Instagram Search
Instagram Search results are public profiles matched to a name, keyword, or topic, with usernames, biographies, profile images, verification, privacy, and visible account signals. These records support creator discovery, brand research, audience screening, and profile enrichment.
Features
- Profile keyword searchSearch public Instagram profiles by keyword, handle, name, or account phrase.
- Profile identity and countsReturn username, display name, biography, profile URL, avatar, verification, privacy, and visible count fields for each profile result.
- Consistent profile schemaReturn the same normalized profile shape across broad keywords, names, and exact-handle searches.
- Requested result capUse results_limit to set the maximum number of profile records requested for a search.
- Public data boundaryKeep private, restricted, removed, or login-only profile data outside the response boundary.
Parameters
| Parameters | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
query | Required | Search keyword, handle, or profile phrase. |
results_limit | Optional | Maximum number of records the collection task should request. Must be a positive integer. |
How to Use
Submit a profile search query as an asynchronous task, poll its task ID, then read normalized profile results with cursor pagination.
- Prepare a non-empty profile keyword, handle, or search phrase.
- POST query and an optional results_limit to /v1/instagram/search.
- Poll /v1/tasks/{task_id} until the status is succeeded or failed.
- Read /v1/tasks/{task_id}?limit=50 and follow results.next_cursor when more profiles exist.
curl -X POST "https://api.socq.ai/v1/instagram/search" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $SOCQ_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"query":"sustainable travel","results_limit":25}'
# Poll GET /v1/tasks/{task_id}, then read /v1/tasks/{task_id}?limit=50 and use data.results.Best Use Cases
- Creator discovery: Find public profiles connected to a keyword, handle, category, or campaign phrase before deeper enrichment.
- Account enrichment: Resolve public profile identity, biography, verification, privacy, and visible count fields for selected search results.
- Brand discovery: Find public brand and organization profiles connected to a name, product category, or market phrase.
- Research directories: Build reviewable lists of public Instagram profiles for research, outreach qualification, or internal analysis.
- Profile selection workflows: Choose relevant profiles, then call the posts, Reels, or followers-count APIs for deeper public records.
Pro Tips
- Treat 429 responses as normal pressure signals in search workflows; use backoff and smaller result windows instead of retrying aggressively.
- Store task IDs, stable profile IDs, usernames, and canonical URLs so searches can be replayed and audited.
- Use search results for profile discovery, then call posts, Reels, or followers-count APIs when your workflow needs deeper records.
- Keep private, login-only, or account-owned data out of the integration assumptions unless published API docs explicitly support it.
- Sanitize user-provided search terms before sending them through any production pipeline.
Related APIs
Use these APIs when you need a different type of public Instagram data.
- Instagram Followers Count API — Retrieve public profile identity and visible follower, following, and post counts.
- Instagram Posts API — Collect public posts, media, hashtags, mentions, timestamps, and engagement by username.
- Instagram Reels API — Collect public Reels, media, audio, hashtags, mentions, and engagement by username.
- Instagram Comments API — Collect public comments, authors, timestamps, likes, and replies from post URLs.
Combine Instagram data with public data from other supported social platforms.