scraping-instagram-location-content

Scrapes Instagram posts tagged at a specific location using apidojo's Instagram Location scraper on Apify. Triggers when the user asks to: find Instagram posts from a specific location or venue, scrape user-generated content from a restaurant, hotel, or event on Instagram, find photos tagged at a conference or festival, monitor what guests or visitors post from a location, discover content creators who visited a place, build a UGC library from a location tag, or find influencers who have been to a specific venue or city. Returns post URL, caption, author handle, likes, comments, and timestamp per location post. Ideal for hospitality brands, event marketers, and UGC content curation teams.

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

text

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):

bash

# 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:

text

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

REST API fallback:

bash

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

text

# 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.