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How to

# How to get Instagram video transcripts with an API

Instagram's Graph API does not return what is said in a Reel. Here is an API that does.

**Short answer**

POST Reel URLs to the **Instagram Transcript Scraper** through Apify's run-sync endpoint. The response is JSON with the transcript, segments, caption and stats for each Reel.

## A real use case

A social listening tool indexes Reels that mention a brand. Each new Reel URL is sent to the API and the transcript is stored for search.

## Step by step

1. **Get an Apify token**.
2. **POST Reel URLs** (or a profile) to the endpoint.
3. **Parse the JSON** response.

### Input (paste into the JSON tab)

```
{
  "urls": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dd-VQPnRz0t/"
  ],
  "includeSegments": true
}
```

### Call it from code

```
curl -X POST \
  "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/scrape-lads~instagram-transcript-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"urls": ["https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dd-VQPnRz0t/"]}'
```

### What you get back

```
{
  "status": "ok",
  "platform": "instagram",
  "transcript": "Here is how I plan a week of posts...",
  "segments": [
    {
      "start": 0.0,
      "end": 3.1,
      "text": "Here is how I plan"
    }
  ],
  "durationSec": 38
}
```

Trimmed example. Names and numbers are illustrative; your run returns real data with more fields.

## Tips

- Use `profiles` with `postedWithinDays` to fetch only new Reels from an account.
- Add `outputFormats: ["srt"]` for subtitle files.

## What it costs

$1.50 per 1,000 transcripts.

Plus a small per-run start fee. Apify's free plan includes monthly credit, enough to test. Check the listing for current pricing.

## FAQ

**Do I need a Meta developer app?**

No. No Instagram login, app review or Graph API token.

## Related

- [**Instagram Transcript Scraper**](https://apify.com/scrape-lads/instagram-transcript-scraper?utm_source=scrapelads&utm_medium=site&utm_campaign=how-to-get-instagram-video-transcripts-with-an-api&utm_content=instagram-transcript-scraper) Reels and video posts turned into text with timestamps. $1.50 / 1,000 transcripts.
- [How to get the transcript of a TikTok video](/how-to/get-tiktok-video-transcript/)
- [How to transcribe Instagram Reels to text](/how-to/transcribe-instagram-reels/)
- [How to download YouTube transcripts in bulk](/how-to/download-youtube-transcripts-in-bulk/)
- [How to transcribe a Twitter (X) video](/how-to/transcribe-twitter-x-video/)
- [How to get a recipe from a TikTok video](/how-to/get-recipe-from-tiktok-video/)
- [All How To guides](/how-to/)

## Try it on your own data

Paste the input above, run it, and see your results in a couple of minutes.
[Open Instagram Transcript Scraper](https://apify.com/scrape-lads/instagram-transcript-scraper?utm_source=scrapelads&utm_medium=site&utm_campaign=how-to-get-instagram-video-transcripts-with-an-api&utm_content=instagram-transcript-scraper)