Pinterest Following Scraper

Pinterest Following Scraper

Pinterest Following Scraper is a purpose-built Apify actor that pulls the full “following” list from public Pinterest profiles. It solves the manual, time-consuming task of extracting usernames, names, profile URLs, bios imagery, and follower/board metrics into clean data. Ideal for marketers, developers, data analysts, and researchers, this Pinterest following scraper enables large-scale audience mapping, competitor research, and influencer outreach with automation-ready CSV/JSON exports.

What data / output can you get?

Below are real output fields this actor streams to the Apify dataset for each followed account. You can export results to CSV or JSON from the dataset.

Data type	Description	Example value
serachUsername	Lowercased source username the list was scraped for	"candyw8119"
username	Pinterest handle of the followed account	"janedoe"
full_name	Display name of the followed account	"Jane Doe"
profileUrl	Direct link to the followed profile	"https://www.pinterest.com/janedoe"
follower_count	Number of followers the account has	12450
pin_count	Total pins created/saved by the account	327
board_count	Total boards the account has	28
image_medium_url	Medium-sized profile image URL	"https://i.pinimg.com/280x280_RS/avatar.jpg"
image_large_url	Large-sized profile image URL	"https://i.pinimg.com/600x600_RS/avatar.jpg"
pin_thumbnail_urls	Array of recent pin thumbnail URLs	["https://i.pinimg.com/75x75/pin1.jpg", "https://i.pinimg.com/75x75/pin2.jpg"]
is_verified_merchant	Merchant verification flag	false
is_private_profile	Privacy flag for the account	false
explicitly_followed_by_me	Whether the source explicitly follows this user	false
domain_verified	Whether the account’s domain is verified	false
recent_pin_images	Raw recent pin images object for context	{"192x": [{"url": "https://i.pinimg.com/192x/pin.jpg"}]}

Note: Some fields may be empty strings, empty arrays, or zero when Pinterest does not provide the value for a given profile.

Key features

• 🚀 Fast, resilient pagination Fetches following pages from Pinterest’s UserFollowingResource with up to 50 results per page and streams data live to the dataset for real-time results.

• 🧪 Intelligent anti-blocking Starts with no proxy, then automatically falls back to datacenter and finally residential proxies if blocking is detected—logging every transition and sticking with residential thereafter.

• 🧰 Bulk input support Accepts multiple sources via the sources array (profile URLs, @usernames, or usernames) to scrape Pinterest following lists at scale.

• 💾 Clean CSV/JSON export Results are written to the Apify dataset as structured items, ready for CSV/JSON export for analysis, enrichment, or reporting.

• 🧱 Robust retry & backoff Handles transient errors and block statuses with exponential backoff, 1–2s jitter between pages, and up to three retries where appropriate.

• 🧑‍💻 Developer-friendly Python actor Built on apify==3.1.0 with aiohttp for efficient pagination and streaming writes, making it easy to automate and integrate into pipelines.

• 🔐 Cookie-based access Uses your _pinterest_sess cookie for authenticated requests to public endpoints, ensuring consistent data retrieval.

• 🏗️ Production-ready reliability Clear logging, run summary saved to the key-value store, and safety limits help you operate repeatably in automated workflows.

How to use Pinterest Following Scraper - step by step

1. Sign in to your Apify account and open the Pinterest Following Scraper.
2. Prepare your input list for sources. You can paste profile URLs or @usernames (e.g., "https://www.pinterest.com/CandyW8119/" or "@someuser").
3. Add your Pinterest session cookie in pinterestSess. Use the value of the _pinterest_sess cookie from your browser.
4. Set maxComments to control how many followed users to collect per input. The actor enforces a runtime cap of 1,000 even if you set a higher number.
5. Configure proxyConfiguration as needed. By default, the actor starts with no proxy; on block it falls back to datacenter, then residential (sticky).
6. Click Start. The actor normalizes inputs to usernames and begins fetching the following list, writing each item live to the dataset.
7. Monitor logs for progress, pagination, and any proxy fallback messages.
8. When finished, go to the run’s Dataset tab to download results in CSV or JSON.

Pro tip: For large batches, keep maxComments reasonable (e.g., <= 500) and let the proxy fallback mechanism handle blocks automatically.

Use cases

Use case name	Description
Competitor research – following mapping	Analyze who a competitor follows to uncover partners, niches, and content influences; export to CSV/JSON for fast insights.
Influencer outreach – audience discovery	Identify followed creators and brands from target profiles to build curated outreach lists.
Audience analysis – market segmentation	Enrich BI dashboards by aggregating following lists with follower/board counts and verification signals.
Social listening – thematic tracking	Track followed accounts for trend monitoring and content curation pipelines.
Data enrichment – CRM/analytics	Append profileUrl, follower_count, and metadata to existing records for deeper segmentation and scoring.
Academic research – network studies	Map public following relationships to study communities, interests, and information flow.
Developer pipeline – automated export	Integrate dataset results into ETL jobs through the Apify platform for repeatable Pinterest following export workflows.

Why choose Pinterest Following Scraper?

Built for precision, automation, and reliability, this Pinterest user scraper focuses specifically on exporting the following list from public profiles.

• ✅ Accuracy-first extraction: Normalizes sources to usernames and transforms each profile into structured fields with consistent keys.
• 🌍 Scales with bulk inputs: Process multiple usernames/URLs in one run to scrape Pinterest following lists across many profiles.
• 💻 Developer friendly: Python-based actor (apify==3.1.0, aiohttp) with streaming writes for easy automation.
• 🔄 Robust anti-blocking: Automatic proxy fallback chain (none → datacenter → residential) with retries and exponential backoff.
• 💾 Ready-to-use exports: Clean CSV/JSON dataset output for analytics, enrichment, or reporting without manual cleanup.
• 🛡️ Safer than extensions: Avoid fragile browser extensions; run on Apify’s infrastructure with transparent logs and run summaries.

In short, it’s a production-ready Pinterest following extractor designed to power automation and analysis workflows reliably.

Is it legal / ethical to use Pinterest Following Scraper?

Yes—when used responsibly. This actor accesses public endpoints and collects data from public profiles. You should:

• Only collect publicly available information and respect Pinterest’s terms.
• Comply with applicable data protection laws (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).
• Avoid scraping private profiles or bypassing access controls.
• Consult your legal team for edge cases or jurisdiction-specific requirements.

Input parameters & output format

Example JSON input

{
  "sources": [
    "https://www.pinterest.com/CandyW8119/"
  ],
  "pinterestSess": "YOUR__pinterest_sess_COOKIE",
  "maxComments": 120,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}

Parameter reference

• sources (array, required): List of Pinterest profile URLs, @usernames, usernames, or keywords. Prefill example: ["https://www.pinterest.com/CandyW8119/"].
• pinterestSess (string, optional): Required Pinterest session cookie value (_pinterest_sess). The actor will fail if this is not provided.
• maxComments (integer, optional, default: 100, min: 1, max: 100000): Maximum number of following users to collect per input. Note: The actor enforces a runtime cap of 1,000 per input for reliability.
• proxyConfiguration (object, optional): Starts with no proxy. On block: fallback to datacenter; if blocked again, switch to residential and stick with it. Prefill: {"useApifyProxy": false}.

Example dataset item (single result)

{
  "serachUsername": "candyw8119",
  "node_id": "1234567890",
  "pin_thumbnail_urls": [
    "https://i.pinimg.com/75x75/pin1.jpg",
    "https://i.pinimg.com/75x75/pin2.jpg"
  ],
  "blocked_by_me": false,
  "image_medium_url": "https://i.pinimg.com/280x280_RS/avatar.jpg",
  "type": "user",
  "id": "987654321",
  "username": "janedoe",
  "is_verified_merchant": false,
  "explicitly_followed_by_me": false,
  "is_default_image": false,
  "recent_pin_images": {
    "192x": [
      { "url": "https://i.pinimg.com/192x/pin.jpg" }
    ]
  },
  "pin_count": 327,
  "board_count": 28,
  "image_xlarge_url": "https://i.pinimg.com/600x600_RS/avatar.jpg",
  "image_large_url": "https://i.pinimg.com/474x/avatar.jpg",
  "verified_identity": {},
  "follower_count": 12450,
  "domain_verified": false,
  "contextual_pin_image_urls": {},
  "is_private_profile": false,
  "full_name": "Jane Doe",
  "last_pin_save_time": "2026-03-20T10:22:00",
  "profileUrl": "https://www.pinterest.com/janedoe"
}

Run summary (saved to the key-value store under the key SUMMARY)

{
  "processed_inputs": 1,
  "total_users_saved": 120,
  "proxy_mode_used": "residential",
  "proxy_groups": "RESIDENTIAL"
}

Notes:

• Some fields may be empty or zero when Pinterest does not provide them for a profile.
• Items are pushed to the dataset in real time as pages are fetched.

FAQ

Do I need to provide a Pinterest login or cookie?

Yes. You must provide the _pinterest_sess cookie via the pinterestSess input. The actor uses this cookie to perform authenticated requests against public endpoints, enabling consistent pagination and data retrieval.

Does this scrape followers or following?

It collects the following list from public profiles. If you specifically need to scrape Pinterest followers, consider a dedicated followers scraper; this actor is optimized to scrape Pinterest following lists.

How many profiles can I export per run?

You control this with maxComments per input. While the schema allows up to 100000, the actor enforces a runtime cap of 1,000 per input for reliability. Data streams to the dataset as it’s collected for fast Pinterest following export workflows.

What formats can I download the data in?

Results are written to the Apify dataset, so you can export in CSV or JSON directly from the run’s Dataset tab. This makes it easy to build a Pinterest following list downloader for analytics and CRM enrichment.

How does it handle blocking?

The actor begins without a proxy. If a request is blocked (401/403/429/503), it automatically switches to a datacenter proxy; if blocking persists, it switches to a residential proxy and sticks with it. It also retries with exponential backoff and adds a 1–2s jitter between pages.

Can I use this with APIs or Python scripts?

Yes. The actor is built on apify==3.1.0 (Python) and streams results to the dataset in real time. You can orchestrate runs via the Apify API and integrate the outputs into your pipelines, making it a developer-friendly Pinterest user scraper.

What data fields are included?

Each item includes structural fields like username, full_name, profileUrl, follower_count, pin_count, board_count, image URLs, pin_thumbnail_urls, and verification/privacy flags. It also includes recent_pin_images for context, aligning with a Pinterest following data scraper output.

Is scraping Pinterest data legal?

Yes—when done responsibly. This actor collects from public endpoints. Always respect Pinterest’s terms and applicable laws, avoid private profiles, and consult legal counsel for your specific use case.

Closing thoughts

Pinterest Following Scraper is built to automate clean, structured extraction of the public following list from Pinterest profiles. With bulk inputs, streaming dataset writes, robust proxy fallbacks, and CSV/JSON exports, it’s ideal for marketers, researchers, and developers who need reliable Pinterest following data at scale. Use the Apify API to automate runs and wire results into your analytics or enrichment pipelines—start extracting smarter audience insights and accelerate your outreach and research today.