analyzing-youtube-competitor-channel-strategy skill by apidojo-io

Analyzing Youtube Competitor Channel Strategy

Executes analyzing youtube competitor channel strategy using apidojo scrapers. Part of the apidojo intelligence skills library.

Prerequisites

APIFY_TOKEN environment variable set
Optional: Apify MCP server installed

Inputs

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Notes
`startUrls`	array	Optional	`[]`	YouTube URLs — channels, playlists, Shorts, search results
`youtubeHandles`	array	Optional	`[]`	YouTube channel handles (e.g. `@kurzgesagt`)
`getTrending`	boolean	Optional	`false`	Retrieve trending videos
`keywords`	array	Optional	`[]`	Search keywords
`gl`	string	Optional	`us`	Country code for results (e.g. `US`, `GB`)
`hl`	string	Optional	`en`	Language code (e.g. `en`, `de`)
`uploadDate`	string	Optional	`all`	Upload date filter: `any`, `hour`, `today`, `week`, `month`, `year`
`duration`	string	Optional	`all`	Duration filter: `any`, `short`, `long`
`features`	string	Optional	`all`	Feature filter: `4k`, `hd`, `live`, `cc`, `3d`, `hdr`, etc.
`sort`	string	Optional	`r`	Sort order for search results
`maxItems`	number	Optional	Unlimited	Maximum videos to return
`customMapFunction`	string	Optional	—	JavaScript function to transform each output object

Workflow

Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Define parameters
- [ ] Step 2: Run youtube-scraper
- [ ] Step 3: Filter and classify results
- [ ] Step 4: Score by quality and relevance
- [ ] Step 5: Deliver output

Step 2: Run the Actor

Recommended — run_actor.js (handles waiting, output, and file saving automatically):

# Quick answer (prints table to chat)
node scripts/run_actor.js \

APIFY_TOKEN must be set in environment or .env file.

If Apify MCP is available:

REST API fallback:

Wait for SUCCEEDED. Fetch dataset:

Step 3: Classify Results

Step 4: Score Each Result

Step 5: Edge Cases

Channels with old viral videos have inflated subscriber counts relative to current performance — use median views from last 20 videos as the current health indicator

Additional fallbacks:

< 20 results: Broaden search terms; remove secondary filters
No results: Verify the search terms are correct; try alternate phrasings
Data quality issues: Remove entries with missing key fields; note count in output

Output Format

Troubleshooting

Too few results: Broaden the primary search term; remove restrictive filters. Low quality results: Apply minimum score threshold (≥ 0.50) to filter noise. Actor fails to run: Verify API key; check actor status at apify.com/apidojo.