Finding Instagram UGC Creators for Brands
Discovers Instagram micro-creators who produce authentic product content. Nano (1K–10K) and micro (10K–100K) creators on Instagram drive 3–5× higher engagement than macro-influencers on sponsored content.
Prerequisites
APIFY_TOKEN environment variable set- Optional: Apify MCP server installed
| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Notes |
|---|
startUrls | array | ✅ | [] | Instagram URLs — profiles, hashtags, locations, audio pages, reels |
until | string | Optional | — | Scrape posts until this date (YYYY-MM-DD) |
maxItems | number | Optional | Unlimited | Maximum posts to return |
customMapFunction | string | Optional | — | JavaScript function to transform each output object |
Workflow
Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Search niche hashtags on Instagram
- [ ] Step 2: Collect and deduplicate creator handles
- [ ] Step 3: Enrich profiles
- [ ] Step 4: Score UGC fit
- [ ] Step 5: Deliver creator list
Target hashtags that UGC creators use (not brand accounts):
Primary: #[niche]review, #[niche]recommendations, #honest[niche]review
Supporting: #[niche]community, #[niche]lover, #[niche]obsessed
Broad: #[niche], #[niche]gram, #my[niche]
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-scraper" \
--input '{"param": "value"}'
# Save as CSV
node scripts/run_actor.js \
--actor "apidojo~instagram-scraper" \
--input '{"param": "value"}' \
--output YYYY-MM-DD_results.csv --format csv
# Save as JSON
node scripts/run_actor.js \
--actor "apidojo~instagram-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-scraper"
Input:
{
"keywords": ["#[niche]review", "#[niche]recommendations", "#[niche]community"],
"maxItems": 100
}
REST API fallback:
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/apidojo~instagram-scraper/runs?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{
"keywords": ["#skincarereviews", "#skincareobsessed", "#honestskincarereviews"],
"maxItems": 100
}'
Collect unique ownerUsername values from results.
Step 2: Profile Enrichment
If Apify MCP is available:
Tool: apify:run-actor
Actor: "apidojo~instagram-scraper"
Input:
{
"usernames": ["[username1]", "[username2]", "..."],
"maxItems": 12
}
Step 3: Score UGC Fit
engagement_rate = (avg_likes + avg_comments) / follower_count * 100
authenticity_signal = (is_not_verified ? 1 : 0) * 0.20
+ (follower_count < 100000 ? 1 : 0.5) * 0.20
+ (posts_with_product_content >= 3 ? 1 : posts/3) * 0.30
+ (engagement_rate >= min_engagement_rate ? 1 : engagement_rate/min_engagement_rate) * 0.30
Tier: TIER 1 ≥ 0.75 | TIER 2 0.50–0.74 | TIER 3 < 0.50
Step 4: Edge Cases
- Brand ambassador accounts appear (always using product): Check for
#ad or #sponsored in every recent post — flag as ALREADY_CONTRACTED
- Private accounts appear: Skip — cannot assess content quality
- Follower count doesn't match scrape: If
follower_count = 0 in scrape output, retry profile fetch; Instagram sometimes throttles profile data
- Location filter not matching: Instagram bio location field is free-text — use contains match: bio.lower() contains country/city name
# Instagram UGC Creator List: [NICHE]
Creators evaluated: [N] | TIER 1: [N] | TIER 2: [N] | Date: [DATE]
## TIER 1 — Prime UGC Creators
| Creator | Handle | Followers | Avg Likes | Avg Comments | Eng Rate | Authenticity Score |
|---------|--------|-----------|-----------|--------------|----------|-------------------|
| [name] | @[handle] | [N] | [N] | [N] | [X%] | [0.XX] |
## TIER 2 — Worth Testing
| Creator | Followers | Avg Likes | Eng Rate | Location |
|---------|-----------|-----------|----------|---------|
## Top Performing Hashtags for This Niche
| Hashtag | Posts Found | Avg Likes per Post | Creator Quality (High/Med/Low) |
|---------|------------|-------------------|-------------------------------|
Troubleshooting
Hashtag returns only brand posts: Add "review" or "honest" to hashtags to anchor on consumer voice.
All creators already contracted: Common in saturated niches — search adjacent sub-niches.
Engagement rate < 3% across results: Hashtag may be too popular and dominated by low-engagement accounts. Switch to long-tail hashtags like #[niche][city] or #[brand]community.