Finding Instagram Creators by Location
Identifies Instagram creators who actively post from a specific location — city, venue, or region. Creators with repeated location posts have genuine local presence and authentic ties to the place.
Prerequisites
APIFY_TOKEN environment variable set- Optional: Apify MCP server installed
| 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: Resolve location ID
- [ ] Step 2: Run instagram-location-scraper
- [ ] Step 3: Identify repeat creators
- [ ] Step 4: Score creator quality
- [ ] Step 5: Deliver local creator list
Step 1: Resolve Location ID
Instagram uses numeric location IDs. To find the ID:
- Search for the location on Instagram (mobile or desktop)
- Open the location page — URL format:
instagram.com/explore/locations/[LOCATION_ID]/[name]/
- Extract the numeric ID
If the user only provides a name, run a Google search:
site:instagram.com/explore/locations "[LOCATION_NAME]"
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}'
Step 3: Score Creator Quality
From location posts, group by ownerUsername. For each creator:
local_score = min(post_count_at_location / 5, 1) * 0.30 # repeat presence
+ (avg_likes / 100) * 0.25 # engagement quality
+ (avg_comments / 10) * 0.20 # comment depth
+ (has_website ? 1 : 0) * 0.15 # professional creator signal
+ (follower_count > 1000 ? 1 : 0) * 0.10
Clamp to [0, 1]. Tier: A ≥ 0.70 | B 0.40–0.69 | C < 0.40
Step 4: Edge Cases
- Location ID not found for small venue: Try the city or neighborhood instead; scrape and filter by caption mentioning venue name
- Tourist accounts dominate results (one-time visitors): Filter by
post_count_at_location = 1 being lower priority than repeat posters
- Business accounts posting from location: If
is_business_account = true, flag separately — these are brand accounts, not creator UGC
- < 30 posts at location: Small or new venue — lower
min_followers threshold to 500; include more results
# Instagram Local Creators: [LOCATION_NAME]
Posts scraped: [N] | Unique creators: [N] | Repeat locals (2+ posts): [N] | Date: [DATE]
## TIER A — Established Local Creators (2+ Location Posts)
| Creator | @Handle | Location Posts | Avg Likes | Avg Comments | Content Theme | Score |
|---------|---------|---------------|-----------|--------------|---------------|-------|
| [name] | @[handle] | [N] | [N] | [N] | [food/lifestyle/travel] | [0.XX] |
## TIER B — Active Local Voices
| Creator | @Handle | Location Posts | Avg Likes | Last Post |
|---------|---------|---------------|-----------|----------|
## Niche Breakdown at [LOCATION]
| Content Theme | # Posts | Top Creator |
|--------------|---------|------------|
| [food] | [N] | @[handle] |
| [travel] | [N] | @[handle] |
Troubleshooting
Very few results for city: City-level location IDs return general "in [city]" tags. Look for neighborhood or landmark IDs for denser results.
Results are mostly tourist accounts: Focus on the post_count_at_location >= 3 tier — locals post from the same location repeatedly.
Wrong city matches location name: Some city names are duplicated globally. Verify the location page on Instagram before running.