HF Recon — Documentation
The complete guide to HF Recon, a Google Sheets add-on for discovering trending videos, analyzing channels, finding emerging creators, and tracking performance.
Getting Started
New to HF Recon? Start here.
- Installation — Install from Google Workspace Marketplace and grant permissions
- Setup Wizard — Create folders, authorize YouTube, and set up your first project
- Quick Start — Run your first video search in under a minute
- Navigation — Sidebar tabs and menu bar overview
Research Tools
Four tools for finding videos, channels, dormant accounts, and emerging creators.
- Video Discovery — Search by keyword, views, duration, country, hashtags, and more
- Channel Discovery — Find channels by keyword, subscriber range, age, and location
- Dormant Channel Finder — Locate inactive channels + Deep Dive for contact extraction
- New Creator Research — Discover rising creators with 4 classification modes
Analytics & Tracking
Track channel performance and monitor video growth over time.
- Channel Analytics Tracker — Period-by-period channel performance with per-video breakdowns
- Creator Growth Tracking — Track creator growth metrics
- Daily Video Tracking — Monitor videos day-over-day (Pro)
- Automation Dashboard — Schedule hands-free daily updates (Pro)
AI Tools (Pro)
AI-powered analysis using your own OpenAI, Anthropic, or Gemini API key.
- AI Setup — Configure your API key and select a model
- Performance Prediction — Predict video performance before publishing
- Content Gap Analysis — Find underserved topics in your niche
- Metadata Optimization — AI-generated title, description, and tag improvements
Organization
Keep your research organized with projects, archiving, and folder management.
- Projects — Create, manage, and archive research campaigns
- Sheet & Drive Management — Archiving, folder structure, smart sheet naming
- Usage Dashboard — Monitor your plan, usage stats, and API quota
Workflow Guides
Step-by-step walkthroughs for common research tasks.
- Finding Viral Content — Discover trending videos in any niche
- Competitor Analysis — Map competitor channels and find gaps
- Discovering Rising Creators — Spot emerging talent early
- Dormant Channel Acquisition — Research inactive channels for outreach
- Tracking Video Performance — Set up daily monitoring (Pro)
- AI-Powered Content Strategy — Build a data-driven content plan (Pro)
Pricing
Basic ($47 one-time) — All research tools, unlimited projects.
Pro ($29/month) — Adds AI tools, daily tracking, automation, and priority support.
Support
- FAQ — Common questions answered
- Troubleshooting — Fix common issues
- API Quotas — Understanding YouTube API limits and costs