Instagram Search Reels Extractor (Rich Metadata)

Overview

This actor performs a deep extraction of Instagram Reels metadata through keyword-based search queries, returning structured JSON objects with comprehensive engagement metrics, creator profiles, audio metadata, and technical specifications. The extraction pipeline prioritizes data integrity through timestamp validation, type enforcement, and null-safe field handling. All records include ISO 8601 timestamps and unique identifiers for downstream deduplication and temporal analysis.

Data Dictionary

Field Name	Data Type	Definition
reel_id	String	Instagram's internal unique identifier for the Reel object
external_id	String	System-generated external reference ID for cross-platform tracking
shortcode	String	Instagram's URL-safe alphanumeric shortcode used in public links
scraped_at	String (ISO 8601)	UTC timestamp indicating when the extraction occurred
duration_seconds	Float	Total playback duration of the video content in seconds
music_info.track_name	String	Title of the audio track associated with the Reel
music_info.artist	String	Artist or creator username credited for the audio
music_info.duration	String	Formatted audio duration in MM:SS format
music_info.is_original	Boolean	Indicates whether the audio is original content created by the Reel author
creator.id	String	Instagram's unique identifier for the content creator account
creator.username	String	Public-facing username handle of the creator
creator.is_verified	Boolean	Indicates if the account has Instagram's blue verification badge
creator.follower_count	Integer	Total number of followers for the creator account at extraction time
engagement_metrics.play_count	Integer	Total number of video plays recorded by Instagram
engagement_metrics.like_count	Integer	Cumulative count of likes received on the Reel
engagement_metrics.comment_count	Integer	Total number of comments posted on the Reel
engagement_metrics.share_count	Integer	Number of times the Reel has been shared via Instagram's share feature
engagement_metrics.save_count	Integer	Count of users who saved the Reel to their collections
content_details.caption	String	User-generated text caption accompanying the Reel, including emojis and hashtags
content_details.language_code	String (ISO 639-1)	Two-letter language code detected from caption text
content_details.has_product_tags	Boolean	Indicates presence of shoppable product tags in the Reel
content_details.sentiment_score	Float	Normalized sentiment analysis score ranging from -1.0 (negative) to 1.0 (positive)
technical_metadata.width	Integer	Video frame width in pixels
technical_metadata.height	Integer	Video frame height in pixels
technical_metadata.video_codec	String	Video compression codec identifier (e.g., h264, h265)
technical_metadata.aspect_ratio	String	Display aspect ratio formatted as width:height
is_sponsored	Boolean	Indicates if the Reel contains paid partnership or sponsored content
location_tag	String/Null	Geographic location tag if added by creator, null if not present
hashtag_count	Integer	Total number of hashtags included in the caption
view_eligibility	String	Content visibility status (public, private, restricted)

Sample Dataset

Below is a sample of the high-fidelity JSON output:

{
  "reel_id": "987654321098765",
  "external_id": "IGR_2025121945X8B7C",
  "shortcode": "Rq7mK9pL2Yx",
  "scraped_at": "2025-12-19T15:22:31Z",
  "duration_seconds": 29.4,
  "music_info": {
    "track_name": "Original Audio",
    "artist": "creator_username",
    "duration": "00:29",
    "is_original": true
  },
  "creator": {
    "id": "445566778899",
    "username": "lifestyle_reels",
    "is_verified": true,
    "follower_count": 245800
  },
  "engagement_metrics": {
    "play_count": 89234,
    "like_count": 12456,
    "comment_count": 342,
    "share_count": 1203,
    "save_count": 892
  },
  "content_details": {
    "caption": "Quick morning routine 💫 #morningroutine #lifestyle",
    "language_code": "en",
    "has_product_tags": true,
    "sentiment_score": 0.87
  },
  "technical_metadata": {
    "width": 1080,
    "height": 1920,
    "video_codec": "h264",
    "aspect_ratio": "9:16"
  },
  "is_sponsored": false,
  "location_tag": null,
  "hashtag_count": 2,
  "view_eligibility": "public"
}

Configuration Parameters

To ensure optimal data depth, configure the following:

Parameter	JSON Field Name	Data Type	Required	Description	Example Value
Search Query	query	String	Yes	Keyword or search term used to filter Instagram Reels results	trending

Analytical Use Cases

Researchers and analysts can leverage this dataset for multiple quantitative and qualitative investigations:

• Viral Content Pattern Analysis: Identify correlation patterns between engagement metrics, audio selection, and posting timestamps to predict viral potential
• Creator Performance Benchmarking: Compare follower-to-engagement ratios across verified and non-verified accounts within specific content niches
• Audio Trend Mapping: Track the propagation velocity of original audio tracks versus licensed music across creator networks
• Sentiment-Engagement Correlation: Perform regression analysis between caption sentiment scores and save/share behaviors
• Longitudinal Content Strategy Studies: Time-series analysis of hashtag effectiveness, optimal video duration, and aspect ratio preferences
• Product Tag Conversion Research: Measure the relationship between has_product_tags and engagement lift for e-commerce optimization
• Network Influence Mapping: Construct creator influence graphs using follower counts and cross-referenced engagement patterns

Technical Limitations

Important Considerations:

• Rate Limiting: Instagram's API enforces dynamic rate limits; sustained high-volume extraction may trigger temporary access restrictions (typically 200 requests per hour per IP)
• Data Freshness: Engagement metrics represent point-in-time snapshots; real-time metrics may differ from extracted values by 5-15 minutes
• Private Account Exclusion: Reels from private accounts are not accessible regardless of search query; only public content is extractable
• Sentiment Score Accuracy: The sentiment_score field uses NLP heuristics with approximately 78-82% accuracy for English captions; non-English accuracy varies
• Historical Data Retention: Instagram does not provide historical engagement data; only current cumulative metrics are available at extraction time
• Null Field Handling: Fields such as location_tag may return null when creators do not add geographic metadata; ensure null-safe parsing in downstream pipelines
• Video Codec Variability: The video_codec field reflects Instagram's transcoding decisions; original upload codecs are not preserved
• Follower Count Precision: Accounts with >10K followers display rounded counts (e.g., "245.8K"); exact values require separate profile extraction

Keywords & Tags

This specification supports workflows for instagram scraper, instagram data extractor, instagram reels scraper, export instagram followers, instagram lead generation, instagram scraping tool, and instagram search scraping use cases.