/apify-influencer-discovery

name: apify-influencer-discovery
description: Find and evaluate influencers for brand partnerships, verify authenticity, and track collaboration performance across Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.
risk: critical
source: community
date_added: "2026-09-04"

Influencer Discovery

Discover and analyze influencers across multiple platforms using Apify Actors.

When to Use

• You need to discover creators or influencers for outreach, partnerships, or campaign planning.
• The task is to evaluate authenticity, engagement, niche fit, or audience signals across social platforms.
• You need Apify-based extraction plus a shortlist or summary of suitable influencer candidates.

Prerequisites

(No need to check it upfront)

• `.env` file with `APIFY_TOKEN`
• Node.js 20.6+ (for native `--env-file` support)
• `mcpc` CLI tool: `npm install -g @apify/mcpc`

Workflow

Copy this checklist and track progress:

Task Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Determine discovery source (select Actor)
- [ ] Step 2: Fetch Actor schema via mcpc
- [ ] Step 3: Ask user preferences (format, filename)
- [ ] Step 4: Run the discovery script
- [ ] Step 5: Summarize results

Step 1: Determine Discovery Source

Select the appropriate Actor based on user needs:

| User Need | Actor ID | Best For | |-----------|----------|----------| | Influencer profiles | `apify/instagram-profile-scraper` | Profile metrics, bio, follower counts | | Find by hashtag | `apify/instagram-hashtag-scraper` | Discover influencers using specific hashtags | | Reel engagement | `apify/instagram-reel-scraper` | Analyze reel performance and engagement | | Discovery by niche | `apify/instagram-search-scraper` | Search for influencers by keyword/niche | | Brand mentions | `apify/instagram-tagged-scraper` | Track who tags brands/products | | Comprehensive data | `apify/instagram-scraper` | Full profile, posts, comments analysis | | API-based discovery | `apify/instagram-api-scraper` | Fast API-based data extraction | | Engagement analysis | `apify/export-instagram-comments-posts` | Export comments for sentiment analysis | | Facebook content | `apify/facebook-posts-scraper` | Analyze Facebook post performance | | Micro-influencers | `apify/facebook-groups-scraper` | Find influencers in niche groups | | Influential pages | `apify/facebook-search-scraper` | Search for influential pages | | YouTube creators | `streamers/youtube-channel-scraper` | Channel metrics and subscriber data | | TikTok influencers | `clockworks/tiktok-scraper` | Comprehensive TikTok data extraction | | TikTok (free) | `clockworks/free-tiktok-scraper` | Free TikTok data extractor | | Live streamers | `clockworks/tiktok-live-scraper` | Discover live streaming influencers |

Step 2: Fetch Actor Schema

Fetch the Actor's input schema and details dynamically using mcpc:

export $(grep APIFY_TOKEN .env | xargs) && mcpc --json mcp.apify.com --header "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" tools-call fetch-actor-details actor:="ACTOR_ID" | jq -r ".content"

Replace `ACTOR_ID` with the selected Actor (e.g., `apify/instagram-profile-scraper`).

This returns:

• Actor description and README
• Required and optional input parameters
• Output fields (if available)

Step 3: Ask User Preferences

Before running, ask: 1. **Output format**:

• **Quick answer** - Display top few results in chat (no file saved)
• **CSV** - Full export with all fields
• **JSON** - Full export in JSON format

2. **Number of results**: Based on character of use case

Step 4: Run the Script

**Quick answer (display in chat, no file):**

node --env-file=.env ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "ACTOR_ID" \
  --input 'JSON_INPUT'

**CSV:**

node --env-file=.env ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "ACTOR_ID" \
  --input 'JSON_INPUT' \
  --output YYYY-MM-DD_OUTPUT_FILE.csv \
  --format csv

**JSON:**

node --env-file=.env ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "ACTOR_ID" \
  --input 'JSON_INPUT' \
  --output YYYY-MM-DD_OUTPUT_FILE.json \
  --format json

Step 5: Summarize Results

After completion, report:

• Number of influencers found
• File location and name
• Key metrics available (followers, engagement rate, etc.)
• Suggested next steps (filtering, outreach, deeper analysis)

Error Handling

`APIFY_TOKEN not found` - Ask user to create `.env` with `APIFY_TOKEN=your_token` `mcpc not found` - Ask user to install `npm install -g @apify/mcpc` `Actor not found` - Check Actor ID spelling `Run FAILED` - Ask user to check Apify console link in error output `Timeout` - Reduce input size or increase `--timeout`

Limitations

• Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
• Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
• Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.