a table format
2. API: Use the output URLs provided in the run's output property:
   • results - Complete dataset with all channels and videos
   • channels - Filtered view showing only channel summaries
   • videos - Filtered view showing only video records
3. Export: Download data as JSON, CSV, Excel, or other formats from Apify Console

Output Structure

For each channel found (channel mode):

• Channel name and subscriber count
• Contact information (emails, social media links)
• Engagement metrics (average views, likes, comments, engagement rate)
• Partnership potential score (0-100)
• All data ready to export from Apify dataset

For video search/playlist modes:

• Video details (title, description, views, likes, comments)
• Channel information for each video
• Optional: comment replies for deeper engagement analysis

Example Output Record

channelSummary example:

{
  "recordType": "channelSummary",
  "mode": "channel",
  "status": "analyzed",
  "channelId": "UC_x5XG1OV2P6uZZ5FSM9Ttw",
  "channelHandle": "@GoogleDevelopers",
  "channelTitle": "Google for Developers",
  "subscriberCount": "2,560,000",
  "averageViews": "18,433",
  "averageLikes": "942",
  "averageComments": 84,
  "averageEngagementRate": "5.12%",
  "partnershipPotential": 85,
  "contactEmail": "devrel@google.com",
  "contactSocials": [
    { "platform": "Twitter/X", "handle": "@googledevs" }
  ],
  "bestContactMethod": "email",
  "engagement": {
    "videosWithMetrics": 20,
    "totalViews": 368652,
    "totalLikes": 18848,
    "totalComments": 1682
  },
  "filters": {
    "minSubscribers": 5000,
    "maxSubscribers": null,
    "minAverageViews": 2000
  },
  "discovery": {
    "source": "search",
    "searchQuery": "coding tutorials",
    "requestedTags": ["programming", "web development"],
    "matchedTags": ["programming"],
    "subscriberCount": 2560000
  },
  "analyzedVideos": 20,
  "requestedMaxVideos": 20,
  "scrapedAt": "2025-11-16T17:15:00.000Z"
}

channelVideo example:

{
  "recordType": "channelVideo",
  "channelId": "UC_x5XG1OV2P6uZZ5FSM9Ttw",
  "videoId": "hQ6nqDP905k",
  "title": "Introduction to Metrax: Evaluation metrics for JAX",
  "views": 2399,
  "likeCount": 120,
  "commentCount": 15,
  "engagementRate": "5.63%",
  "publishedAt": "2025-02-01T00:00:00.000Z"
}

video (search mode) example:

{
  "recordType": "video",
  "videoId": "3rrpfW0bEdc",
  "title": "Apify Tutorial For Beginners | How To Use Apify",
  "channelTitle": "Speak About Digital",
  "videoUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rrpfW0bEdc",
  "views": "N/A",
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3rrpfW0bEdc/hq720.jpg",
  "scrapedAt": "2025-11-15T14:00:00Z"
}

How It Works

• Automatic retries: If a request fails temporarily, the actor automatically tries again up to 5 times
• Progress saving: Your progress is saved automatically, so if the run stops, you can resume from where it left off
• Real-time updates: See progress updates every 60 seconds showing how many channels/videos have been analyzed
• Budget protection: The actor stops automatically when your spending limit is reached, so you never overspend

Reliability & Error Handling

• Retries: 5 attempts with smart backoff for 429/5xx; warns, then fails fast on permanent errors.
• Budget guard: stops when your budget or platform limit is hit; checkpoints before exit.
• Checkpoint/resume: saves processed IDs and progress; safe to rerun with the same input.
• Rate limits: respects API limits via p-limit and adaptive delays.
• Fail-soft: skips problematic items, logs reason, continues with the rest.
• Memory guard: processes in batches to avoid OOM.

Example logs:

WARN  Temporary issue detected. Retrying automatically... {"attempt":1,"maxAttempts":5}
INFO  Checkpoint saved {"processed":50,"spentUsd":1.25}
WARN  Budget exhausted. Stopping gracefully. {"spentUsd":5,"budgetLimit":5}

Troubleshooting

Flow (quick):
No results? → loosen filters (min*=0) → broaden query → rerun.
Filtered out? → check logs for filter reasons → lower mins or remove channelTags.
Errors? → look for 429/5xx retries → wait 2–3 minutes → rerun; if handle invalid, fix handle/URL.
Budget stop? → raise budget or lower counts; rerun with same input (checkpointed).

Common Issues

Access key missing

• Problem: Actor cannot access YouTube data
• Solution: This should not happen as the actor is pre-configured. If you see this error, please contact support.

Budget exhausted before completing

• Problem: Actor stopped before finishing all channels/videos
• Solution: Increase budget input (recommended: $5-10 for full runs) or decrease maxChannelsToAnalyze/maxResults
• Cost estimate: ~$0.50 per channel analyzed (25 operations × $0.02)
• Fast fix: Rerun with the same input after raising budget; checkpointing prevents double work.

No results found or All channels filtered out

• Problem: Filters are too strict or search query too narrow
• Solution:
  • Relax filters (lower minSubscribers, minAverageViews, etc.)
  • Try broader search keywords
  • Remove channelTags if too restrictive
  • Check logs for specific filter reasons
• Fast fix: Set all mins to 0 and run again; confirm results, then reapply filters gradually.

Request search failed or Network error

• Problem: Cannot reach YouTube data service
• Solution:
  • Check internet connection
  • Try running on Apify platform (not locally)
  • Check if the service is temporarily unavailable
• Fast fix: Wait 2–3 minutes and rerun; actor already retries transient errors.

Invalid channel handle

• Problem: Channel handle cannot be resolved to channel ID
• Solution:
  • Use format: fireship or @fireship (without @ is fine)
  • Or use full URL: youtube.com/@fireship
  • Verify channel exists and is public

Docker build issues

• Problem: Build fails during deployment
• Solution: Run apify push --purge to clean cached layers and rebuild

Getting Help

• Check logs in Apify Console for detailed error messages
• Review input schema descriptions for field requirements
• See $5_EXAMPLES.md for working input examples
• Ensure all required fields are provided for your chosen mode
• Need support? Share your mode, input JSON, and last 20 log lines via Discord/community or support so we can reproduce fast.

FAQ

• How do I get emails? Keep includeContactData=true; contact data is fetched per channel and may fall back to description parsing.
• Why zero results? Loosen filters: set minSubscribers/minAverage* to 0 and try a broader channelSearchQuery.
• How to target micro-influencers? Set maxSubscribers (e.g., 150000) and minSubscribers (e.g., 2000); keep maxVideos 15–25.
• How to speed up runs? Lower maxChannelsToAnalyze/maxVideos, turn off includeCommentReplies, and keep budget modest.
• Stuck on retries? Network hiccups are retried up to 5 times; rerun if you see repeated 5xx/429 in logs.
• Playlist vs channel uploads? Use playlistId for a specific playlist; use playlistChannelHandle to scan all uploads.
• Which region to pick? Leave blank for global; set regionCode for geo-targeted outreach.
• Do I need API keys? No—API key is preconfigured via actor secrets; just set your inputs and run.
• How to resume? Simply rerun with the same input; checkpointing skips already-processed items.
• What’s the best budget to start? $2–$5 for tests; ~+$1 per 5 extra channels you want fully analyzed.
• How to get more accurate averages? Raise maxVideos to 20–30; enables better engagement metrics.
• Can I analyze specific videos only? Use videoLinks or mode: "search" with your keywords; set maxResults accordingly.
• Is it legal to scrape YouTube? This actor only extracts publicly available data; use ethically and comply with local laws/YouTube terms. Avoid scraping personal data without a lawful basis.
• Why do I see “Ignored attempt to charge…”? The actor uses PPU-compatible charging, but this message is informational when pay-per-event isn’t active.
• How to resume after a timeout/migration? Rerun with the same input; checkpoints skip processed items and continue from the last token.

Glossary (quick)

• Channel author / creator: The YouTube channel owner we analyze.
• Contact data: Emails and social links extracted for outreach.
• Engagement metrics: Views, likes, comments, engagement rate.
• Budget / spending limit: USD cap that stops the actor automatically.
• Record types: channelSummary, channelVideo, video, playlistItem (see Output map).

Self-serve smoke test

Run locally or on Apify to verify end-to-end (costs a few cents):

APIFY_INPUT_JSON='{"mode":"search","searchQuery":"apify tutorials","maxResults":3,"includeStatistics":false,"budget":1,"concurrentRequests":1}' \
DATA_API_KEY=YOUR_KEY \
APIFY_DEFAULT_DATASET_ID=smoke-ds \
node src/main.js

Then open the run’s Output tab (or local storage/default/datasets/smoke-ds) to confirm 3 video records.

Partnership Score & Engagement

• Engagement rate is derived from likes + comments vs. views (where available) across analyzed videos.
• Partnership score (0–100) blends size (subscribers), engagement, and contact availability. Email/social presence boosts the score.
• Contact data includes primary email, socials (per platform), and best contact method (email > website > social > YouTube).
• You can adjust quality with filters (minAverageViews, minAverageEngagementRate, minSubscribers/maxSubscribers).