Instagram Media Transcript API
Scrape Instagram Media Transcript data with one API call. Returns an AI-generated transcript of the spoken words in an Instagram video or reel. Instagram has no caption track to read, so the audio itself is transcribed: a video with music, sound effects or on-screen text but no speech has nothing to transcribe. Videos up to 10 minutes (600 seconds) are supported. Every outcome below is deterministic for a given URL, so retrying returns the same answer, and none of them costs credits. A video with no speech returns 404 RESOURCE_NOT_FOUND with `error.details.reason: no_speech` (the video exists). A photo post, a carousel of photos, or a URL that no longer resolves returns 404 with `reason: no_video_or_gone`, because Instagram answers those identically. A video longer than 10 minutes returns 400 INVALID_REQUEST with `error.details.reason: video_too_long`, `duration_seconds` and `max_seconds`, and a message giving its length.
Last updated October 2026Maintained by the SocialCrawl team
Returns the spoken words in an Instagram video or reel of up to 2 minutes as text. A video with no speech returns 404 with reason no_speech, free of charge.
Use it when you need what was said in a video rather than its metrics; pass the reel or video URL. Photo posts and videos over 2 minutes cannot be transcribed.
Searching 68 platforms in parallel
What can you do with the Media Transcript API?
The Media Transcript endpoint gives you structured Instagram data with computed fields in a single request. No scraping infrastructure to build or maintain.
Example Request
curl -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
"https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/instagram/media/transcript?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Freel%2FDHsD6HGqJhp%2F"import requests
response = requests.get(
"https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/instagram/media/transcript",
params={
'url': 'https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHsD6HGqJhp/',
},
headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
data = response.json()const response = await fetch(
"https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/instagram/media/transcript?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Freel%2FDHsD6HGqJhp%2F",
{
headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
},
);
const data = await response.json();Parameters
| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| url | Yes | Full URL of the Instagram video or reel (a `/reel/`, `/p/` or `/tv/` link to a video post). Photo posts have no audio to transcribe. |
What does the Instagram Media Transcript API return?
Every response follows one unified schema. Here is a real, unmodified response body, so you can see the exact fields you get back before spending a credit.
Example response
{
"success": true,
"platform": "instagram",
"endpoint": "/v1/instagram/media/transcript",
"data": {
"transcripts": [
{
"id": "3597267389859272809",
"shortcode": "DHsD6HGqJhp",
"text": "Let's fry up the perfect Banh Xeo. Beautiful. Everybody. Shh. The perfect Banh Xeo. Let me show you my Banh Xeo. When it comes down to Banh Xeo, we make it the crispiest. Hear the crunch? Heaven."
}
]
},
"credits_used": 0,
"request_id": "req_example000000",
"cached": true,
"credits_remaining": 9999,
"source": "captured",
"captured_at": "2026-10-02T12:51:32.156Z",
"redacted": true
}Live sample illustrating the unified response shape. Field values reflect the record you query.
How does the Instagram Media Transcript API work?
Send a GET request with your API key and get back clean, structured JSON in our unified schema. Supported computed fields are populated when the source provides the required inputs.
Method
GET
Response
JSON
How do you scrape social media data in seconds?
The fastest social media scraping API for developers. Scrape profiles, posts, comments, and analytics from 68 platforms covering 10B+ monthly active users.
One schema, every platform
Query 68 platforms with identical response structures. Write your integration once.
Computed fields, not just scraped
When an endpoint supports these metrics and the source provides the required inputs, the normalized record includes engagement_rate, estimated_reach, content_category, and language. Ready to use.
See your data before you code
Visual Data Explorer. Paste any URL, get rich result cards, sortable tables, CSV export.
import requests
response = requests.get(
'https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/tiktok/profile',
params={'handle': 'charlidamelio'},
headers={'x-api-key': 'sc_YOUR_API_KEY'}
)
data = response.json(){
"success": true,
"platform": "tiktok",
"data": {
"author": {
"username": "charlidamelio",
"followers": 152400000
},
"engagement": {
"likes": 12400000000,
"engagement_rate": 0.087
},
"metadata": {
"language": "en",
"content_category": "lifestyle"
}
}
}Have a question? We got answers
Find answers to frequently asked questions about SocialCrawl's API, pricing, and capabilities.
Contact usHow do I transcribe an Instagram reel with an API?
What languages does the Instagram transcript endpoint support?
Does the transcript include timestamps?
Can I transcribe any Instagram reel?
How much does the Instagram Reel Transcript API cost?
Ask AI about SocialCrawl
Ready to scrape Instagram Media Transcript data?
Get your API key and start pulling Instagram data in under 60 seconds.
