Influencer Discovery & Outreach - Find Creators Across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn & Twitter

Discover influencers and content creators across 5 major platforms. Search by niche, hashtags, keywords, location, and engagement metrics. Filter by follower count tiers (nano to mega), minimum engagement rate, and verified status. Extract contact info from bios. Build targeted influencer lists for brand partnerships, campaign planning, and competitive analysis.

NEW: Optional Outreach Pipeline — Enable enableOutreach to automatically send AI-personalized emails to discovered influencers via SendGrid or Resend. Full pipeline: discover influencers -> extract emails -> AI-personalize each email -> send automatically.

How It Works (Read This First)

1. You tell the actor what niche you want (e.g. "ai automation", "fitness", "crypto")
2. The actor generates relevant hashtags and keywords from your niche
3. It searches real social media platforms for creators matching those terms
4. Results are filtered by your criteria (follower count, engagement, etc.)
5. You get a list of influencer profiles with contact info, engagement stats, and a discovery score

Important: demoMode is OFF by default — you get real results. If you want to test the output format first without being charged, set demoMode: true.

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Quick Start Examples

Find AI Automation Influencers

{
  "platforms": ["instagram", "tiktok", "youtube"],
  "niches": ["ai automation"],
  "keywords": ["AI", "automation", "no code", "workflow"],
  "influencerTiers": ["nano", "micro", "mid", "macro"],
  "minEngagementRate": 1.0,
  "maxResults": 100
}

Find Fitness Influencers on Instagram

{
  "platforms": ["instagram"],
  "niches": ["fitness"],
  "influencerTiers": ["micro", "mid"],
  "minEngagementRate": 3.0,
  "maxResults": 50
}

Find Tech/SaaS Thought Leaders on LinkedIn & Twitter

{
  "platforms": ["linkedin", "twitter"],
  "niches": ["tech", "saas"],
  "keywords": ["founder", "CTO", "B2B", "SaaS"],
  "influencerTiers": ["micro", "mid", "macro"],
  "minEngagementRate": 1.5,
  "maxResults": 50
}

Find Local Food Influencers

{
  "platforms": ["instagram", "tiktok"],
  "niches": ["food"],
  "locations": ["Chicago", "Illinois"],
  "influencerTiers": ["nano", "micro"],
  "minEngagementRate": 4.0,
  "maxResults": 30
}

Find Crypto/Web3 Creators

{
  "platforms": ["twitter", "youtube"],
  "niches": ["crypto"],
  "keywords": ["DeFi", "web3", "blockchain"],
  "influencerTiers": ["micro", "mid", "macro"],
  "minEngagementRate": 1.5,
  "maxResults": 100
}

Test with Demo Data (Free)

{
  "platforms": ["instagram"],
  "niches": ["fitness"],
  "demoMode": true
}

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Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
platforms	array	Yes	["instagram"]	Which platforms to search. Options: instagram, tiktok, youtube, linkedin, twitter
niches	array	Yes	—	What type of influencer you want. See supported niches below.
hashtags	array	No	Auto-generated	Specific hashtags to search. Leave empty to auto-generate from your niches.
keywords	array	No	—	Extra keywords to search in bios and content. Highly recommended for niche topics.
locations	array	No	—	Target cities or countries (e.g. ["New York", "United States"])
followerRange	object	No	{"min": 1000, "max": 1000000}	Min/max follower count filter
influencerTiers	array	No	["micro", "mid"]	Size tiers to include. See tier table below.
minEngagementRate	number	No	2.0	Minimum engagement rate (%). Lower this to 1.0 for niche topics.
verifiedOnly	boolean	No	false	Only return verified/blue-check accounts
businessAccountsOnly	boolean	No	false	Only return business/creator accounts
maxResults	number	No	50	Max results per platform (10-500)
includeContactInfo	boolean	No	true	Extract emails and websites from bios
excludeUsernames	array	No	—	Usernames to skip (competitors, already contacted, etc.)
sortBy	string	No	"discoveryScore"	Sort by: discoveryScore, followers, engagementRate, recentActivity
demoMode	boolean	No	false	Set true to test with fake data (free, no scraping)
webhookUrl	string	No	—	URL to POST results to when complete

Supported Niches

Use these values in the niches array. You can use one or more:

Niche	Example hashtags generated
fitness	fitness, gym, workout, fitnessmotivation
beauty	beauty, makeup, skincare, beautytips
fashion	fashion, style, ootd, fashionblogger
food	food, foodie, cooking, recipe, chef
travel	travel, wanderlust, explore, adventure
tech	tech, technology, gadgets, innovation, ai
ai	ai, artificialintelligence, machinelearning, chatgpt, aitools
ai automation	aiautomation, automation, ai, nocode, workflow, zapier, make, n8n
automation	automation, nocode, lowcode, workflow, zapier
saas	saas, startup, founder, buildinpublic, indiehacker
marketing	marketing, digitalmarketing, socialmediamarketing, growthhacking
business	business, entrepreneur, startup, success, ceo
finance	finance, investing, money, wealth, stocks, crypto
crypto	crypto, bitcoin, ethereum, web3, defi, nft
real estate	realestate, realtor, property, homebuying
gaming	gaming, gamer, esports, twitch, videogames
wellness	wellness, selfcare, mentalhealth, mindfulness
health	health, healthylifestyle, nutrition, weightloss
coaching	coaching, lifecoach, businesscoach, mindset
education	education, learning, edtech, onlinelearning
lifestyle	lifestyle, motivation, inspiration, mindset
parenting	parenting, mom, dad, family, kids
music	music, musician, singer, producer
art	art, artist, artwork, creative, design
photography	photography, photographer, photooftheday
diy	diy, doityourself, crafts, handmade, maker
home	homedecor, interiordesign, homedesign, renovation
pets	pets, dogs, cats, petlovers
sports	sports, athlete, football, basketball

Custom niches work too! If you type a niche not on this list, the actor will split it into keywords and generate hashtags automatically. For best results with custom niches, also add relevant terms to the keywords field.

Influencer Tiers

Tier	Follower Range	Best For
nano	1K - 10K	Hyper-niche communities, highest engagement, lowest cost
micro	10K - 100K	Strong engagement, authentic reach, great ROI
mid	100K - 500K	Balanced reach and engagement
macro	500K - 1M	Broad reach, brand awareness campaigns
mega	1M+	Celebrity-level, massive reach

Tip: For niche topics like AI automation, include nano and micro tiers — most creators in specialized niches have smaller but highly engaged audiences.

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Troubleshooting: "No Results Found"

If you're getting zero results, check these in order:

1. Is demoMode off?

demoMode must be false to get real results. Demo mode returns fake sample data for testing.

2. Are your tiers too narrow?

The default tiers are ["micro", "mid"] (10K-500K followers). For niche topics like AI automation, many creators are in the nano tier (1K-10K). Fix: Add all tiers:

"influencerTiers": ["nano", "micro", "mid", "macro"]

3. Is your engagement rate too high?

Default is 2.0%. Niche/technical topics often have lower engagement rates. Fix: Lower it:

"minEngagementRate": 1.0

4. Is your niche too specific?

If you typed something very specific like "ai automation agency", try broader terms:

"niches": ["ai", "automation", "tech"]

5. Are you adding keywords?

For specialized niches, add the keywords field. This searches bios and content — much more effective for niche discovery:

"keywords": ["AI", "automation", "GPT", "no code", "workflow"]

6. Are you searching enough platforms?

Some niches are bigger on certain platforms. AI/automation is huge on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter — not just Instagram:

"platforms": ["youtube", "linkedin", "twitter", "instagram", "tiktok"]

7. Is your follower range too restrictive?

Default range is 1K-1M. If you're looking for mega influencers or very small accounts, adjust:

"followerRange": {"min": 500, "max": 5000000}

The Bulletproof Config (if nothing else works)

This configuration is designed to find results for ANY niche:

{
  "platforms": ["instagram", "tiktok", "youtube", "linkedin", "twitter"],
  "niches": ["YOUR_NICHE_HERE"],
  "keywords": ["KEYWORD1", "KEYWORD2", "KEYWORD3"],
  "influencerTiers": ["nano", "micro", "mid", "macro", "mega"],
  "minEngagementRate": 0.5,
  "followerRange": {"min": 500, "max": 10000000},
  "maxResults": 200,
  "demoMode": false
}

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Output Format

Each discovered influencer returns:

{
  "platform": "instagram",
  "username": "ai_automation_pro",
  "displayName": "Alex | AI Automation Expert",
  "profileUrl": "https://instagram.com/ai_automation_pro",
  "bio": "Helping businesses automate with AI | No-code workflows | DM for consulting",
  "followers": 45000,
  "following": 1200,
  "postsCount": 320,
  "engagementRate": 3.8,
  "tier": "micro",
  "niche": "ai automation",
  "isVerified": false,
  "isBusinessAccount": true,
  "contactEmail": "alex@aiautomation.com",
  "website": "https://aiautomation.com",
  "discoveryScore": 82,
  "discoveredAt": "2026-02-18T10:30:00.000Z"
}

Discovery Score

Score	Rating	What it means
90-100	Excellent	High engagement, active posting, relevant niche, has contact info
70-89	Good	Solid engagement, consistent content, good partnership potential
50-69	Fair	Average engagement or less active
0-49	Low	Below-average metrics or limited activity

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Outreach Pipeline (Optional)

Enable automated outreach by setting enableOutreach: true. The pipeline works in 3 steps:

1. Discovery — Influencers are discovered via platform scraping + optional Google Custom Search (finds profiles with emails in bios)
2. AI Personalization — Each email is personalized by Claude, GPT, or Gemini based on the influencer's bio, niche, and your brand context
3. Email Sending — Emails are sent via SendGrid or Resend with configurable delays

Outreach Example

{
  "platforms": ["instagram"],
  "niches": ["fitness"],
  "maxResults": 50,
  "enableOutreach": true,
  "googleApiKey": "YOUR_GOOGLE_API_KEY",
  "googleSearchEngineId": "YOUR_SEARCH_ENGINE_ID",
  "emailProvider": "sendgrid",
  "sendgridApiKey": "YOUR_SENDGRID_KEY",
  "fromEmail": "you@yourbrand.com",
  "fromName": "Your Name",
  "emailSubject": "{name} - Partnership opportunity from {brand}",
  "emailTemplate": "Hi {name},\n\nI discovered your {platform} profile and loved your approach to {niche}.\n\nWe'd love to explore a partnership.\n\nWould you be open to a quick chat?\n\nBest,\nYour Name",
  "aiProvider": "anthropic",
  "aiApiKey": "YOUR_ANTHROPIC_KEY",
  "brandContext": {
    "name": "FitBrand",
    "industry": "wellness",
    "offer": "product partnership",
    "website": "https://fitbrand.com"
  },
  "sendEmails": false
}

Important: Set sendEmails: false first to preview personalized emails without sending. When ready, set to true.

Outreach Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
enableOutreach	boolean	false	Enable the outreach pipeline
googleApiKey	string	—	Google Custom Search API key (supplements platform discovery with email-bearing profiles)
googleSearchEngineId	string	—	Google Programmable Search Engine ID
emailProvider	string	"sendgrid"	Email service: sendgrid or resend
sendgridApiKey / resendApiKey	string	—	API key for your email provider
fromEmail	string	—	Sender email address
fromName	string	—	Sender display name
emailSubject	string	—	Subject line ({name}, {brand} supported)
emailTemplate	string	—	Email body template ({name}, {platform}, {niche}, {followers})
aiProvider	string	"none"	AI provider: anthropic, openai, gemini, or none
aiApiKey	string	—	API key for AI personalization
brandContext	object	—	{name, industry, offer, website} for AI context
sendEmails	boolean	false	Actually send emails (false = dry run)
maxEmailsPerRun	integer	100	Max emails per run
delayBetweenEmails	integer	2000	Delay between emails (ms)

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Pricing (Pay-Per-Event)

You are only charged for results. No results = no charge.

What you pay for	Price
Each influencer profile found	$0.05
Each outreach email sent	$0.05
Each AI email personalization	$0.03
Demo mode	Free

Example costs:

• 50 influencers on 1 platform: 50 x $0.05 = $2.50
• 100 influencers across 3 platforms: 100 x $0.05 = $5.00
• Demo mode test run: $0.00

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Webhook & Automation Integration

Zapier / Make.com / n8n

1. Create a webhook trigger in your automation platform
2. Copy the webhook URL to webhookUrl
3. Route discovered influencers to CRM, spreadsheets, or outreach tools

Popular automations:

• Influencer list -> Google Sheets
• High-score creators -> HubSpot CRM
• Contact emails -> Outreach sequences
• Results -> Slack notifications

Scheduled Runs

Schedule weekly discovery on Apify to continuously find new emerging creators in your niches.

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FAQ

Q: What engagement rate should I target? A: Industry average is 2-3%. Micro-influencers often have 3-6%. For niche/technical topics (AI, SaaS, crypto), lower it to 1.0-1.5%.

Q: Which tier converts best? A: Micro-influencers (10K-100K) typically have the highest engagement and conversion rates at reasonable cost.

Q: Can I search custom niches not on the list? A: Yes. Type any niche — the actor will generate hashtags from it. For best results, also add terms to the keywords field.

Q: How fresh is the data? A: Data is collected in real-time during each run. Run the actor regularly for the latest profiles.

Q: Why did I get fewer results than maxResults? A: Results are filtered by your criteria (tiers, engagement rate, follower range). The actor may discover 200 profiles but only 50 pass your filters. Widen your filters to get more.

Q: Some platforms returned 0 results but others worked? A: Platform-specific scrapers can occasionally fail due to rate limiting or anti-bot measures. Try running again, or focus on the platforms that returned results.

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Support

• Actor Arsenal: Full Actor Catalog
• Developer: John Rippy

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Built by John Rippy | Actor Arsenal