🚀 How I Built an Instagram Scraper with Automation (Step by Step)
In today’s digital world, content creators live and breathe by data. Whether it’s tracking what competitors are posting, analyzing engagement patterns, or simply saving inspiration, having access to Instagram insights is a goldmine.
That’s why I built a simple Instagram scraper workflow — powered by n8n + Ampify API + Google Sheets — that automatically pulls posts, captions, likes, and comments from any public profile.
And here’s the cool part: it runs every single day without me lifting a finger.
🎬 The Backstory
As a creator, I always wondered:
Sure, I could scroll through profiles manually, but that’s tedious. Instead, I wanted something automated, repeatable, and easy to share with others.
⚙️ The Workflow (Step by Step)
1. Input Form → Username
It all starts with a simple form where I enter the Instagram username. For the demo, I used my own profile.
2. API Call → Scraping the Profile
Using Ampify’s Instagram scraping API, the workflow fetches all the profile data:
All of this comes in raw JSON format.
3. Data Formatting → Clean Results
Next, I use n8n’s data formatter to clean and map the JSON into a readable structure.
4. Google Sheets → Store & Track
Finally, everything is sent into Google Sheets. Now, instead of scrolling Instagram, I have a live database that refreshes daily with competitor content.
đź“Š Why This Matters
The best part? Once set up, it runs on autopilot. No manual scraping, no wasted time.
đź”® Final Thoughts
This project showed me just how powerful automation can be. What started as a simple curiosity — “Can I scrape Instagram data automatically?” — turned into a repeatable system that saves time, brings clarity, and opens up new service opportunities.
And honestly, that’s the beauty of AI + automation: once you set it up, you can focus less on repetitive tasks and more on creating.
👉 Would you use this scraper for your content strategy, or even sell it as a service?