How to Use the Instagram Following Collector

Before you start

• Awareness of safe usage:
  • Instagram limits vary, so always spread actions across multiple launches during daytime hours.

This Phantom extracts the accounts someone follows. If you need their followers, use the Instagram Follower Collector Phantom instead.

Step 1: Connect your Instagram account

To let the Phantom act on your behalf:

1. Install the PhantomBuster browser extension and connect your Instagram session in one click.
2. If you’re not using Chrome or Firefox, you can retrieve your session cookie manually (see our cookie guide).

Step 2: Provide the profiles to extract followings from

You need to tell the Phantom whose following list (the accounts they follow) you want to extract. 
You can provide input in one of these formats:

1. Paste a single Instagram profile URL.
2. Provide a Google Sheet with Instagram profile URLs (make sure it’s shared with “Anyone with the link”).
3. Upload a CSV file with Instagram profile 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 profile URLs.”

Step 3: Configure following extraction

Choose how many followees you’d like to extract per profile and how many profiles to process per launch.

1. Number of followees to extract per profile (optional):
   • Default = all available followees.
   • Maximum = 7,500 per profile.
2. Number of profiles to process per launch (optional):
   • This only applies when using a spreadsheet or CSV file.
   • Default = 10 profiles per launch.

Result file settings (dropdown in setup)

1. 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.

2. Fields to keep (optional)
   • Export only the fields you care about by listing them (comma-separated).
     Example: username, fullName, isPrivate.
   • This generates a second CSV file with just those fields.
   • Learn more in our guide: Customize how your Phantom results files are saved.

Step 4: Select launch frequency

Choose how often the Phantom should run:

1. Launch manually: Start the Phantom yourself whenever you need.
2. Launch once at a specific time: schedule a one-time run at a set date and time.
3. Launch repeatedly: schedule regular runs (e.g. once per day, several times during working hours).
4. Launch after another Phantom: chain automations together so this Phantom starts right after another finishes.
5. 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:

1. Click Launch to start your Phantom.
2. Once it finishes, open the Results tab in the Phantom console to see the data collected.
3. 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)

What you get (Output)

Tips and troubleshooting

Common pitfalls

• Using a private spreadsheet (make sure it’s set to “Anyone with the link”).
• Confusing followers vs following: This Phantom collects the accounts someone follows, not their followers.
• Instagram limits: While you can request up to 7,500 followings per profile, some profiles may show fewer due to privacy.
• Discrepancies: The number of followings shown on Instagram may not always match the Phantom output, as inactive or restricted accounts are sometimes still counted but cannot be retrieved.

If you run into errors or account 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

These automations work well alongside the Instagram Following Collector Phantom:

• Instagram Following Collector Phantom → Instagram Auto Follow Phantom
  Collect a target account’s following list, then auto-follow those accounts to grow your audience.
• Instagram Following Collector Phantom → Instagram Auto Unfollow Phantom
  Use the collected list later to unfollow accounts and keep your follow ratio balanced.
• Instagram Following Collector Phantom → Instagram Profile Scraper Phantom
  Enrich the accounts you collected (bio, post count, follower count) to qualify prospects.
• Instagram Following Collector Phantom → Instagram Auto Liker Phantom
  Engage with the collected accounts by liking their posts to build familiarity and visibility through consistent engagement.