A side project that finds potential influencers for WhatsApp status ads in minutes, not days — without writing a custom scraper from scratch.
The Problem
When running WhatsApp Status Ads campaigns, the hardest part is not creating the ads — it's finding the right accounts to work with.
Manually browsing Instagram, TikTok, or other platforms to collect influencers' contact info is slow, boring, and often incomplete.
I wanted a repeatable, automated way to find:
- micro-influencers in a specific niche,
- their public contact details,
- their engagement data.
Why Apify
Sure, I could write my own scrapers.
But here’s the reality:
- Dealing with selectors that change weekly = maintenance hell.
- Setting up proxies = \$\$\$ and pain.
- Handling captchas = more wasted time.
With Apify, I could:
- Use ready-made actors for Instagram, TikTok, and more.
- Automate the process with minimal code.
- Get structured data (JSON/CSV) directly.
The Workflow
1. Pick the right actor
For Instagram, I used the Instagram Scraper actor.
It lets you search by hashtags, locations, or usernames.
// Example: Searching Instagram for accounts in "fitness"
const client = require('apify-client')({
token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN
});
await client.actor('apify/instagram-scraper').call({
search: '#fitness',
resultsType: 'posts',
resultsLimit: 100,
});
2. Filter for potential ad partners
Once I had the data, I filtered accounts that:
- Have 1k–10k followers (micro-influencers).
- Post regularly in stories.
- Include a contact method (email/WhatsApp link).
3. Build a clean outreach list
I exported the filtered data into Google Sheets so I could share it with my team and start outreach right away.
The Results
- Setup time: ~20 minutes.
- Data collected: 100+ potential ad partners.
- Cost: ~\$5 in Apify credits (with free tier included).
- Manual work saved: easily 6+ hours.
No-Code Method for Marketers
If you’re not technical — you can still do this without touching a line of code:
- Sign up for Apify (free tier available).
- Go to the Apify Store → choose an actor like “Instagram Scraper”.
- Enter your search term (e.g.,
#fitness,#travel). - Run the actor → download results as CSV.
- Open in Google Sheets → filter by follower count and engagement.
- You now have a ready-made influencer list for outreach.
Why This Matters
If you run messaging app ads or other niche campaigns, automation can:
- cut lead-sourcing time by 90%,
- keep your pipeline fresh,
- scale outreach without burnout.
And if you’re not into building your own scrapers, Apify gives you hundreds of ready-to-use ones.
💡 Bonus: New Apify users can start with free credits → Sign up here.
Top comments (1)
Great approach! Using Apify to find WhatsApp ad leads is smart since it saves time and avoids scraper maintenance. If someone struggles with data filtering, I’d suggest adding Apify’s integrations with Google Sheets or Zapier — this way, leads flow in automatically and stay updated without manual exports. That keeps your outreach pipeline fresh with zero extra effort.