YouTube Shorts Transcript API with Python

Extract precise transcripts from YouTube Shorts with timestamps. Perfect for analyzing viral hooks, scripts, and creating captions. Easy integration with Python.

Install requests library: pip install requests
Get your Access Key from SocialKit Dashboard
Make your first API call (GET or POST)
Parse and use the JSON response data

Start Extracting for Free Documentation

No credit card required.

Used by 2,000+ data lovers

https://api.socialkit.dev/youtube/transcript?url=youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

AI Summary

+transcript

Video discusses upcoming social media trends including AI-generated content...

• Full transcript available

Engagement

+15 metrics

94%

Rate

8.2

Score

• Views, likes, comments...

Topics

+keywords

AI ContentTrendsMarketing...

• Sentiment, entities...

"It was very easy to set up and get going, and support was superb."

Ziv Erlichson, Founder at Plynn

"Quick, caring and efficient support!"

Thomas Puech, Designer

"Easy to connect - work's smooth and properly!"

Robert Podsiadlo, Founder at PrimeStuff

3 Simple Steps to Analyze Social Media Videos

Start extracting insights from Social Media Videos in minutes, and save days of development.

Get Your Access Key

Sign up and get your API key instantly - no sales calls, no complex onboarding.

Send Your First Request

Call our Social Media API with any YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram URL.

Extract Insights at Scale

Get video summaries, transcripts, engagement metrics, and more.

Integrate with Your Favorite No-Code Platform

Use Zapier, Make, n8n or any other no-code platform using our native connection or by using the access token.

Quick Integration Example

Get started in minutes

typescript

import requests

# Using GET request
url = "https://api.socialkit.dev/youtube/transcript"
params = {
    "access_key": "YOUR_ACCESS_KEY",
    "url": "https://youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
}
response = requests.get(url, params=params)
data = response.json()

# Or using POST request
response = requests.post(url, json=params)
data = response.json()

print(f"Transcript: {data['data']['transcript']}")
print(f"Word count: {data['data']['wordCount']}")

Tips & Best Practices

Learn from common mistakes and follow proven patterns

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Forgetting to handle API errors and rate limits
Not URL-encoding video URLs properly
Hardcoding access keys instead of using environment variables

Best Practices

Store access_key in environment variables
Implement retry logic for failed requests
Cache responses to minimize API calls
Use asyncio/aiohttp for concurrent requests

Popular Use Cases

See how teams are using this API in production

Viral Hook Analysis

Extract exact wording from the first 3 seconds of viral Shorts to build a library of proven hooks that grab attention.

Content coaches extract transcripts from 5,000+ viral Shorts, analyzing opening lines that drive retention and views.

Script Pattern Library

Build databases of successful Shorts scripts to understand pacing, structure, and messaging that works.

Creators categorize 10,000+ Shorts transcripts by format, building reference libraries of proven script patterns.

Shorts Caption Generation

Automatically generate captions for YouTube Shorts to improve accessibility and viewer retention.

Brands add captions to all Shorts using extracted transcripts, improving engagement by 40% and meeting accessibility standards.

Competitor Script Research

Analyze competitor Shorts scripts to understand their messaging, CTAs, and content strategies.

Marketing teams extract competitor Shorts scripts weekly, identifying successful messaging patterns to adapt.

Common Workflows

Integrate with your existing tools and platforms

Hook Analyzer

Extract and analyze opening hooks from trending Shorts.

PythonOpenAIAirtableNotionMake

Caption Generator

Automatically create captions for YouTube Shorts.

Node.jsFFmpegS3ReactVercel

Script Library

Build searchable databases of Shorts scripts and patterns.

PostgreSQLAlgoliaReactTailwindNext.js

6 Ways to Use YouTube Shorts Transcript API

Extract YouTube Shorts transcripts for hook analysis, script research, and accessibility optimization.

Accurate Shorts Transcripts

Get precise word-for-word transcripts from YouTube Shorts optimized for short-form vertical video content.

Precise Timestamps

Receive transcripts with exact timestamps perfect for analyzing hooks, pacing, and creating Shorts captions.

Hook Analysis

Extract the exact wording from the first 3 seconds to analyze what hooks work in viral YouTube Shorts.

Script Pattern Research

Study successful YouTube Shorts scripts to understand pacing, structure, and messaging patterns that drive views.

Shorts Optimized

Specialized for YouTube Shorts audio characteristics, fast pacing, and vertical video format.

Fast Extraction

Get complete YouTube Shorts transcripts in under 2 seconds for real-time analysis and monitoring.

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AI-powered summaries from YouTube Shorts

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