scraping-instagram-location-content

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:

1. Search for the location on Instagram's mobile app
2. Open the location page — the URL format is: instagram.com/explore/locations/[LOCATION_ID]/[location-name]/
3. 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 \
  --actor "apidojo~instagram-location-scraper" \
  --input '{"param": "value"}'

# Save as CSV
node scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "apidojo~instagram-location-scraper" \
  --input '{"param": "value"}' \
  --output YYYY-MM-DD_results.csv --format csv

# Save as JSON
node scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "apidojo~instagram-location-scraper" \
  --input '{"param": "value"}' \
  --output YYYY-MM-DD_results.json --format json

APIFY_TOKEN must be set in environment or .env file.

If Apify MCP is available:

Tool: apify:run-actor
Actor: "apidojo~instagram-location-scraper"
Input:
{
  "locationIds": ["[LOCATION_ID]"],
  "maxItems": 100
}

REST API fallback:

curl -X POST \
  "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/apidojo~instagram-location-scraper/runs?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "locationIds": ["[LOCATION_ID]"],
    "maxItems": 100
  }'

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

# Instagram Location Content: [VENUE NAME]
Location ID: [ID] | Posts collected: [N] | Date: [DATE]

## Overview
Total posts at this location: [N] (based on sample)
Unique creators: [N]
Date range of posts: [oldest] – [newest]
Avg engagement per post: [N] likes + [N] comments

## Top 10 Posts (by Engagement)
| # | Creator | Likes | Comments | Date | Type | Post URL |
|---|---------|-------|----------|------|------|----------|
| 1 | @[handle] | [N] | [N]   | [date] | [Photo/Reel] | [url] |

## Top Creators at This Location
Creators who appear most frequently in location posts:
1. @[handle] — [N] posts here | [N] followers (if available)
2. @[handle] — [N] posts here
3. @[handle] — [N] posts here

## Caption Themes
Common topics in captions at this location:
- [Theme] (e.g., "date night", "anniversary") — [N] posts
- [Theme] (e.g., "work trip") — [N] posts

## Outreach Picks
Top creators whose content could be repurposed as UGC or who are strong partnership candidates:
1. @[handle] — [post URL] — "[caption excerpt]"

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.