4. Where to find leads

Once you know who you’re targeting, the next step is figuring out where to find them.

Instagram is basically a living directory of your ideal customers, you just need to know which buckets to pull from. The goal is to scrape people who are active, relevant, and already signaling interest in your niche.

Here are the best places to scrape leads on IG:

Competitor Followers

Your competitors have already done the work of attracting your target audience. Scraping their followers is a goldmine.

• Look for accounts in your niche with 5k–50k followers

• Prioritize ones with high engagement (likes, comments)

• These followers are warm—they’ve shown interest in offers like yours

💡 Example: If you're selling to realtors, scrape the followers of a big real estate coach or real estate company

Niche Hashtags

Hashtags are perfect for finding active users, since most people using them are trying to get discovered.

• Search hashtags like #realtorlife, #ecomfounder, #gymowner, etc.

• Sort by Recent, not Top—this helps avoid dead/inactive accounts

• Great for scraping users who are currently posting and promoting themselves

💡 Tip: Hashtags work especially well for local businesses (e.g., #njrealtor, #phillyfitness)

Location-Based Searches

If you're targeting local service providers, location searches can help find profiles in specific areas.

• Search by place (e.g., "Scottsdale, AZ")

• Scrape recent posts tagged in that area

• Combine with hashtags or account types to narrow in (e.g., #realestate + Miami)

Industry Influencers

Big influencers often have ultra-engaged followers. These people are actively looking for help, growth tips, or services.

• Look for creators who speak to your audience, not just people with clout

• Scrape followers and commenters—commenters tend to be even more engaged

💡 Example: A business coach's comment section is full of founders hungry for help.

Niche Directories & Curated Pages

There are accounts that repost and promote businesses in a specific niche (e.g., @nycrealtors or @blackownedmedspas). These are great places to find qualified leads fast.

• Scrape their followers

• Scrape people featured in their posts

• Often highly specific to location + niche

The goal here is precision. Don’t just scrape random people. Scrape buckets of relevance—so when you DM them, the message feels aligned from the start.