Research Tools
YT Recon includes four research tools for finding videos, discovering channels, identifying dormant accounts, and spotting emerging creators.
Video Discovery
Search YouTube for videos matching your criteria across keyword, date, views, duration, country, and more.
Access: Sidebar → Videos tab, or Menu → Research Tools → Video Discovery
Parameters
| Field | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Keyword or Phrase | Search term (e.g., nba highlights) |
Required |
| Date Range | From/To dates for publish date filtering | Last 30 days |
| Minimum Views | Only return videos above this view count | None |
| Video Duration | Min/Max in minutes. Supports decimals (e.g., 3.5 = 3m 30s) |
None |
| Hashtag Filter | Filter results to videos using a specific hashtag (e.g., #EntrepreneurLife) |
None |
| Max Results | Number of videos to return (1–500) | 100 |
| Sort By | View Count, Date Published, Rating, or Relevance | View Count |
| Country Filter | 20 countries available, or Global (no filter) | Global |
| Strict Country Match | When enabled, the channel’s registered country must match the selected country — not just the video’s region | Off |
| Include Hashtag Analysis | Extracts hashtags from each video’s description | On |
| Create New Sheet | Write results to a new sheet instead of the current one | Off |
Output
Results are written to a sheet with these columns:
View Count · Subscriber Count · Title · Video Link · Published At · Channel Title · Channel Link · Like Count · Comment Count · Duration · Hashtags · Thumbnail URL · Search Region · Channel Country
- Auto-sorted by View Count (highest first)
- Frozen header row with filters enabled
- Alternating row colors for readability
Channel Discovery
Find YouTube channels by keyword, subscriber range, age, and country.
Access: Sidebar → Discover tab, or Menu → Research Tools → Channel Discovery
Parameters
| Field | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Keyword or Phrase | Search term for channel content | Required |
| Use Wildcard Search | Broadens the keyword matching | Off |
| Subscriber Count | Min/Max range | 1,000 – 5,000,000 |
| Channel Age | From/To creation date range | None |
| Country Filter | Filter by channel’s registered country (10 options + Any) | Any |
| Max Results | Number of channels to return (1–500) | 200 |
| Include Full Channel Metadata | Adds Custom URL, Keywords, and Thumbnail URL columns | On |
| Create New Sheet | Write results to a new sheet | Off |
Output
View Count · Subscriber Count · Video Count · Last Upload Date · Days Since Upload · Channel Title · Channel Link · Description · Channel Join Date · Country
With metadata enabled, also includes: Custom URL · Keywords · Thumbnail URL
- Sorted by Subscriber Count (highest first)
- High-subscriber channels are bolded
Dormant Channel Finder
Find YouTube channels that stopped uploading before a cutoff date. Useful for channel acquisition research, finding abandoned niches, or outreach to inactive creators.
Access: Sidebar → Dormant tab
Search Mode
Find dormant channels matching your criteria:
| Field | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Keyword or Phrase | Content niche to search | Required |
| Use Wildcard Search | Broadens matching | Off |
| Subscriber Count | Min/Max range | 1,000 – 5,000,000 |
| Channel Age | From/To creation date | None |
| Country Filter | Filter by registered country | Any |
| Inactive Since | Last upload must be before this date | 180 days ago |
| Minimum Public Videos | Channel must have at least this many videos | 10 |
| Max Results | Number of channels (1–500) | 200 |
| Include Full Channel Metadata | Adds extra columns | On |
| Create New Sheet | Write to a new sheet | On |
Output columns: View Count · Subscriber Count · Video Count · Days Since Upload · Last Upload Date · Channel Title · Channel ID · Channel Link · Last Upload Video · Last Upload Title · Description · Channel Join Date · Country
Deep Dive Mode
Analyze a single dormant channel in detail. This creates a dedicated sheet with:
- Channel summary card — subscribers, views, video count, join date
- Last 10 videos — title, views, likes, comments, duration, and full description for each
- Extracted emails — email addresses found in video descriptions and channel about section
- Social media handles — Instagram, TikTok, and X/Twitter handles extracted from descriptions
Three ways to deep dive:
1. By ID or URL — Enter a channel ID (UCxxxx...), full URL, or @handle in the “Deep Dive” field → click Deep Dive By ID/URL
2. By selected row — Select a channel row in a dormant results sheet → click Deep Dive Selected Row
Tip: Deep Dive is especially useful for channel acquisition — the extracted emails and social handles give you a starting point for outreach.
New Creator Research
Discover emerging YouTube creators before they blow up. This tool classifies channels by growth stage and surfaces near-misses for maximum discovery.
Access: Sidebar → New Creators tab (basic), or Menu → Research Tools → New Creator Research (full dialog with view analytics)
Discovery Modes
These modes set the classification lens — all channels found are returned regardless of mode, with a Creator Type column so you can filter results yourself.
| Mode | Icon | Description |
|---|---|---|
| True Newbies | 🌱 | Very new channels — under 6 months old, recent first video |
| Late Starters | 🔄 | Old channels that recently started posting content |
| Rising Stars | 📈 | Active channels showing growth momentum |
| Custom | 🎯 | Define your own criteria |
Parameters
| Field | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Content Niche/Keyword | What type of content to search for | Required |
| Maximum Subscribers | Under 100 / 1K / 5K / 10K / 50K | Under 1,000 |
| Maximum Video Count | Under 10 / 25 / 50 / 100 / 500 | Under 50 |
| First Video Within | 30 days / 3 months / 6 months / 1 year / 2 years | 3 months |
| Channel Age | Any / 6 months / 1 year / 2 years | 2 years |
| Active Within | Must have uploaded in last 7 / 30 / 90 days | 30 days |
| Max Results | 5–100 (fewer recommended — analysis is slower) | 25 |
| Include Creator Potential Score | Algorithm-based ranking for discovery potential | On |
| Use Smart Search Modifiers | Auto-tries keyword variations like “cooking beginner” for better results | On |
| Create New Sheet | Write to a new sheet | On |
Output
Sidebar version columns: Creator Score · Subscriber Count · Video Count · Channel Title · Channel Link · Creator Type · Classification Reason · First Video Date · Channel Created · Last Video Date · Upload Frequency · Description · Country
Dialog version adds: Channel ID · Total Views · Custom URL · Recent Views · Avg Views/Video · Top Video Views · Views Growth Rate · Engagement Rate % · Research Date
Special Features
- Near Misses section: Below the main results, channels that almost qualified are listed with their rejection reason — helping you understand edge cases and potentially adjust your criteria.
- Creator Research Params sheet: A companion sheet is created recording all input parameters used, so you can reproduce or tweak the search later.