scraping-instagram-location-content skill by apidojo-io

Scraping Instagram Location Content

Collects all public Instagram posts tagged at a specific location — useful for gathering UGC, finding visitors who post about a venue, or discovering creators with genuine affinity for a place.

Prerequisites

APIFY_TOKEN environment variable set
Optional: Apify MCP server installed

Inputs

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Notes
`startUrls`	array	Optional	`[]`	Instagram location page URLs
`locationIds`	array	Optional	`[]`	Instagram location IDs
`maxItems`	number	Optional	Unlimited	Maximum posts to return
`until`	string	Optional	—	Date filter (YYYY-MM-DD)
`customMapFunction`	string	Optional	—	JavaScript function to transform each output object

Workflow

Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Find the Instagram location ID for the target venue
- [ ] Step 2: Run instagram-location-scraper
- [ ] Step 3: Fetch and filter posts
- [ ] Step 4: Identify top creators and posts
- [ ] Step 5: Deliver UGC report or creator list

Step 1: Find the Location ID

Instagram location tags use a numeric location ID, not a text name. To find it:

Search for the location on Instagram's mobile app
Open the location page — the URL format is: instagram.com/explore/locations/[LOCATION_ID]/[location-name]/
Copy the numeric LOCATION_ID

Alternatively, ask the user for the full Instagram location URL and extract the ID from it.

If the user only has a name (e.g., "Eiffel Tower Paris"): Run a brief Google search for site:instagram.com/explore/locations "[venue name]" to find the location page URL and extract the ID.

Step 2: Run the Actor

Recommended — run_actor.js (handles waiting, output, and file saving automatically):

# Quick answer (prints table to chat)
node scripts/run_actor.js

APIFY_TOKEN must be set in environment or .env file.

If Apify MCP is available:

REST API fallback:

Wait for SUCCEEDED. Fetch results.

Step 3: Filter Posts

From dataset, extract per post:

url — link to the post
caption — post text
ownerUsername — creator's handle
likesCount — post likes
commentsCount — post comments
timestamp — when posted
isVideo — true/false (Reels vs. photo)

Filter options (ask user which apply):

Date range — only recent posts (e.g., last 90 days)
Min likes — surface higher-quality posts (e.g., ≥50 likes)
Min followers of poster — surface posts by creators with real audiences

Step 4: Identify Top Content and Creators

Rank posts by likes + comments. Identify the top 10 posts for potential repost/feature.

For creators with multiple posts at the location, they're genuine fans — flag these for influencer outreach.

Calculate: unique creators vs. total posts (gives a repeat-visitor signal).

Step 5: Format Report

Output Format

Troubleshooting

Location ID not found: Some small venues aren't indexed as Instagram locations. Try a nearby landmark or the city as a backup. Very few posts: Low-traffic venues may have limited location-tagged posts. Lower the min-likes filter. Posts from wrong location: Instagram location matching can be imprecise for similarly-named venues. Review posts manually for the top results.