Supported Content Types
- Videos: Long-form content. 1 video, up to 4 hours. Max 256 GB (not a typo).
- Shorts: Vertical/square video, max 3 minutes. YouTube auto-detects based on duration and aspect ratio.
Quirks & Gotchas
”Made for Kids” (COPPA)
This is not just a quirk, it’s a legal requirement.- You must flag content as
madeForKids: trueif it targets children. - Failure to do so can result in penalties - real ones, from the FTC.
- We expose this field in the
data.YOUTUBEobject. Use it. Don’t skip it. Don’t “figure it out later”.
Shorts Detection
There is no special “upload as Short” button. YouTube decides for you based on the file:- Duration: Under 3 minutes (180 seconds).
- Aspect Ratio: Vertical (9:16) or Square (1:1). Technically 1:3 to 1:1.
YouTube Title is Required
Unlike most platforms where you just need text, YouTube requires a title (data.YOUTUBE.title). If you forget it, the post will fail.
Media Limits
See Platform Limits for the full breakdown.Analytics
For general analytics concepts (refresh rates, data retention, what “Returns 0” means), see the Analytics Overview. YouTube analytics are all Lifetime values. There is no rolling window - everything is cumulative from day one.Profile (Channel) Analytics
Period: Lifetime.| Metric | Description | Note |
|---|---|---|
impressions | Total channel views | |
impressionsUnique | - | Same as impressions (YouTube doesn’t distinguish) |
views | Total channel views | Same as impressions |
viewsUnique | - | Same as views |
likes | - | Returns 0 (not available at channel level) |
comments | Total comments | Across all videos |
postCount | Total videos | |
followers | Subscribers | |
following | - | Returns 0 (not applicable to channels) |
Post (Video) Analytics
Period: Lifetime.| Metric | Description | Note |
|---|---|---|
impressions | Video views | |
impressionsUnique | - | Same as impressions (YouTube doesn’t distinguish) |
views | Video views | Same as impressions |
viewsUnique | - | Same as views |
likes | Likes | |
dislikes | Dislikes | Available via API even though YouTube hides them on the UI |
comments | Comments | |
shares | - | Returns 0 (not provided by YouTube API) |
saves | Favorites |
Quirks
- YouTube doesn’t distinguish between impressions and unique impressions at any level.
- Dislikes are available through the API (though YouTube no longer shows dislike counts publicly). Handy if you want to know the truth.
- Channel-level likes are not available. Post shares are not available. YouTube gives us a lot, but not everything.