Instagram Trending Reels Research Scraper

Turn Instagram's current public trending Reels feed into a deduplicated, source-linked dataset for creative strategists, social researchers, brand teams, analysts, and AI agents. Each row can include the Reel URL, caption, hashtags, publication time, play and engagement fields, creator identity, audio details, optional media links, feed position, provider provenance, and sample time.

Best fit for this Actor

• Choose this Actor when the research question begins with the current public trending Reels feed and needs a bounded sample.
• Use play-count and publication-time filters to focus the returned sample around the brief.
• Enable temporary media URLs when a prompt downstream process consumes the video or thumbnail links.
• Continue with the Instagram Profile Scraper when selected creatorUsername values need profile, bio, category, and public contact enrichment.

From a feed sample to a creative pattern brief

A creative strategist starts with a focused result cap and asks for public captions, hashtags, engagement, creators, and audio. The Actor refreshes the provider-backed trending feed, deduplicates Reels by stable identity, and returns one source-linked row per accepted Reel. The strategist then groups recurring hooks, hashtags, creator types, and audio choices while preserving reelUrl, trendSource, source, and sampledAt beside every observation.

Quick start input

{
  "maxResults": 20,
  "maxProviderCalls": 6,
  "minPlayCount": 0,
  "includeMediaUrls": false
}

maxResults is the hard cap for returned Reel events. maxProviderCalls bounds source refreshes when the public feed contains repeated records.

Input reference

Field	Type	What it controls
maxResults	integer	Stable cap on unique trending Reel rows.
maxProviderCalls	integer	Maximum source refreshes used to gather a deduplicated sample.
minPlayCount	integer	Keeps Reels at or above the selected public play count.
onlyReelsNewerThan	string	ISO publication cutoff for focused recency research.
includeMediaUrls	boolean	Includes temporary public video and thumbnail URLs.

What data you receive

One dataset item represents one deduplicated public Reel accepted from the current trending-feed sample.

Field group	Useful fields
Reel identity	reelId, shortcode, reelUrl
Content	caption, captionHashtags, postedAt
Engagement	playCount, likeCount, commentCount, engagementCount, playEngagementRate
Creator	creatorId, creatorUsername, creatorName, creatorProfileUrl, verification and privacy flags
Audio and media	audioId, audioTitle, audioArtist, hasAudio, videoUrl, thumbnailUrl
Provenance	trendingFeedPosition, trendSource, source, sourceEndpoint, sampledAt, runId

{
  "reelId": "3659267353687104516",
  "shortcode": "DYt13O8gLoE",
  "reelUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYt13O8gLoE/",
  "caption": "A compact travel idea #travel #reels",
  "captionHashtags": ["travel", "reels"],
  "postedAt": "2026-06-01T12:00:00.000Z",
  "playCount": 456789,
  "likeCount": 12345,
  "commentCount": 123,
  "creatorUsername": "creator",
  "creatorProfileUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/creator/",
  "audioTitle": "Original audio",
  "trendingFeedPosition": 1,
  "trendSource": "instagram-public-reels-feed",
  "source": "scrapecreators",
  "sourceEndpoint": "/v1/instagram/reels/trending",
  "sampledAt": "2026-06-02T09:00:00.000Z"
}

Use through the API

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/khadinakbar~instagram-trending-reels-scraper/runs" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "maxResults": 20,
    "maxProviderCalls": 6,
    "minPlayCount": 0,
    "includeMediaUrls": false
  }'

After completion, read the default dataset for Reel rows and the OUTPUT or RUN_SUMMARY record for terminal outcome, source diagnostics, item counts, and billing counters.

Use with AI agents through Apify MCP

Collect a bounded sample of current public Instagram trending Reels. Return Reel URL, caption, hashtags, posted time, play and engagement fields, creator username, audio title, feed position, provider source, and sample time. Read the dataset and terminal outcome after completion, preserve provenance, and summarize recurring creative patterns with source URLs beside each observation.

For strong agent routing, state the desired sample scope and filters, request only the fields needed for the brief, and ask the agent to preserve reelUrl, trendSource, source, and sampledAt. Bounded results and source refreshes make scope and cost easy to review.

Connect the workflow

Continue with the Instagram Profile Scraper when the creative brief identifies creators for deeper research. Pass selected creatorUsername values into its username input to add profile biography, category, and public contact fields.

Pricing

This Actor uses Pay per event plus Apify platform usage. Open the live Pricing tab for current event details, and use maxResults, maxProviderCalls, and Apify run cost controls to keep research aligned with your budget.

Best results

• Keep the sample focused around a specific creative, audience, or category question.
• Use minPlayCount and onlyReelsNewerThan when the brief has explicit public-engagement or recency criteria.
• Enable media URLs only for workflows that consume temporary CDN links promptly.
• Treat trendingFeedPosition as the order within the collected sample and keep the provenance fields with every comparison.

Builder's note

I built the normalization around a stable Reel identity and canonical public URL because I found that repeated provider responses can otherwise distort a trend sample. Recording feed position, provider route, and sample time beside each row makes the resulting creative brief easier to audit and keeps agent summaries grounded in the collected evidence.

Responsible use

Use public Instagram data for authorized research, preserve source context, and handle creator information in line with applicable laws, Instagram terms, and your organization's social-data policies.