Slot usage
1 slot
Estimated execution time
~20 seconds per 10 comments (including replies)
What you'll need
- A connected LinkedIn account (use the PhantomBuster browser extension)
-
One or more LinkedIn post URLs
→ See the full breakdown of all input fields in the detailed section below.
What you’ll get
- LinkedIn profile URLs of commenters
- Commenters details
- Comment text, date, and direct comment URL
-
Likes count for each comment
→ See the full breakdown of all output fields in the detailed section below.
Before you start
- Comment volume limits: Large posts (10k–20k+ comments) may not allow full extraction. Consider multiple launches with Watcher mode to capture new activity.
Step 1: Connect your LinkedIn account
To let the Phantom act on your behalf:
- Install the PhantomBuster browser extension and connect your LinkedIn session in one click.
- If you’re not using Chrome or Firefox, you can retrieve your session cookie manually (see our cookie guide).
Check your browser user agent
Make sure your browser is up to date before connecting your account.
→ If your Chrome or Firefox version is outdated, your session cookie may expire much more quickly, and you’ll need to reconnect often.
Step 2: Provide your LinkedIn posts
Tell the Phantom which posts to process. You can provide:
- Paste a single LinkedIn post URL.
- Provide a Google Sheet with LinkedIn post URLs (make sure it’s shared with “Anyone with the link”).
-
Upload a CSV file with LinkedIn post URLs (make sure it’s publicly accessible, and note that CSV upload is only available on paid plans).
→ If you’re using a spreadsheet, the Phantom defaults to the first column (A). To use a different column, enter the column’s header name in the field “Name of column containing post URLs.”
Step 3: Control how many posts and comments are processed
Fine-tune extraction volume:
-
Number of posts to process per launch (optional):
- Leave empty to process all posts in one run (not recommended if your list is large).
- Example: If your sheet has 10 post URLs and you set this to 3, the Phantom will process 3 per run until done.
-
Number of comments to retrieve per post (optional):
- Leave empty to process all available comments.
- Enter a smaller number (e.g. 200) if you only need a sample.
Advanced settings (dropdown in setup)
-
Watcher mode:
- When you enable Watcher mode, the Number of posts to process per launch field disappears.
- This is intentional: Watcher mode tracks new comments only, so the Phantom doesn’t need a fixed post limit.
- The Phantom re-checks the same post URLs on each run, extracting only fresh activity.
If you’ve accumulated many posts (e.g. 100+), stay safe by:
- Spacing out automatic launches.
- Running during working hours.
- Avoiding simultaneous runs of other LinkedIn Phantoms. -
Extract comment replies:
- Enable this to include replies in threads. By default, only top-level comments are extracted.
Result file settings (dropdown in setup)
-
Name your results file (optional)
-
You can customize the file name.
If you rename the file between launches, the Phantom will create a new results file and start processing inputs from scratch.
-
-
Fields to keep (optional)
- Export only the fields you care about by listing them (comma-separated).
Example: profileUrl, job, location. - This generates a second CSV file with just those fields.
- Learn more in our guide: Customize how your Phantom results files are saved.
- Export only the fields you care about by listing them (comma-separated).
Step 4: Select launch frequency
Choose how often the Phantom should run:
- Launch manually: Start the Phantom yourself whenever you need.
- Launch once at a specific time: schedule a one-time run at a set date and time.
- Launch repeatedly: schedule regular runs (e.g. once per day, several times during working hours).
- Launch after another Phantom: chain automations together so this Phantom starts right after another finishes.
- Advanced scheduling: customize the exact minutes, hours, days, or months when the Phantom should run.
→ For a complete walkthrough of scheduling options, see our guide to scheduling Phantoms automatically.
Step 5 (Optional): Advanced settings
Advanced settings are available if you want to fine-tune how your Phantom runs, but by default they’re already optimized for most use cases.
We recommend leaving them as they are unless a guide specifically instructs you to change something.
→ For a detailed overview of all advanced options (like execution limits, retries, email notifications, proxies, webhooks, and file management), see our Advanced settings guide.
Launch and results
When you’re ready:
- Click Launch to start your Phantom.
- Once it finishes, open the Results tab in the Phantom console to see the data collected.
- Download your results as a CSV or JSON file.
→ To learn how to export your data to Google Sheets, integrate with other tools, or reuse it in more automations, check our Access and Export your Phantom Results guide.
Export and input limits on the Free plan
If you’re on the Free plan or Free trial, some features are limited:
- CSV exports include only the first 10 rows of results.
- CSV download links (for dynamic viewing in Google Sheets or integrations) are not available.
- JSON exports are not available.
- CSV upload as an input method is not supported.
To unlock all features, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan.
What you give (Input) and What you get (Output)
This section gives you a detailed breakdown of everything you need to provide to run this Phantom, and everything you’ll receive once it completes.
What you give (Input)
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| LinkedIn cookie | Your LinkedIn session cookie |
| LinkedIn posts | LinkedIn post URLs |
| User agent | Your browser’s user agent. This is detected automatically when you connect your LinkedIn account using the PhantomBuster browser extension (Chrome or Firefox). |
What you get (Output)
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| profileLink | LinkedIn profile URL |
| firstName | First Name |
| lastName | Last Name |
| fullName | Full Name |
| degree | Degree |
| occupation | Current position/job of commenter |
| comment | Text content of each comment |
| commentUrl | Comment Url |
| commentDate | Comment Date |
| likesCount | Likes Count |
| isFromPostAuthor | Is From Post Author |
Tips and troubleshooting
Common pitfalls
- Using a private Google Sheet → make sure it’s shared with “Anyone with the link.”
- Expecting all comments to be retrieved from very large posts → LinkedIn limits practical scraping volume.
- Not getting the expected number of comments → make sure you’ve enabled Extract comment replies (step 3) if you want replies included in the count. By default, only top-level comments are exported.
- Overloading your account by scraping too many comments in one run → use smaller caps and multiple launches.
If you run into issues
- Check how to troubleshoot your Phantom using Logs.
- Browse the Fix Issues & Troubleshoot Errors section for solutions to common problems.
- Review our Automation Rate Limits by Platform guide.
- Check our Best Practices for Social Media Automation guide.
Suggested automations
After exporting commenters, you can:
- LinkedIn Outreach → manage targeted outreach campaigns to commenters, track engagement, and set automated follow-ups in one dashboard.
- LinkedIn Auto Poster → publish your own posts to spark engagement and attract interaction from these commenters.
- LinkedIn Commenter → reply directly to commenters’ posts to build relationships and increase visibility.
- LinkedIn Auto Liker → softly engage with their activity to stay on their radar.