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Overview

YouTube sources in Reduce allow you to track new video uploads from your favorite channels. Reduce automatically fetches video metadata and transcripts, so you can stay up-to-date without watching every video.

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How It Works

When you add a YouTube channel as a source, Reduce:
  1. Fetches new videos published since your last delivery
  2. Extracts metadata including title, description, and publish date
  3. Retrieves transcripts when available for deeper content analysis
  4. Curates relevant content based on your newsletter’s content window
Reduce only includes videos published within your newsletter’s content window (e.g., last 7 days for weekly newsletters). This ensures you receive fresh, recent content.

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Adding a YouTube Channel

You can add a YouTube channel using either the channel name or full URL:

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By Channel URL

https://www.youtube.com/@fireship
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheLinuxExperiment

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By Channel Handle

@fireship
@ThePrimeagen
The easiest way is to copy the URL directly from the channel’s page in your browser.

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What Content Is Fetched

Reduce captures the following from each video:
  • Video title - The full video title
  • Description - Video description text (first 500 characters)
  • Publish date - When the video was uploaded
  • Transcript - Full video transcript (when available)
  • Duration - Video length
  • View count - Number of views at fetch time
Not all videos have transcripts available. If a creator disables captions or the video is very new, Reduce will still include the video but with limited text content.

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Content Freshness

YouTube sources are checked:
  • Before each delivery according to your newsletter’s schedule
  • Within your content window - only videos newer than your lookback period are included
For example, if you have a weekly newsletter with a 7-day content window, Reduce fetches videos uploaded in the past 7 days.

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Tips for Choosing Channels

Choose Consistent Publishers

Channels that upload regularly (daily or weekly) work best for frequent newsletter cadences.

Match Content Density

High-volume channels (multiple uploads per day) are ideal for daily newsletters. Lower-volume channels work well for weekly or monthly digests.

Focus Your Niche

Add channels that align tightly with your newsletter’s theme. A focused set of 5-10 channels usually performs better than a broad list of 50.

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Examples

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Tech Newsletter

  • @fireship - Quick tech news and tutorials
  • @ThePrimeagen - Programming and developer content
  • @TechLinked - Daily tech news

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Personal Finance

  • @GrahamStephan - Finance and real estate
  • @TheFinancialDiet - Money management tips
  • @AndreJikh - Investment strategies

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Productivity

  • @AliAbdaal - Productivity and learning
  • @ThomasFrank - Study and organization tips
  • @CalNewport - Deep work and focus
Channel availability and content vary. Always preview a few videos from a channel before adding it to ensure it matches your newsletter’s quality standards.