The Tedious Part of Being a YouTube Maker
You just finished editing a 45-minute build video. Now you need to write the description. You pull up Amazon, find each tool you used, copy the URL, add your affiliate tag, format the line, repeat fifteen times. Then you realize you forgot one item and have to do it again.
If you're publishing multiple videos a week, this adds up to hours of manual work that earns you nothing directly.
YouTube Export — What It Does
MakerManifest has a YouTube Description Export feature that generates a formatted affiliate link block from any of your gear lists. One click produces something like this:
🔧 TOOLS & GEAR IN THIS VIDEO: → Table Saw: mkr.ms/table-saw → Track Saw: mkr.ms/track-saw → Safety Glasses: mkr.ms/safety-glasses 📦 MY FULL GEAR LIST: mkr.ms/workshop-essentials
All your affiliate tags are already baked in. All your short links are already created. You copy and paste directly into YouTube.
Why Short Links Matter in YouTube Descriptions
Raw Amazon affiliate URLs are ugly, long, and break constantly. When Amazon restructures their catalog or a product gets discontinued, a raw URL stops working. A short link you control (like mkr.ms/table-saw) never changes — you just update where it points. Every past video that ever used that link keeps working automatically.
Setting It Up
Create a gear list for your video's tools, add your items, connect your Amazon Associates tag in Affiliate Programs, and click YouTube Export from the gear list editor. The formatted block is generated instantly.
If you make content regularly, build a few evergreen lists — "My Workshop Essentials," "Camera & Audio Setup," "Safety Gear" — and reuse them across videos. Update the list when your gear changes; all your old video descriptions auto-update through the short links.
Get started with MakerManifest and see the full features list.