YouTube Shorts Trend Analyzer

Turn YouTube Shorts data into viral format intelligence. Unlike generic scrapers (44K–69K users), this actor extracts Shorts, transcribes them, and surfaces hook patterns, duration sweet spots, engagement ratios, and posting rhythms for any niche. Built for content creators, growth agencies, and social-media strategists.

Features

• Shorts scraping — Search by keyword/niche or channel handle; auto-filters videos ≤ 60 seconds
• Transcript extraction — Pulls captions with timestamps for any video/short
• Trend analysis ⭐ — Identifies viral hooks, title patterns, keyword clouds, optimal duration, and best posting times
• Channel audit — Ranks a channel’s Shorts by views and engagement; surfaces top/worst performers and consistency score
• Viral forecast — Compares a specific video against niche averages and gives an optimization score + actionable tips
• YouTube Data API integration — Uses official YouTube Data API v3 for reliable metadata (free key with 10,000 quota/day). Transcript extraction works without any key.

Actions

scrapeShorts

Search and extract Shorts metadata by keyword.

Input:

{
  "action": "scrapeShorts",
  "query": "fitness motivation",
  "limit": 25
}

Output fields per video:

• videoId, title, author, views, likes, comments
• duration, publishedAt, url, thumbnail, transcript

getTranscript

Extract transcript/captions for a video URL.

Input:

{
  "action": "getTranscript",
  "videoUrl": "https://youtube.com/shorts/VIDEO_ID"
}

trendAnalyze ⭐ (Recommended)

Run full niche intelligence on a batch of Shorts.

Input:

{
  "action": "trendAnalyze",
  "query": "crypto tips",
  "limit": 30
}

Output example:

{
  "videosAnalyzed": 30,
  "topHooks": [
    { "hook": "this is why", "count": 5 },
    { "hook": "wait for", "count": 4 }
  ],
  "avgDurationSec": 42,
  "viralDurationSec": 28,
  "titlePatterns": ["Number + Hook (6)", "Question (4)", "POV: (3)"],
  "keywordCloud": [
    { "word": "bitcoin", "count": 12 },
    { "word": "trading", "count": 9 }
  ],
  "bestPostDay": "Tuesday",
  "bestPostHour": 18,
  "avgEngagementRatio": 0.038,
  "viralThresholdRatio": 0.071,
  "topPerformers": [...],
  "emergingFormats": ["Ultra-short (<30s) punch", "Transcript-rich storytelling"]
}

channelAudit

Analyze all recent Shorts from a channel.

Input:

{
  "action": "channelAudit",
  "channelHandle": "@MrBeast",
  "limit": 30
}

Output:

• totalVideos, totalViews, avgViews
• consistencyScore (0–100)
• topByViews, topByEngagement, worstByEngagement
• Full trends breakdown

viralForecast

Score a video’s viral potential against its niche.

Input:

{
  "action": "viralForecast",
  "videoUrl": "https://youtube.com/shorts/VIDEO_ID",
  "query": "fitness shorts",
  "limit": 25
}

Output:

{
  "viralPotentialScore": 78,
  "nicheComparison": {
    "yourEngagementRatio": 0.052,
    "nicheAvgRatio": 0.038,
    "nicheViralThreshold": 0.071,
    "yourDuration": 34,
    "nicheViralDuration": 28,
    "nicheAvgDuration": 42
  },
  "optimizationTips": [
    "Optimal duration in this niche is ~28s. Consider trimming to match the sweet spot.",
    "Video aligns well with niche viral patterns. Boost with consistent posting at peak hours."
  ]
}

Trend Analysis Methodology

Metric	How it’s calculated
Engagement ratio	(likes + comments × 2) / views
Viral threshold	Engagement ratio of the top 20% performers in the sample
Hook detection	Most frequent first 3 words across titles
Title patterns	Regex detection: numbers, questions, POV:, I + verb, emoji, etc.
Duration sweet spot	Median duration of the top 20% by engagement
Temporal patterns	Average views grouped by upload day/hour (UTC)
Keyword cloud	Word frequency in titles (English stop-words removed)

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
action	string	yes	—	One of the 5 actions above
query	string	no	fitness shorts	Keyword/niche to search
videoUrl	string	no	—	YouTube URL for transcript/forecast
channelHandle	string	no	—	Channel handle (e.g. @MrBeast)
limit	integer	no	25	Max videos (1–50)
apiKey	string	no	—	Optional YouTube Data API v3 fallback key

Resilience & API Key

• Metadata actions (scrapeShorts, trendAnalyze, channelAudit, viralForecast) require a free YouTube Data API v3 key. Get one at Google Cloud Console in 2 minutes. Quota: 10,000 units/day — enough for ~100 niche analyses.
• Transcript action (getTranscript) works without any API key via public caption endpoints.
• Transcripts: If captions are disabled on a video, transcript will be null but all other data is returned.

Pricing

Pay Per Event

• Start event: $0.0005
• Result event: $0.0005

Approx. $1 per 1,000 Shorts analyzed.

Use Cases

• Content Creators: Discover which hooks and durations are winning in your niche before you shoot
• Growth Agencies: Audit client channels and benchmark against competitors
• Product Marketers: Find viral Shorts formats to repurpose for product demos
• Trend Hunters: Spot emerging patterns before they saturate

Disclaimer

This actor uses the official YouTube Data API v3 and public caption endpoints. Always comply with YouTube’s Terms of Service and Google API Terms. The viral scores and trend insights are algorithmic estimates based on engagement ratios and should be validated with your own audience data.