How to Import Comments from a YouTube Video

ALL PLANS

Overview

The Social Import Tool allows you to import comments from any public YouTube video into a ShortStack list. This tool captures the commenter’s YouTube display name and the content of each comment. You can create a new list for the imported data or add it to an existing list.

Unlike Instagram and Facebook, you don’t need any special channel permissions to import YouTube comments—just paste the video URL.

Step 1: Accessing the List Manager

1. From the Home page, click Manage in the top menu.
2. Select Lists from the dropdown to open the List Manager page.

Step 2: Selecting a List for Import

Importing into an Existing List:

1. Find the ShortStack list where you want to import the comments.
2. Click the down arrow next to the list name.
3. Select Import from…, then click YouTube on the left.

Importing into a New List:

1. Click the Social Import link at the top of the List Manager page.
2. Select YouTube on the left.
3. Enter a name for your new list and any tags you’d like the imported entries to have.
4. Click the blue Continue button.

Step 3: Import the Comments

1. In the Enter a YouTube Video URL field, paste the full URL of the public YouTube video you want to import from.
2. Configure the Import Options:
   • Import comment likes as votes — Treat YouTube “likes” on a comment as votes to add extra entries/weight for that comment when selecting a random winner.
   • Allow multiple entries per user — Import multiple comments from the same user as separate entries.
   • Restrict valid entries to a date range — Only import comments that were posted within your contest period. When enabled, date and time fields will appear for you to set the range.

Note: The YouTube Comment Import Tool imports original comments only—it does not import replies (threaded comments).

Step 4: Completing the Import

1. Review your settings and click Start Import.
2. If you’re importing a large number of comments, the process may take several minutes. You’ll receive an email notification when the import is complete.

Step 5: Viewing Imported Entries

After the import finishes, go to your list and click View Entries to see the imported comments. From there, you can use the Entries Manager to select a random winner or label/filter entries for display.

Learn more about How to choose a winner at random.