/instagram/user/reelsGet Instagram User Reels
Retrieve reels from an Instagram user by user ID or handle. Returns reel metadata including play counts, like counts, and comment counts. Supports pagination.
Overview
Returns every public Reel from an Instagram account, paginated. Each Reel object includes view count, likes, comments, caption, hashtags, audio info, and the playable URL. Cursor-based pagination lets you walk back the full Reels history of an account without hitting depth caps.
This is the workhorse endpoint for any Reels-based workflow: creator analytics, competitor monitoring, content audits, and bulk export. It's what you reach for when you need more than the 12-most-recent that the public profile shows.
Quick Start
curl "https://creatorcrawl.com/api/instagram/user/reels?handle=adrianhorning" \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"Parameters
| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
user_id | string | Optional | Instagram user ID (provide user_id or handle) |
handle | string | Optional | Instagram handle without @ (provide handle or user_id) |
max_id | string | Optional | Pagination cursor from previous response |
Response
{
"items": [
{
"id": "3456789012345",
"code": "ABC123",
"media_type": 2,
"play_count": 125000,
"like_count": 8900,
"comment_count": 234
}
],
"paging_info": {
"max_id": "2987654321",
"more_available": true
}
}Every request costs 1 credit. Response data is live -- never cached.
What you can build
Reels performance dashboards
Pull a creator's full Reels history, compute view-to-follower ratio, posting cadence, and engagement curve. Standard creator-economy use case.
Competitor Reels monitoring
Snapshot a competitor's Reels weekly. Diff the responses to detect new posts, archived posts, and which formats are winning over time.
Reels content audits for brands
Bulk-pull every Reel from a brand-affiliated creator network, attribute mentions and product placements to specific posts, and report reach per asset.
Use Cases
Reels performance tracking
Monitor play counts, likes, and comments across all reels from an Instagram creator.
Content strategy
Analyze which reel formats and topics perform best for a given Instagram account.
Competitor benchmarking
Compare reel performance across Instagram creators in your niche.
Code Examples
import requests
resp = requests.get(
"https://creatorcrawl.com/api/instagram/user/reels",
params={"handle": "adrianhorning"},
headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
data = resp.json()
for reel in data["items"]:
print(f"Reel {reel['code']}: {reel['play_count']} plays, {reel['like_count']} likes")const resp = await fetch(
"https://creatorcrawl.com/api/instagram/user/reels?handle=adrianhorning",
{ headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" } }
)
const { items } = await resp.json()
items.forEach(r => console.log(`Reel ${r.code}: ${r.play_count} plays, ${r.like_count} likes`))Troubleshooting
Empty array for an account that clearly has Reels
The account is either private, restricted in the request region, or temporarily flagged. Try ig-get-basic-profile first to confirm the account is publicly accessible.
Pagination cursor returns the same page twice
Instagram occasionally returns identical cursors during high-write moments. Dedupe on Reel ID; don't trust cursor uniqueness alone.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get Reels data from the official Instagram API?
The official Instagram Graph API only returns Reels for accounts you've been explicitly granted access to via Facebook Business permissions. For competitor or third-party Reels, you need a public-data API like this one.
How many Reels can I get for one account?
Up to Instagram's own depth limit, typically the most recent few thousand for very active accounts. We page in batches of about 12-25 per request.
Does this include Reels that are also cross-posted as feed posts?
Yes. The Reel object reflects the Reel-format engagement, even when the same media is also visible in the feed. Use ig-get-user-posts if you want the feed-post representation.