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Analyze trending YouTube videos with Apify, OpenAI, and Google Sheets

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Important notice

This workflow is provided as-is. Please review and test before using in production.

1. Workflow Overview

️ Trending YouTube Videos Research Workflow: ‍ Author: [Leewei] Automates scraping trending videos based on a keyword, filters high potential ones, analyzes thumbnails and transcripts with AI,...

Best for

  • Market Research automation workflows
  • Multimodal AI automation workflows
  • intermediate n8n builders looking for reusable templates

Tools used

n8n-nodes-base.if, n8n-nodes-base.merge, n8n-nodes-base.googlesheets, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.openai, n8n-nodes-base.httprequest, n8n-nodes-base.stickynote, n8n-nodes-base.formtrigger

Source and attribution

This workflow is cataloged by N8N Workflows and links back to its original n8n.io source page by LeeWei.

Original n8n.io source

1.1 Workflow description

Title
Analyze trending YouTube videos with Apify, OpenAI, and Google Sheets
Workflow name
Analyze trending YouTube videos with Apify, OpenAI, and Google Sheets

⚙️ Trending YouTube Videos Research Workflow:

🧑‍💻 Author: [Leewei]

  • Automates scraping trending videos based on a keyword, filters high-potential ones, analyzes thumbnails and transcripts with AI, generates optimized titles and outlines, and updates a Google Sheet for content ideas.

🚀 Steps to Connect:

  1. Apify API Token

    • Sign up for a free account at Apify and generate your API token.
    • Paste the token into the two HTTP Request nodes (replace <token> in the Authorization header).
    • 💡 This enables scraping YouTube video data and transcripts—setup takes about 5 minutes.
  2. OpenAI API Key

    • Go to OpenAI and generate your API key.
    • Add it to the credentials for the YouTube Title Generator, Analyze Thumbnail, and Outline Generator nodes.
    • 💡 Use models like GPT-4o-mini for thumbnail analysis and title/outline generation.
  3. Google Sheets Credentials

    • Set up OAuth2 credentials in n8n for Google Sheets with access to your Drive.
    • Update the documentId in the Step 1 Results, Find Duplicate Entries, and Update Rows nodes to your own Google Sheet ID (clone the provided sheet if needed).
    • 💡 This stores filtered video data, AI-generated titles, and outlines—expect 10-15 minutes for auth setup.
  4. (Optional) Customize Form Trigger

    • If deploying publicly, no changes needed—the form prompts for "Keyword or Topic" to start the search.
    • Test with a sample keyword like "AI automation" to see results in your sheet.

1.2 Logical Blocks

This catalog entry is organized from the workflow JSON. The node-level section below shows the executable blocks available for review before importing the template.

2. Block-by-Block Analysis

Block 1 - If

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.if - if
Config choices
Version 2.2

Block 2 - Merge

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.merge - merge
Config choices
Version 3.1

Block 3 - Step 1 Results

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.googleSheets - googleSheets
Config choices
Version 4.5

Block 4 - Find Duplicate Entries

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.googleSheets - googleSheets
Config choices
Version 4.5

Block 5 - YouTube Title Generator

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.openAi - openAi
Config choices
Version 1.8

Block 6 - Analyze Thumbnail

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.openAi - openAi
Config choices
Version 1.8

Block 7 - Update Rows

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.googleSheets - googleSheets
Config choices
Version 4.5

Block 8 - YouTube Video Scrape

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest - httpRequest
Config choices
Version 4.2

Block 9 - HTTP Request

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest - httpRequest
Config choices
Version 4.2

Block 10 - Sticky Note

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices
Version 1

Block 11 - On form submission

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.formTrigger - formTrigger
Config choices
Version 2.2

Block 12 - Outline Generator

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.openAi - openAi
Config choices
Version 1.8

3. Summary Table

Workflow Analyze trending YouTube videos with Apify, OpenAI, and Google Sheets
Complexity intermediate
Nodes 12
Categories Market Research, Multimodal AI
Author LeeWei
Published 29 Aug 2025

4. Reproducing the Workflow from Scratch

  1. 1. Download the workflow JSON

    Use the JSON export at /data/workflows/8023/8023.json as the source template for this automation.

  2. 2. Import the template into n8n

    Open n8n, import the downloaded JSON, and review each node before activating the workflow.

  3. 3. Configure credentials and variables

    Replace placeholder credentials, API keys, webhook URLs, account IDs, and environment-specific values with your own settings.

  4. 4. Test with sample data

    Run the workflow manually or in a staging workspace, inspect node output, and confirm downstream systems receive the expected data.

  5. 5. Activate and monitor

    Enable the workflow only after testing, then monitor executions, errors, and rate limits during the first production runs.

5. General Notes & Resources

Review imported nodes carefully before activation. This catalog entry is intended to help you inspect the workflow structure, understand required services, and find related templates faster.

Node names, credentials, schedules, webhook paths, and external service limits may need adjustment for your workspace.

Frequently asked questions

What does Analyze trending YouTube videos with Apify, OpenAI, and Google Sheets do?

️ Trending YouTube Videos Research Workflow: ‍ Author: [Leewei] Automates scraping trending videos based on a keyword, filters high potential ones, analyzes thumbnails and transcripts with AI,...

What do I need before importing this workflow?

Review the workflow JSON, configure any required credentials in n8n, and test the automation in a safe workspace before using it in production.

Can I customize this workflow?

Yes. Use the block-by-block analysis and the downloadable JSON to inspect each node, then adjust credentials, prompts, schedules, filters, or destinations for your Market Research, Multimodal AI use case.