Connect Your YouTube Channel
Connect your YouTube channel to manage video uploads and track performance from Postle.
Overview
The YouTube integration enables you to manage your YouTube channel, schedule video uploads, and track video performance. Postle automatically detects YouTube Shorts and handles them appropriately.
What You Can Do
- Connect your YouTube channel securely via Google OAuth
- Schedule video uploads with metadata (title, description, tags)
- Automatic YouTube Shorts detection for vertical videos
- Track video performance metrics (views, likes, comments)
- Monitor channel growth (subscribers, total views)
Phase 2 Feature
Requirements
Before connecting your YouTube channel, make sure you have:
A YouTube Channel
You must have a YouTube channel created. If you don't have one, you can create it at YouTube.com
Google Account Access
You need access to the Google account that owns the YouTube channel.
Channel Permissions
You need permission to upload videos and access analytics for the channel.
Connection Flow
Step 1: Click Connect YouTube
In your Postle dashboard:
- Navigate to Accounts
- Find the YouTube card
- Click "Connect YouTube Channel"
Step 2: Sign in with Google
You'll be redirected to Google's secure authorization page:
- Select the Google account that owns your YouTube channel
- If you're already signed in, you may skip this step
[Screenshot: Google account selection screen]
Step 3: Grant Permissions
Google will ask you to authorize Postle to access your YouTube channel:
- Review the permissions Postle is requesting
- Click "Allow" or "Continue" to grant access
Permissions Explained
Postle requests these YouTube permissions:
- Upload videos: Allows Postle to upload videos on your behalf
- View channel info: To display your channel name and statistics
- Access analytics: To show you video performance metrics
Step 4: Select Your Channel
If you have multiple YouTube channels, select the one you want to connect:
- Google will show a list of your channels
- Click on the channel you want to connect to Postle
- Click "Allow" to confirm
Step 5: Verify Connection
After authorization, you'll be redirected back to Postle:
- Check that your YouTube channel appears with "Connected" status
- Verify the channel name and profile picture are correct
- You're ready to start scheduling videos!
Video Upload (Phase 2)
Current Status
Video file uploads are planned for Phase 2. The infrastructure is ready, but actual file uploads are not yet implemented.
YouTube Shorts Detection
Postle automatically detects if your video qualifies as a YouTube Short based on:
- Duration: 60 seconds or less
- Aspect ratio: Vertical (9:16)
- Dimensions: Width-to-height ratio between 0.5 and 0.6
Videos detected as Shorts will automatically:
- Include #Shorts in the title or description
- Use the /shorts/ URL format
- Apply platform-specific optimizations
Video Format Requirements
When Phase 2 is released, supported video formats will include:
- MP4, MOV, AVI, FLV, WMV, WebM, and other YouTube-supported formats
- Maximum file size: 256 GB
- Maximum duration: 12 hours
- Recommended resolution: 1080p or higher
Description Character Limit
YouTube allows up to 5,000 characters for video descriptions. Use this space to:
- Describe your video content
- Add timestamps for key moments
- Include links to your website or social media
- Add relevant hashtags for discoverability
Analytics & Insights
Available Metrics
Postle tracks these YouTube Analytics metrics for your videos and channel:
- Views: Total number of times your videos were watched
- Likes: Number of likes on your videos
- Comments: Total comments received
- Subscribers: Current subscriber count for your channel
- Engagement: Combined likes and comments
YouTube Analytics API
Postle uses both YouTube Data API and YouTube Analytics API to provide comprehensive insights:
- YouTube Data API: Real-time to 1-hour delay for basic metrics
- YouTube Analytics API: 24-48 hours delay for advanced metrics
API Quotas & Limits
Daily Quota Limits
YouTube's API has a daily quota limit of 10,000 units by default. Different operations consume different amounts:
- Read operations: 1 unit (channel info, video statistics)
- Upload operations: 1,600 units per video upload
- Analytics queries: 1 unit per query
Upload Limits
YouTube has the following upload restrictions:
- New channels: Up to 6 videos per day (increases over time)
- Verified channels: More generous limits based on channel history
- 15-minute video limit for unverified accounts
Verify Your Channel
To upload videos longer than 15 minutes or increase daily limits, verify your YouTube channel at youtube.com/verify
Troubleshooting
OAuth Connection Issues
If you're having trouble connecting:
- Make sure you have a YouTube channel created
- Ensure you're using the correct Google account
- Try signing out of Google and signing back in
- Clear your browser cache and cookies
- Disable browser extensions that might block OAuth
Quota Exceeded Errors
If you see "Quota exceeded" errors when uploading or fetching analytics:
- Wait 24 hours for your quota to reset (resets at midnight Pacific Time)
- Reduce the number of operations you're performing
- Consider spacing out uploads throughout the day
Token Refresh Issues
YouTube access tokens expire after 1 hour, but Postle automatically refreshes them using a refresh token. If you see token errors:
- Check if you revoked Postle's access in your Google account settings
- Try disconnecting and reconnecting your YouTube channel
- Ensure your Google account is still active