N8N Workflow: Auto-Monitor Competitor YouTube Uploads & Extract Transcripts Instantly

Your competitors uploaded a new video 3 hours ago. By the time you discover it manually, they've already captured the audience. What if you could know within minutes—and have the full transcript analyzed before you even click play?

The Competitive Intelligence Problem

Every marketer knows the pain: you're scrolling through competitor YouTube channels manually, trying to catch what they're publishing. Maybe you've set up Google Alerts, but they miss most video content. Perhaps you check their channels weekly—only to discover they dropped a viral video five days ago that's already reshaped the conversation in your niche.

The traditional approach is broken:

• Manual checking wastes 2-3 hours weekly per competitor
• Google Alerts miss video content almost entirely
• Social listening tools cost $200-500/month for basic YouTube monitoring
• Watching videos to understand content takes hours you don't have

The real cost? You're always reactive, never proactive. Your competitors set the narrative while you scramble to catch up.

The Automated Solution: RSS + N8N + Scriptube

Here's what changes everything: YouTube channels have hidden RSS feeds. Every channel automatically generates an XML feed of new uploads. Combine this with N8N's automation engine and Scriptube's transcript API, and you've got a competitive intelligence system that runs 24/7.

The workflow in plain English:

1. N8N polls competitor YouTube RSS feeds every 15 minutes
2. When a new video appears, it triggers the workflow
3. Scriptube API extracts the full transcript instantly
4. GPT-4 analyzes the content for key insights
5. You get a Slack/email alert with the summary within minutes

Total cost? Under $20/month for unlimited competitor monitoring. Compare that to enterprise tools charging $500+.

Building the N8N Workflow: Step-by-Step

Step 1: Get Competitor Channel RSS Feeds

Every YouTube channel has an RSS feed at this URL pattern:

https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=CHANNEL_ID

To find a channel ID, visit the channel page and look at the URL, or use the page source. For example, monitoring a tech review channel might give you:

https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=UCBcRF18a7Qf58cCRy5xuWwQ

Step 2: Create the N8N Workflow

Import this workflow JSON into your N8N instance:

{
  "name": "YouTube Competitor Monitor",
  "nodes": [
    {
      "name": "Schedule Trigger",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.scheduleTrigger",
      "position": [250, 300],
      "parameters": {
        "rule": {
          "interval": [{ "field": "minutes", "minutesInterval": 15 }]
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Fetch RSS Feed",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.rssFeedRead",
      "position": [450, 300],
      "parameters": {
        "url": "https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=YOUR_CHANNEL_ID"
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Filter New Videos",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.if",
      "position": [650, 300],
      "parameters": {
        "conditions": {
          "dateTime": [{
            "value1": "={{ $json.pubDate }}",
            "operation": "after",
            "value2": "={{ $now.minus(15, 'minutes') }}"
          }]
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Extract Video ID",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.set",
      "position": [850, 300],
      "parameters": {
        "values": {
          "string": [{
            "name": "videoId",
            "value": "={{ $json.link.match(/v=([^&]+)/)[1] }}"
          }]
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Scriptube API",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
      "position": [1050, 300],
      "parameters": {
        "url": "https://api.scriptube.app/v1/transcript",
        "method": "POST",
        "authentication": "genericCredentialType",
        "body": {
          "video_id": "={{ $json.videoId }}",
          "include_timestamps": true
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "GPT Analysis",
      "type": "@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.openAi",
      "position": [1250, 300],
      "parameters": {
        "model": "gpt-4o",
        "prompt": "Analyze this competitor video transcript. Extract: 1) Main topic, 2) Key claims made, 3) Products/services mentioned, 4) Potential weaknesses we can exploit. Transcript: {{ $json.transcript }}"
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Slack Alert",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.slack",
      "position": [1450, 300],
      "parameters": {
        "channel": "#competitor-intel",
        "text": "🚨 *New Competitor Video*\n\n*Title:* {{ $('Fetch RSS Feed').item.json.title }}\n*Channel:* {{ $('Fetch RSS Feed').item.json.author }}\n\n*AI Analysis:*\n{{ $json.content }}\n\n<{{ $('Fetch RSS Feed').item.json.link }}|Watch Video>"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Step 3: Configure Multiple Competitors

To monitor multiple channels, use N8N's Split In Batches node with an array of channel IDs:

{
  "competitors": [
    { "name": "Competitor A", "channelId": "UCxxxxx" },
    { "name": "Competitor B", "channelId": "UCyyyyy" },
    { "name": "Competitor C", "channelId": "UCzzzzz" }
  ]
}

The workflow iterates through each, checking for new uploads and processing them individually.

Advanced: Multi-Language Monitoring & Audio Alerts

International Competitor Tracking

Scriptube's translation feature means you can monitor competitors in any language. A German competitor uploading content? The workflow automatically:

1. Extracts the German transcript
2. Translates to English via Scriptube's translation API
3. Analyzes the translated content
4. Delivers insights in your language

No more missing international market moves because of language barriers.

Audio Briefings with ElevenLabs

Want to stay informed during your commute? Add an ElevenLabs node to the workflow:

{
  "name": "Generate Audio Briefing",
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
  "parameters": {
    "url": "https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/text-to-speech/21m00Tcm4TlvDq8ikWAM",
    "method": "POST",
    "body": {
      "text": "Competitor alert: {{ $json.analysis }}",
      "voice_settings": { "stability": 0.5, "similarity_boost": 0.75 }
    }
  }
}

The workflow uploads the MP3 to Dropbox or sends it via Telegram—instant podcast-style briefing.

Real Results & ROI

Case Study: SaaS Marketing Team

A B2B SaaS company implemented this workflow to monitor 8 competitors. Results after 3 months:

• Time saved: 12 hours/week (previously manual monitoring)
• Response time: From 5 days average to under 30 minutes
• Content opportunities identified: 23 gaps to exploit
• Competitive features anticipated: 4 launches predicted before public announcement

The ROI math is simple: 12 hours × $50/hour × 12 weeks = $7,200 saved. Workflow cost: ~$60 in API fees.

Marketing Agency Use Case

A digital agency uses this for client competitive intelligence:

• Monitors 50+ channels across 12 client niches
• Generates weekly "Competitor Pulse" reports automatically
• Charges clients $500/month for the intelligence service
• Actual cost per client: under $10/month

That's a 50x markup on pure automation.

Getting Started: Your Competitor Intelligence Stack

Here's what you need to replicate this system:

Total investment: Under $35/month for enterprise-grade competitive intelligence.

Keep Reading

• N8N: Auto-Import YouTube Transcripts to Notion Database
• N8N: AI-Summarize YouTube Transcripts with GPT-4
• SaaS Competitive Intelligence: Mining Competitor YouTube Channels