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How to Extract Video Data from Social Media Videos

•Jonathan Geiger
video data extractionsocial media analyticsYouTube APITikTok insightsengagement metricstranscriptscomment analysis

Extracting data from social media videos like YouTube and TikTok is now easier than ever with SocialKit. Whether you need to analyze TikTok trends or YouTube content performance, our comprehensive API suite covers all your needs.

What You Can Extract:

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All data is delivered in structured JSON format, making it easy to integrate into dashboards or analytics systems. Start for free with 20 API credits, then scale as needed. SocialKit supports both YouTube (including Shorts) and TikTok, with Instagram integration coming soon.

Getting Started with Video Data Extraction

Getting started with video data extraction using SocialKit is straightforward. The setup revolves around obtaining an API access key and learning how to authenticate your requests across various platforms. Once you’ve secured your API key, you’ll be ready to dive into extracting insights from videos.

Understanding API Access Keys

The API access key is your gateway to SocialKit’s video analysis services. It identifies your account, tracks usage, and ensures secure access to all endpoints.

To obtain your key, simply sign up and navigate to the Access Keys tab in your dashboard. The process is designed to be hassle-free, enabling you to start extracting video insights right away.

As a new user, you'll receive 20 free API credits to explore the platform before committing to a paid plan. Not ready for API integration? Try our free tools first:

This risk-free approach lets you test the quality and see how SocialKit fits into your workflow before diving into API integration.

Very easy to set up and get going, and support was superb

Ziv Erlichson, Software Team Lead at Torii

Authentication Methods

Once you have your API key, the next step is to configure request authentication. SocialKit provides three methods for this:

  • Add your key as a GET parameter by appending access_key=<your-access-key> to the URL.
  • Include it as a POST parameter within the request body.
  • Pass it in the header using x-access-key.

These methods are compatible with both GET and POST requests, giving you flexibility based on your integration needs.

Choosing the Right Plan

SocialKit’s credit-based pricing is designed to accommodate everyone, from individual users to large enterprises. Each API request deducts credits from your balance, and all plans grant access to the full suite of APIs for YouTube, TikTok, and soon, Instagram.

PlanCreditsMonthly PriceBest For
Free20$0Testing, individual videos
Starter2,000$13Small teams, regular analysis
Scale10,000$27Content agencies, competitive research
Pro50,000$79Enterprise, bulk processing

View full pricing details

To choose the right plan, estimate your credit needs based on your monthly analysis volume. Social media managers often find the Starter plan sufficient for tracking brand mentions and engagement trends, while market researchers or competitive intelligence teams may prefer the Scale or Pro plans to handle larger datasets.

Batch processing is another standout feature of SocialKit. Paid plans allow you to analyze thousands of videos daily without rate limits. This is especially useful for data scientists and content agencies that need to process large video volumes for market research.

For teams building automated content analysis systems, SocialKit’s API-first approach is a game-changer. The platform delivers structured JSON responses, making it easy to integrate with existing analytics dashboards and research tools. By eliminating the need for complex scraping infrastructure, SocialKit can save developers significant time and effort.

Step-by-Step Guide to Extracting Video Data

Now that we've covered the basics, let's dive into the process of extracting video data. SocialKit provides four powerful endpoints for both TikTok and YouTube: summarize, transcript, stats, and comments. Each one delivers specific data that can be seamlessly integrated into your workflows.

Quick Links to API Documentation:

Submitting Video URLs for Data Extraction

To get started, submit your video URL to the appropriate API endpoint. SocialKit supports standard video URLs from both YouTube and TikTok. You can use either GET or POST methods for your requests.

Here’s an example of a basic API call for a YouTube video:

GET https://api.socialkit.dev/youtube/summarize?access_key=<your-access-key>&url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

If you're working with YouTube Shorts, make sure to convert the URL to the standard format (e.g., youtube.com/watch?v=abc123) before sending the request.

For TikTok videos, the structure is similar:

GET https://api.socialkit.dev/tiktok/summarize?access_key=<your-access-key>&url=https://www.tiktok.com/@username/video/1234567890

Once the URL is submitted, use the summarize endpoint to analyze the content in detail.

Extracting Video Summaries

The summarize endpoint provides a detailed breakdown of the video, including its main topics, key points, tone, audience, quotes, and a timeline. For instance, SocialKit analyzed an educational TikTok video by @thepeteffect and identified topics like "Cat Behavior, Pet Care, Animal Psychology", with a tone described as "Educational and informative".

One standout feature is the timeline, which outlines the content's flow. This is particularly useful for tasks like competitive analysis or planning a content strategy. Additionally, the system extracts impactful quotes and identifies the target audience, making it a valuable tool for studying successful content formats.

Learn more:

After gathering summaries, the next step is to retrieve the full transcript for a deeper dive into the video's content.

Retrieving Transcripts and Timestamps

The transcript endpoint provides the complete text of a video, broken down into segments with precise start times, durations, and word counts. Each segment is timestamped, making it easy to navigate through the content or improve accessibility.

For example, the API processed a TikTok video on cat behavior and extracted a 157-word transcript divided into 23 segments, with timing starting at 0.04 seconds. Using the transcriptSegments array, you can implement timestamp-based navigation for exact referencing.

This feature is widely used by creators to create jump links and by researchers for detailed content analysis or citations. Whether the video is a short TikTok clip or a lengthy YouTube upload, the transcript endpoint ensures accuracy and consistency.

Learn more:

Now, let's move on to gathering performance metrics.

Fetching Engagement Metrics

The stats endpoint offers platform-specific performance data, such as views, likes, comments, and more. For TikTok, you can also retrieve additional metrics like shares and video duration. These insights are key for understanding audience engagement and content performance.

For example, the API analyzed @soukainasing1’s TikTok video about iced coffee and found 70,700,000 views, 2,100,000 likes, 26,000 comments, and 147,600 shares. YouTube metrics include similar data points, plus details like channel name and video title.

PlatformAvailable Metrics
YouTubeViews, likes, comments, channel name, channel link, video title
TikTokViews, likes, comments, shares, duration, thumbnail URL, description

The data is delivered in a structured JSON format, making it easy to integrate into dashboards, reports, or automated systems. Social media managers often rely on this data for tracking campaign performance or analyzing competitors.

API Documentation:

Finally, let's explore how to extract and analyze audience comments.

Extracting and Analyzing Comments

The comments endpoint provides detailed information such as author details, comment text, likes, reply counts, and dates. You can control the volume of comments retrieved by using the limit parameter - for example, adding &limit=2 will return just the top two comments.

The comment data also includes reply counts, which can help pinpoint conversation starters and highly engaging topics. Content creators use this insight to gauge audience interest, while brands analyze sentiment for reputation management.

Processing comments in bulk allows you to spot trending topics, frequently asked questions, and overall audience sentiment across multiple videos. This makes it a powerful tool for market research and competitive analysis.

API Documentation:

Platform-Specific Data Extraction: YouTube vs TikTok

YouTube and TikTok both provide essential data for analysis, but the way they structure and prioritize this data varies significantly. These differences shape how you approach data extraction and analysis for each platform.

Comparison of Supported Features

Both platforms allow you to extract key elements like video summaries, transcripts, engagement stats, and comments. However, the details they include differ:

  • YouTube offers metadata such as channel name, video link, and title, making it ideal for in-depth analysis.
  • TikTok leans into hashtag-heavy descriptions and creator analytics, reflecting its focus on trends and virality.

When it comes to transcripts, YouTube tends to provide longer ones due to its focus on extended content, while TikTok's transcripts are shorter, aligning with its bite-sized format. For engagement metrics, YouTube includes views, likes, comments, and channel details, while TikTok adds shares and video duration to the mix.

Data Structures and Formats

The structure of the data reflects each platform's priorities:

  • YouTube delivers detailed metadata, enabling comprehensive performance analysis. This includes information like reply counts and structured author details in comments.
  • TikTok emphasizes trending content, using hashtags and metrics that highlight virality. Comments on TikTok often capture fast-paced interactions, reflecting the platform's dynamic nature.
FeatureYouTubeTikTok
Channel DataChannel name, link, structured metadataCreator analytics, hashtag-rich descriptions
Engagement MetricsViews, likes, commentsViews, likes, comments, shares
Content FocusDetailed metadata and longer transcriptsTrending elements and shorter transcripts

This structured data makes it easier to integrate insights into your workflows. For example, YouTube comments provide detailed information like reply counts, while TikTok comments capture the platform's fast-paced engagement style.

Automating Workflows with No-Code Platforms

No-code platforms can be paired with SocialKit to automate the processing of large volumes of videos from both YouTube and TikTok. These integrations enable efficient analysis at scale without writing code.

With automated workflows, you can trigger data extraction whenever a new video is published. Summaries, transcripts, and engagement metrics can be automatically pulled and sent to spreadsheets, databases, or visualization tools. This is a game-changer for agencies and researchers handling thousands of videos daily.

SocialKit's structured JSON responses simplify this process, supporting bulk data processing without rate limits for enterprise users. Create unified dashboards that compare YouTube and TikTok performance side by side, streamlining competitive analysis and market research.

No-Code Integration Guides:

Best Practices and Use Cases

Bulk Processing and Data Visualization

Processing large volumes of videos becomes manageable when you batch API requests and organize the data efficiently. Store the results in structured formats like JSON or relational databases, and include metadata such as extraction dates, platforms, video IDs, and content categories to keep everything traceable.

SocialKit's reliable JSON responses simplify the creation of automated data pipelines, enabling real-time dashboard updates. You can plot engagement trends, generate word clouds from transcripts, or create heatmaps to analyze comment sentiment. These visuals turn raw data into actionable insights.

For teams without technical expertise, no-code platforms offer a user-friendly alternative. These platforms allow you to set up automated workflows - for instance, extracting video data when new content is published, updating dashboards automatically, or triggering alerts when engagement crosses specific thresholds. This approach makes video analytics accessible to a broader audience within your organization.

Automation Resources:

Common Use Cases

With well-organized data and clear visualizations, organizations can apply these insights to several practical areas.

  • Competitor Analysis: Keep track of competitors' performance by monitoring key metrics across platforms. Summaries of their content can reveal recurring themes and messaging strategies, while analyzing comments provides a window into audience reactions to their approaches.
  • Content Performance Tracking: Creators and brands can identify what resonates with their audience by examining engagement metrics alongside video summaries and transcripts. This method highlights which topics, formats, and messaging styles deliver the best results, replacing guesswork with data-driven insights.
  • Audience Research: Dive deeper into your audience by analyzing large-scale comment data. Combining demographic details with sentiment analysis helps you understand not only who your audience is but also how they feel about different types of content. This knowledge can shape future content strategies and campaign plans.
  • Trend Identification: Spot viral topics and emerging trends programmatically, eliminating the need for manual analysis.

SocialKit’s custom AI analysis feature takes things a step further by tailoring insights to your specific business needs. Whether you’re looking to track product mentions, compare competitors, or gauge sentiment on particular topics, this tool provides focused analysis instead of generic summaries.

Conclusion

SocialKit is transforming the way video data is analyzed in social media. By replacing manual reviews with automated insights, it makes video analysis efficient, scalable, and practical for everyone from individual creators to large enterprises.

The platform's support for both YouTube and TikTok enables cross-platform analysis that would be nearly impossible to manage manually. With structured JSON responses, SocialKit integrates smoothly into existing workflows, whether you're creating automated dashboards or conducting market research.

Whether you're tracking brand mentions, gauging audience sentiment, or crafting content strategies, SocialKit provides the tools you need to turn unstructured videos into actionable insights. Start free today with 20 API credits.

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