# Connect YouTube

Heropost uploads videos to YouTube channels you own. Connect your channel, then publish videos with a title, description, visibility, category, custom thumbnail and first comment, and answer comments in the Social Inbox.

Last checked: Oct 8, 2026 on the live app. Source: https://heropost.ai/docs/networks/youtube/

## What you need

- **A YouTube channel, and the Google account that owns it.** Heropost lists the channels of the Google account you choose in Google's window. If the channel belongs to a Brand Account, choose the Brand Account there.
- **Owner access, not Studio access.** People who were only given access to a channel in YouTube Studio (for example as a Manager or Editor) can't connect it. Ask the owner to connect it, for example through an [invite link](/docs/social-accounts/invite-a-client/).
- **Pop-ups allowed** for app.heropost.io.
- **The owner or Admin role** in your Heropost workspace.

YouTube isn't one of Heropost's premium networks: every plan can connect it.

## Connect your channel

1. Click your **workspace name** at the top of Heropost, then **Accounts**.
2. Press **Add Profile** and choose **YouTube**.
3. Google opens in a small window. Choose the Google account, or the Brand Account, that owns the channel.
4. On Google's permission screen, allow access. If Google shows tick boxes, tick the YouTube ones.
5. Back in Heropost, **Add Social Account** lists your channel under **Channels**. Tick it and press **Done**.
6. Heropost shows **Account successfully added**, and the channel appears on your Accounts page.

[Screenshot: The Add Social Account window listing a YouTube channel under Channels]

Each channel is one account in Heropost. To add a second channel, add YouTube again and choose the Google account or Brand Account that owns it.

### The list is empty

Google returned no channel for the account you chose. Usually:

- **That Google account has no channel.** Check on youtube.com which account owns the channel, then add YouTube again with that account.
- **The channel is on a Brand Account,** and you chose your personal account. Add YouTube again and choose the Brand Account in Google's window.
- **You only have YouTube Studio access** to the channel. The owner has to connect it.
- **The YouTube permission wasn't ticked** on Google's screen. Add YouTube again and tick it.

## What you can post

| Post | Supported | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Video | Yes | One MP4 or MOV, up to 15 minutes and 4 GB. |
| Shorts | Decided by YouTube | Heropost uploads every video the same way. YouTube usually treats vertical or square videos of up to 3 minutes as Shorts. |
| Photos and text-only posts | No | A YouTube post needs a video. |
| Several videos in one post | No | One video per post. |
| Tags, playlists, premieres | No | Add them in YouTube Studio after the video is up. |

| Field | Limit |
|---|---|
| Title | Required, up to 100 characters, no < or > |
| Description | Up to 5,000 characters and 30 hashtags, no < or > |
| First comment | Up to 10,000 characters and 30 hashtags |
| Custom thumbnail | One JPG or PNG, up to 2 MB. YouTube accepts it only from verified channels. |

**When it goes out.** Heropost uploads the video at the time you schedule, with the visibility you chose. It doesn't use YouTube's own scheduling.

## Options in the YouTube tab

[Screenshot: The YouTube tab with Title, Description, Visibility, Category, the made-for-kids choice, a custom thumbnail and a first comment]

- **Title:** required, up to 100 characters. It stays on the YouTube tab even when the tab takes content from the All tab.
- **Description:** the video's description, up to 5,000 characters.
- **Visibility:** **Public** (the default), **Unlisted** or **Private**.
- **Category:** one of YouTube's 15 categories. **People & Blogs** is the default.
- **Is this video made for kids?:** **No, it's not made for kids** (the default) or **Yes, it's made for kids**. This is YouTube's audience setting, which YouTube asks of every upload.
- **First Comment:** posted from your channel right after the video goes up. See [Add a first comment](/docs/posting/first-comment/).
- **Add Thumbnail:** under the uploaded video. A JPG or PNG up to 2 MB. YouTube accepts custom thumbnails only from verified channels (verify yours at youtube.com/verify). If YouTube doesn't accept the thumbnail, the video still publishes, with YouTube's automatic thumbnail.
- **Take media, description, first comment from the All tab:** switch it on to reuse the All tab's video, text and first comment. The title, visibility, category and audience stay on the YouTube tab.

Picking a new video replaces the current one. The **Media Requirements** link in the upload box lists YouTube's rules. Watermarks aren't offered for YouTube, because a watermark is added to photos only.

## Limits and holds

- **One video per post, up to 15 minutes.** Heropost checks length, size and format when you upload.
- **No holds.** Heropost doesn't slow down or pause YouTube channels. YouTube's own limits still apply; when YouTube refuses an upload, the failed post shows YouTube's reason.
- **Connections.** Heropost renews its access to your channel each time it uses it. If Google ends that access, for example because you removed Heropost from your Google Account's connected apps, Hero_Agent on Home lists the channel as needing attention. [Reconnect](/docs/social-accounts/reconnect/) it with the account that owns the channel.

## Analytics and the Social Inbox

- **Analytics:** views, reactions and comments for each video. Subscriber growth is tracked every day. When you connect a channel, Heropost also imports up to 500 of its recent videos, so your history isn't empty. See [Analytics](/docs/analytics/analytics/).
- **Social Inbox:** comments, and replies to them, on your 10 most recent videos, in the **Comments** tab. You can answer them there. YouTube has no mentions or messages in the inbox. See [The Social Inbox](/docs/analytics/social-inbox/).

## Errors and fixes

### When you connect or reconnect

| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "Authentication cancelled" | Google's window was closed or blocked, or you didn't allow access. | Allow pop-ups for app.heropost.io and try again. |
| **Add Social Account** is empty | Google returned no channel for the account you chose. | See [The list is empty](#the-list-is-empty). |
| "Selected account not found" | You reconnected with a Google account that doesn't own this channel. | Reconnect and choose the account, or Brand Account, that owns it. |

### In the post editor

| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "Media is required" | YouTube posts need a video. | Add one. |
| "You can upload only 1 file" | One video per post. | Keep one video. |
| "Wrong file format. Please upload MP4 or MOV" | YouTube takes MP4 and MOV videos in Heropost. | Convert the file. |
| "Video size limit: 4GB maximum" | The video is over 4 GB. | Compress it. |
| "Duration of the video must be up to 15 minutes" | The video is longer than 15 minutes. | Trim it. |
| "Codec is not supported. For more information please check requirements" | Your browser can't read the video. | Export it again as an H.264 MP4. |
| "Title is required" / "You can have up to 100 characters in title" | The title is empty or too long. | Write a title of up to 100 characters. |
| "Angled brackets aren't allowed" | The title or description contains < or >. | Remove them. |
| "You can have up to 5000 characters in description" / "You can have up to 30 hashtags in description" | The description is too long, or has too many hashtags. | Shorten it. |
| "You can have up to 10000 characters in first comment" / "You can have up to 30 hashtags in first comment" | The first comment is too long, or has too many hashtags. | Shorten it. |
| "Wrong file format. Please upload PNG or JPG" / "Size limit: 2MB maximum" | The thumbnail isn't a JPG or PNG, or is over 2 MB. | Use a smaller JPG or PNG. |
| Hovering **Schedule All** shows "Please select accounts for YouTube" | YouTube is on for this post, but no channel is ticked. | Tick a channel, or switch YouTube off for the post. |

### When a post fails

Failed posts are listed under **Content → Posting Errors**. YouTube's and Google's own messages are shown as they wrote them.

| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "Sequence contains no elements" | YouTube was on for the post, but the post had no video. This can happen with posts created by Hero_Agent or a connected AI tool. It stops the post on every network. | Open the post and choose **⋮ → Duplicate Failed**. On the copy, add a video on the YouTube tab (or switch YouTube off), check the other networks, then schedule it. |
| A message that mentions "invalid_grant" | Google ended Heropost's access to the channel. | [Reconnect](/docs/social-accounts/reconnect/) the channel, then send the post again with **Duplicate Failed**. |
| Another message from YouTube or Google | YouTube refused the upload and gave its reason. | Read the reason, fix the video or the channel, then send the post again with **Duplicate Failed**. |
| "Failed to create a comment to YouTube post" | The video went up, but the first comment didn't. | Add the comment on YouTube. |

Failed posts aren't sent again by themselves. After fixing the cause, open the post from **Content → Posting Errors** and choose **⋮ → Duplicate Failed**: you get a draft with only the accounts that failed, ready to schedule. See [The Posting Errors page](/docs/troubleshooting/posting-errors/).

## Questions

**Can I post YouTube Shorts?**

Yes. Heropost uploads the video and YouTube decides whether it's a Short. YouTube usually treats vertical or square videos of up to 3 minutes as Shorts. There's no Shorts switch in Heropost.


**Why didn't my custom thumbnail show up?**

YouTube accepts custom thumbnails only from verified channels. Verify yours at youtube.com/verify, and use a JPG or PNG of up to 2 MB. When YouTube refuses a thumbnail, the video still publishes with an automatic one; you can change it in YouTube Studio.


**Can I upload a video now and make it public later?**

Heropost uploads the video at the scheduled time, with the visibility you chose on the YouTube tab. To make it public later, schedule the post for that time with **Visibility** set to **Public**, or upload it as **Private** or **Unlisted** and change it in YouTube Studio.


**Can I connect a channel I manage but don't own?**

Not with YouTube Studio access alone. Sign in with the Google account that owns the channel, or choose its Brand Account in Google's window. Otherwise, ask the owner to connect it through an [invite link](/docs/social-accounts/invite-a-client/).


**Can I add tags or put the video in a playlist?**

No. Heropost sends the title, description, category, visibility and audience setting. Add tags and playlists in YouTube Studio.


**Can I share my new YouTube videos on my other networks automatically?**

Yes, with the [YouTube automation](/docs/automations/youtube/). It follows a channel and shares each new video on the networks you choose.