YouTube

YouTube is fully supported in Outstand through the Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) model. This allows you to use your own Google Cloud credentials to connect your YouTube channel and manage your YouTube content through Outstand's unified social media API.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

A YouTube channel (personal or brand account)
A Google Cloud Platform account
Access to Google Cloud Console
Understanding of OAuth 2.0 flows

Note: You'll need admin access to the YouTube channel you want to connect. Brand accounts require appropriate permissions.

Step 1: Create a Google Cloud Project

Go to Google Cloud Console
Click on the project dropdown at the top
Click New Project
Enter a project name (e.g., "Outstand YouTube Integration")
Click Create
Wait for the project to be created and select it from the dropdown

Step 2: Enable YouTube Data API v3

In your Google Cloud project, navigate to APIs & Services → Library
Search for "YouTube Data API v3"
Click on YouTube Data API v3 from the results
Click Enable

Step 3: Create OAuth 2.0 Credentials

Navigate to APIs & Services → Credentials
Click Create Credentials → OAuth client ID
If prompted, configure the OAuth consent screen first:
- Choose External (unless you have a Google Workspace account)
- Fill in the required information:
  - App name: Your application name (e.g., "Outstand Social Media Manager")
  - User support email: Your support email
  - Developer contact information: Your email
- Click Save and Continue
- Add scopes (optional for now, we'll add them in the API)
- Add test users if needed (for testing before app verification)
- Click Save and Continue through the remaining steps
Back in the Credentials page, click Create Credentials → OAuth client ID
Select Web application as the application type
Configure the OAuth client:
- Name: Outstand YouTube Integration (or your preferred name)
- Authorized redirect URIs: Add your Outstand callback URL:
  - Production and development: https://www.outstand.so/app/api/socials/youtube/callback
Click Create
You'll see a dialog with your credentials:
- Client ID: This is your OAuth Client ID (referred to as "client_key" in the API)
- Client Secret: This is your OAuth Client Secret (referred to as "client_secret" in the API)
Copy both values immediately and store them securely

Security Note: The Client Secret is sensitive information. Save it in a secure location immediately. You won't be able to view it again after closing this dialog (though you can generate a new one).

The YouTube integration requires the following OAuth scopes:

https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube.upload - Upload videos to YouTube
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube - Manage your YouTube account
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube.readonly - View your YouTube account

These scopes are automatically requested during the OAuth flow. Ensure your OAuth consent screen is configured to request these scopes.

Step 5: Add Credentials to Outstand

Once you have your Client ID and Client Secret, you can add them to Outstand:

Method 1: Using the Dashboard

Log in to Outstand Dashboard
Navigate to Settings → Social Networks
Select YouTube from the dropdown
Enter your Client ID in the "Client ID / API Key" field
Enter your Client Secret in the "Client Secret / API Secret" field
Click Add Social Network

Method 2: Using the API

curl -X POST https://api.outstand.so/v1/social-networks \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "network": "youtube",
    "client_key": "YOUR_CLIENT_ID_HERE",
    "client_secret": "YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET_HERE"
  }'

Step 6: Connect Your YouTube Account

After adding your credentials:

Navigate to Accounts in your Outstand dashboard
Click Connect Account
Select YouTube
Sign in with your Google account that has access to the YouTube channel you want to connect
Grant the required permissions (upload videos, manage your YouTube account)
Your YouTube channel will appear in your connected accounts list

Note: Make sure you're signing in with a Google account that has access to the YouTube channel you want to use. For brand accounts, ensure you have the necessary permissions.

YouTube-Specific Configuration

When creating posts for YouTube, you can specify additional configuration options in the networkOverrideConfiguration field:

{
  "networkOverrideConfiguration": {
    "youtubeConfiguration": {
      "isShort": false,
      "categoryId": "22",
      "privacyStatus": "public",
      "madeForKids": false,
      "tags": ["technology", "tutorial"],
      "title": "Custom Video Title"
    }
  }
}

Configuration Options

isShort (boolean, optional): Set to true to mark the video as a YouTube Short. When enabled, #shorts will be automatically appended to the video description.
categoryId (string, optional): YouTube category ID (e.g., "22" for People & Blogs, "24" for Entertainment). Defaults to "22" if not specified. See YouTube category IDs for a full list.
privacyStatus (string, optional): One of "public", "private", or "unlisted". Defaults to "public".
madeForKids (boolean, optional): Whether the video is made for kids. Defaults to false.
tags (array of strings, optional): Tags to add to the video.
title (string, optional): Custom title for the video. If not provided, the first line of the post content will be used (truncated to 100 characters).

Example: Creating a YouTube Short

curl -X POST https://api.outstand.so/v1/posts/ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "containers": [
      {
        "content": "Check out this amazing tutorial!",
        "media": [
          {
            "url": "https://example.com/video.mp4",
            "filename": "video.mp4"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "social_account_ids": [123],
    "networkOverrideConfiguration": {
      "youtubeConfiguration": {
        "isShort": true,
        "privacyStatus": "public",
        "tags": ["tutorial", "shorts"]
      }
    }
  }'

Important Notes

Video Requirements

Video URL: Videos must be provided as publicly accessible URLs. The video will be downloaded and uploaded to YouTube during the publishing process.
Video Format: YouTube supports most common video formats (MP4, MOV, AVI, etc.). MP4 is recommended for best compatibility.
File Size: YouTube has limits on file sizes:
- Maximum file size: 128 GB or 12 hours in length (whichever is less)
- For videos longer than 15 minutes, your channel must be verified

Shorts Detection

Outstand does not automatically detect if a video is a YouTube Short based on video metadata (duration, aspect ratio, etc.) due to technical limitations. Instead:

You must manually set youtubeConfiguration.isShort: true to mark a video as a Short
When isShort is true, #shorts will be automatically appended to the video description
Future enhancements may include client-side metadata extraction for automatic detection

Resumable Uploads

YouTube video uploads use resumable uploads to handle large files and network interruptions:

Videos are uploaded in 256KB chunks
If an upload fails, it can be resumed from the last successfully uploaded byte
Large videos may take time to upload depending on file size and network speed

Token Management

YouTube access tokens expire after 1 hour
A refresh token is automatically stored during the OAuth flow
Tokens are automatically refreshed when needed
Ensure prompt=consent is used during OAuth to receive refresh tokens

Troubleshooting

"Invalid client credentials"

Verify you copied the Client ID and Client Secret correctly
Ensure there are no extra spaces or formatting issues
Check that your Google Cloud project has YouTube Data API v3 enabled

"Redirect URI mismatch"

Verify the exact redirect URI in your Google Cloud Console matches: https://www.outstand.so/api/socials/youtube/callback
Google is strict about exact matching (including protocol and trailing slashes)
Check both the OAuth client configuration and the callback URL

"Access denied" or "Insufficient permissions"

Ensure you granted all requested permissions during OAuth
Check that your Google account has access to the YouTube channel
For brand accounts, verify you have the necessary permissions

"Video upload failed"

Verify the video URL is publicly accessible
Check that the video format is supported by YouTube
Ensure the file size is within YouTube's limits
Check network connectivity and try again (resumable uploads will resume automatically)

"Quota exceeded"

YouTube API has daily quotas that vary by project
Check your quota usage in Google Cloud Console → APIs & Services → Dashboard
You may need to request a quota increase if you frequently upload videos

Next Steps

Once your YouTube credentials are configured and accounts connected, you can:

Create YouTube videos using the Posts API
Upload videos for your posts via the Media API
Schedule YouTube content for optimal engagement
Monitor your YouTube analytics through the post tracking features
Use YouTube-specific configuration options to customize your video metadata

YouTube

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