How To Turn A YouTube Video Into A Banger Email Newsletter In 20 Minutes Or Less (Without Losing Your Voice)

This process works whether you’re:

• Writing a newsletter for yourself

• Ghostwriting a newsletter for a client

If you (or your client) already create content on YouTube, you’re sitting on a goldmine of newsletter material. The trick is knowing how to repurpose it efficiently—without losing the original voice or spending hours rewriting.

Here’s the exact five-step process I use to turn a YouTube video into an email newsletter in 20 minutes or less.

Let’s get into it.

Step 1: Pick Your YouTube Video

Start by choosing a YouTube video that you (or your client) want to turn into a newsletter.

There are three main approaches here:

• Repurpose your own content: If you already have YouTube videos, this is an easy way to double-dip on content without creating something from scratch.

• Use a client’s video: If you’re ghostwriting, pick a video that aligns with their audience and messaging goals.

• Curate another creator: If you’re already watching videos, this is a simple way to share your takeaways with your audience.

For example, last week, I caught this killer deep dive on how Alex Hormozi writes. I tore through all 69 minutes—and even rewatched a few parts. Which was my cue to share what I learned.

Now here’s the thing:

If the video is long (10+ minutes), don’t try to summarize everything. Instead, focus on one key topic from the video.

That’s what we’ll do in the next step.

Step 2: Focus On One Topic

One mistake people make when repurposing YouTube content is trying to cram the entire video into an email.

That’s a recipe for an overwhelming, unfocused newsletter.

Instead, identify the most compelling, actionable, or thought-provoking part of the video—something that:

• Sparks curiosity or debate

• Teaches the audience something useful

• Reinforces a key message your client wants to push

For example:

In the video above, Alex and David dive into 16+ topics.

A few grabbed my attention:

• The pain is the pitch

• How to think about your audience

• How to break down the world into frameworks

Instead of trying to cover all three, pick one (e.g., the pain is the pitch) and build the newsletter around that.

And if you’re ghostwriting, ask your client: “What’s the #1 takeaway you want people to remember from this video?” That helps you zero in on the right section.

Step 3: Pull The Video Transcript

Instead of manually typing out notes while watching the video (painful), use a tool like Glasp or YouTube’s built-in transcript feature to extract the full transcript in seconds.

This gives you a raw text version of the video, making it much easier to work with.

How to get a YouTube transcript using Glasp:

1. Install the Glasp Chrome Extension (free).

2. Open the YouTube video.

3. Click the Glasp extension to extract the transcript.

4. Copy and paste it into a text file.

If you prefer a manual approach, YouTube’s built-in transcript feature works too:

• Click the three-dot menu below the video.

• Select “Show Transcript” and copy the text.

Once you have the transcript, you can feed it to AI to extract the key points.

Step 4: Use AI To Extract the Key Points

Now comes the fun part—turning raw transcript data into a structured newsletter outline.

For this, I usually use Claude, but ChatGPT or Gemini work too.

Here’s the exact prompt I use to extract the most important insights:

Hey Claude,  

I want your help drafting an educational email newsletter based on the transcript of a YouTube video [I/my client] created recently (which I'm attaching to this message).  

Now, I would like this email to be focused on the first topic/principle [I/my client] covers in the video:  

[Insert topic]  

So, here’s what I would like your help with:  

I want you to **extract everything [I/my client] says about this topic** using their exact words.  

Please share each sentence as a bullet point so it’s easy to skim.  

And just to make sure I’m making myself clear:  
- **Extract everything they say on this topic, word for word.**  
- **Do not summarize or paraphrase.**  
- **Format each point as a bullet.**  

Three final guidelines:  
1. Do **not** use quotation marks around each blurb.  
2. Capitalize the first letter of each bullet for readability.  
3. Share the entire relevant transcript section at once (no piecemeal responses).  

Thanks!  

Why this works:

• AI extracts only the relevant sections, so you don’t have to dig through the full transcript.

• It preserves the original voice, making it easier to refine without rewriting from scratch.

• The bullet-point format gives you a clean, skimmable outline to work with.

Here’s the output Claude returned for “the pain is the pitch” section of our video example:

Step 5: Edit & Polish (The 15-Minute Refinement Step)

Now that AI has done the heavy lifting, your job is to refine and shape the content into a great newsletter.

Here’s my fast workflow for this step:

1. Copy the AI output into a Google Doc. This makes it easier to edit, rearrange, and tweak.

2. Refine for flow and clarity. Remove any redundant or awkward phrases. Add smooth transitions between key points. Make sure it reads like a conversation, not a transcript. (Use a follow up prompt to get your first draft done faster.)

3. Write a strong hook. Your email needs to grab attention immediately. Click here to get my 6-Figure Subject Line Swipe File for FREE!

4. End with a call-to-action (CTA). Every email should prompt the reader to take action—whether it’s clicking a link, replying, or applying a lesson. For example, “Want me to break this down in more detail? Reply ‘YES’ and I’ll share an example.”

This entire final step—from polishing to adding a hook and CTA—should take 15-20 minutes max.

Now in my case, I chose to post about “the pain is the pitch” on LinkedIn first and then link to it from my newsletter. But I could have used the post itself as a newsletter issue. Here’s a screenshot of my newsletter, so you can see how this looks:

Click here to read the LinkedIn post.

Why This Works (And Why It Saves You Hours)

Instead of staring at a blank page, you let AI handle the boring parts—extracting raw content—while you stay in control of the final product.

• No more guessing what to include—AI gives you structured material to work with.

• No more losing the original voice—you’re working directly from their actual words.

• No more rewriting from scratch—you’re refining, not creating from thin air.

And if you’re ghostwriting for clients?

This system easily saves you 5-10 hours a week.

Final Thoughts: If You Create Content, You Should Be Repurposing It

Most creators waste 90% of their content’s value by letting it die after one platform.

Repurposing a single YouTube video into an email takes 20 minutes and can drive:

• More leads

• More engagement

• More business opportunities

And now, you have a repeatable process to do it.

Try it out this week, and let me know how it works for you.

- Daniel

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