# Microstock Niche Finder (`deadmist/microstock-niche-finder`) Actor

Find open microstock niches: for each keyword compare supply and freshness on iStock, Depositphotos and Vecteezy, get an opportunity score and related searches. Built for stock contributors. Pay per keyword.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/deadmist/microstock-niche-finder.md
- **Developed by:** [Vladyslav Kosenko](https://apify.com/deadmist) (community)
- **Categories:** SEO tools, AI
- **Security:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$10.00 / 1,000 keywords

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Microstock Niche Finder

Find **open microstock niches** before you shoot, draw or generate. Paste a list of keywords, and each one is checked on **iStock, Depositphotos and Vecteezy** at once. You get one row per keyword with:

- **supply:** how many assets already exist;
- **freshness:** what share of the top results was uploaded in the last 12 months, i.e. whether new uploads still get seen;
- **competition:** how many different contributors hold the top results, and how much the biggest one owns;
- **an opportunity score** from 0 to 100;
- **related searches** from all three agencies, a ready list of follow-up keywords.

You pay per keyword, $0.01. 100 keywords cost $1.

### Who it is for

- **Stock photographers and videographers** deciding what to shoot next.
- **Illustrators and AI creators** looking for topics that aren't flooded yet.
- **Microstock coaches and tool makers** who need niche data in bulk via the API.

### Input example

```json
{
  "keywords": ["heat pump", "pickleball", "ai agent", "remote work", "sunset"],
  "mediaType": "photo",
  "platforms": ["istock", "depositphotos", "vecteezy"]
}
```

### Output example

```json
{
  "keyword": "heat pump",
  "mediaType": "photo",
  "totalSupply": 4107,
  "averageNewPercent": 12.3,
  "opportunityScore": 48,
  "istock": {
    "totalResults": 3784,
    "sampled": 60,
    "newLast12MonthsPercent": 5,
    "uniqueContributors": 34,
    "topContributorSharePercent": 8.3,
    "signaturePercent": 30,
    "url": "https://www.istockphoto.com/en/search/2/image?phrase=heat+pump&mediatype=photography"
  },
  "vecteezy": {
    "totalResults": 323,
    "sampled": 100,
    "newLast12MonthsPercent": 22,
    "uniqueContributors": 93,
    "topContributorSharePercent": 2,
    "url": "https://www.vecteezy.com/free-photos/heat-pump"
  },
  "depositphotos": {
    "totalResultsBroad": 26833941,
    "sampled": 100,
    "newLast12MonthsPercent": 10,
    "uniqueContributors": 49,
    "topContributorSharePercent": 15,
    "url": "https://depositphotos.com/photos/heat%20pump.html"
  },
  "relatedSearches": ["hvac", "heat pump unit", "heat pump house", "furnace", "…"]
}
```

A sample run ranked "heat pump" (48), "pickleball" (44) and "ai agent" (43) at the top, and "sunset" (2) at the bottom.

The **Overview** table in the dataset shows the keywords side by side.

### How the score works

`opportunityScore = 50 × freshness + 50 × scarcity`

- **freshness** is the average share of top results uploaded in the last 12 months, where 50% or more counts as full marks.
- **scarcity** is based on total supply on iStock and Vecteezy: about 3,000 assets or fewer counts as full marks, 3 million or more as none.

Depositphotos counts every asset matching any word of the query, so its count (`totalResultsBroad`) is shown but not used as supply.

The score is a starting point, not a verdict. Always open the `url` links and look at what is already there.

### Tips

- Check 20–100 keywords per run and sort by score.
- Take the `relatedSearches` of your best keywords and run them in a second pass to go deeper.
- Run the same list monthly to see which niches fill up.
- For full asset lists with keywords, use **iStock Scraper** and **Depositphotos Scraper** from the same author.

### FAQ

**Do I need accounts on these sites?** No. Only public search pages are read.

**Does it show download counts?** No, these agencies don't publish them. Freshness and competition are the demand signals.

**What if one agency fails for a keyword?** The row still comes back, with an `error` field for that agency, and it's charged as usual. A keyword where every agency failed is not charged.

# Actor input Schema

## `keywords` (type: `array`):

Topics you are thinking of shooting, drawing or generating.

## `mediaType` (type: `string`):

The kind of content you plan to upload.

## `platforms` (type: `array`):

Agencies to compare. The price is the same however many you pick.

## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`):

How many keywords are checked at the same time.

## `maxAttempts` (type: `integer`):

Retries with a fresh proxy session before a platform is skipped for a keyword.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "keywords": [
    "remote work",
    "christmas background",
    "electric car charging"
  ],
  "mediaType": "photo",
  "platforms": [
    "istock",
    "depositphotos",
    "vecteezy"
  ],
  "maxConcurrency": 4,
  "maxAttempts": 5
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

All keywords with per-platform details.

## `overview` (type: `string`):

Keywords ranked by opportunity.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "keywords": [
        "remote work",
        "christmas background",
        "electric car charging"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("deadmist/microstock-niche-finder").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "keywords": [
        "remote work",
        "christmas background",
        "electric car charging",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("deadmist/microstock-niche-finder").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "keywords": [
    "remote work",
    "christmas background",
    "electric car charging"
  ]
}' |
apify call deadmist/microstock-niche-finder --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,deadmist/microstock-niche-finder"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/e2cFq7PvgwESbDOFm/builds/TthsoIbKBhASfg5TT/openapi.json