# Instagram Post Stats API (https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/instagram/post-stats)

> Returns full engagement stats for a single Instagram post or reel: likes, comments, the view (play) count, and the share count (`engagement.shares`), which is the number shown next to the paper-plane Share icon in the app. The share count is a strong authenticity signal: unlike likes and comments, shares are hard to inflate, so it helps separate genuine reach from bought engagement. The standard /v1/instagram/post endpoint cannot return the share count. Metric availability depends on the media type: likes and comments populate on every post, but Instagram exposes a view (play) count and a share count only on video media (reels, videos, and carousels containing a video). On photo posts and photo-only carousels, `engagement.views` and `engagement.shares` are `null`, and because `computed.estimated_reach` and `computed.engagement_rate` derive from views, they are `null` there too. When Instagram's response for a reel includes the save count and the two-arrows Repost ("regram") counter, the plain call returns them at `engagement.saves` and `post.ext.repost_count`; Instagram includes them on some responses and not others, so do not rely on the plain call for them. Instagram publishes no save count and no share count on photos and carousels, so `engagement.saves` is null there on every call. Every post carries `post.ext.media_type` (`image`, `video` or `carousel`), a carousel carries its slide count at `post.ext.carousel_count`, and a reel carries Instagram's remix counter at `post.ext.remix_count` (how many reels were made from it). `include=saves` is the reliable way to get them: it asks a third source for a reel's save and repost count whenever the plain call came back without them, for 4 extra credits kept only when a save count comes back; a photo or carousel is never looked up. Use this endpoint for a single post; to get the share count for every reel or post across a whole feed in one call, use /v1/instagram/profile/reels/full or /v1/instagram/profile/posts/full. This endpoint also returns the post's collaborative-post co-authors under `post.ext.coauthors` (`{ id, username, full_name, is_verified, profile_pic_url }` per account, empty array when the post is not a collab): the standard /v1/instagram/post endpoint cannot, because its web source reports every post as having no co-authors. Pass the post `url` (a /p/, /reel/, or /tv/ link; story URLs are not accepted, list a user's active stories with /v1/instagram/stories instead).

TL;DR: `GET /v1/instagram/post/stats` costs 5 credits for the post. include=saves holds 4 more and keeps them only when it fills a save count the plain call lacked, refunding them otherwise, so a hydrated call is at most 9 credits; on a reel whose save count the plain call already carries, and on any photo or carousel, it settles at 5. Post lookups are cached for 10 minutes. and returns SocialCrawl's unified JSON schema. Single x-api-key auth, 100 free credits on signup.

## Parameters

| Parameter | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `url` | yes | URL of the Instagram post (a /p/, /reel/, or /tv/ link). A share link copied from the app (`instagram.com/share/...`) works too; a share link to a profile is refused at no charge with the handle to send, and a dead one is a free 404. |
| `safe_url` | no | When true, returns URL-safe media links suitable for embedding. |
| `include` | no | Set to `saves` (one token only) to ask a third source for a reel's save count (`post.engagement.saves`) and repost count (`post.ext.repost_count`) when the plain call returned without them. 4 extra credits, kept only when a save count comes back; a repeat within the cache window is 0. Photos and carousels are never looked up, because Instagram publishes no save count on them. Adds 3 to 6 seconds when a lookup runs; read `data.hydration` for the credits held and kept and the time. (saves) |

## Code example

```bash
curl -G "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/instagram/post/stats" \
  --data-urlencode "url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CnpPou9hWqq/" \
  -H "x-api-key: sc_YOUR_API_KEY"
```

## FAQ

### How do I get the share count for an Instagram post?

Send a GET request to /v1/instagram/post/stats with the post URL in the url parameter. The response returns likes and comments for any post, and on video media (reels, videos, carousels with a video) also engagement.shares (the number next to the paper-plane Share icon) and the view count. Photo posts have no public view or share count on Instagram, so those two fields are null there.

### Why can't the standard post endpoint return share count?

The standard /v1/instagram/post endpoint reads a data source that does not carry the share number. This stats endpoint fans out to the source that exposes engagement.shares, which is why it returns the share count and the standard endpoint cannot.

### Why does the share count matter for authenticity?

Shares are hard to inflate compared with likes and comments, so a healthy share count relative to reach is a strong authenticity signal when you are vetting an influencer or checking whether engagement is genuine.

### Does it return the save count or the repost count?

On reels, yes, with include=saves: the save count arrives at engagement.saves and the two-arrows Repost counter at post.ext.repost_count. Instagram publishes no save count on photos and carousels, so engagement.saves is null there.

### What post URLs and pricing does the endpoint use?

It accepts /p/, /reel/, and /tv/ links in the url parameter and costs 5 credits per call on the advanced tier. New accounts get 100 free credits with no card, so you can try it first.

See the full Instagram API: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/instagram

## Pricing

- Standard endpoints: 1 credit per call
- Advanced endpoints: 5 credits per call
- Premium endpoints: 10 credits per call
- 100 free credits on signup, no credit card required. Cached responses cost 0 credits. Credit packs never expire.
- Full pricing: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/pricing

## Explore with AI

Questions this API answers, phrased for an AI assistant:

- How to get the share count for an Instagram post or reel
- Which Instagram API returns share count next to the paper-plane icon