Influify helps brands connect with relevant Instagram creators across Europe. Founded by Gary Lude, a former Google Cloud engineer, the company automates influencer discovery and outreach at scale.
Instead of relying on existing influencer databases, Gary built a pipeline that combines Google's Custom Search API with Apify's Instagram Profile Scraper to identify creators in specific niches and regions.
"We're using Google Custom Search API to find influencers by genre and city. Then, with Apify, we pull their follower counts, bios, and post data - all the information we need to decide whether to reach out."
-- Gary Lude, Founder, Influify
Google Search to inbox in one pipeline
The workflow is fully automated. Google Custom Search API finds Instagram URLs that include email addresses. This list of usernames goes to Apify's Instagram Profile Scraper, which returns follower counts, bios, and post stats. Everything lands in Google BigQuery, then Google Cloud Functions automatically fires off outreach emails.
Gary designed the entire system using Google Cloud tools. The result: approximately 10,000 outreach emails for a total cost of around $18 - including scraping, storage, and email delivery.
Scaling across Europe for pennies
From every 1,000 emails, Influify typically sees 5-10 responses and 1-2 platform registrations - a conversion rate around 0.5-1%. For the cost, Gary considers that a win.
With extraction, enrichment, and emailing all automated, Influify scales outreach across multiple countries without manual work. "We're scraping country by country across Europe," Gary says. "Once we finish Instagram, we might move to TikTok."
"The scraper just works. We never had issues. It's stable and integrates perfectly with our backend.
-- Gary Lude, Founder, Influify"
Why not just build it yourself?
As a developer, Gary initially built his own scrapers - but maintaining proxies and IP rotation proved too complex. After testing alternatives, he chose Apify for its pricing, API integration, and reliability.
"I tried building scrapers myself, but you need rotating IPs and proxies. Apify just worked - stable and cheaper." He adds: "It's just easy. That's why I use Apify. If I had to do it myself, I could, but I'd rather save time."
Expanding the pipeline
While Influify focuses on Instagram for now, Gary plans to explore TikTok scraping once the European campaign wraps. He's also eyeing the Facebook Ad Scraper to spot brand-influencer collaborations for competitive insights.
Want to build your own influencer pipeline? Start with Instagram Profile Scraper and connect it to your own stack.
