See llms.txt for all machine-readable content.

Back to Templates

Analyze Instagram reels and log transcripts and stats with Apify and Sheets

Created by

Created by: Yely Shepetko || yely
Yely Shepetko

Last update

Last update 6 hours ago

Categories

Quick overview

This workflow reads Instagram Reel URLs from Google Sheets, sends them to the Apify Instagram Reel Analyzer to extract captions, transcripts, key stats, and a contact-sheet image, then writes the results back into the same spreadsheet.

How it works

  1. Runs when manually executed in n8n.
  2. Reads rows from Google Sheets and keeps only entries with a non-empty reel_url and an empty status.
  3. Batches the selected Reel URLs and sends each batch to the Apify (yely/instagram-reel-analyzer) Actor to fetch transcript, caption, frames contact sheet, and engagement stats.
  4. Matches each Apify result back to its original Google Sheets row (using the input URL or reel shortcode) and formats fields safely for Sheets.
  5. Updates the corresponding rows in Google Sheets with status, metadata, transcript, stats, contact sheet URL, and analysis timestamp, then continues with the next batch.

Setup

  1. Create a Google Sheet with header columns: reel_url, status, username, caption, transcript, language, likes, comments, duration_sec, posted_at, contact_sheet_url, analyzed_at.
  2. Add Google Sheets credentials in n8n and select the target spreadsheet and sheet tab in both the read and update steps.
  3. Create an Apify token-based HTTP Header Auth credential with Authorization: Bearer YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN and select it for the Apify HTTP request.
  4. In the Google Sheets update step, set Mapping Column Mode to auto-map and match rows on row_number so updates write back to the correct rows.
  5. Paste Reel links into the reel_url column, leave status blank for new items, and execute the workflow.

Requirements

  • Apify account with an API token (the Actor costs $0.02 per analyzed reel)
  • Google account with Google Sheets and a Google Sheets OAuth2 credential in n8n
  • Public Instagram reel links (private or deleted reels come back as failed and are not charged)

Customization

  • Change the batch size in Loop Over Items (default 15, the Actor accepts up to 50 links per call)
  • Replace the manual trigger with a schedule to process new links automatically
  • Add an AI vision node after Update Rows to analyze the hook, format and CTA from the transcript and contact sheet

Additional info

Contact sheet links are stored in your Apify run storage and expire with your plan's data retention, so copy any images you want to keep. Failed, partial and rejected reels are not charged; clear the status cell to retry a row.