# Universal Search Creators API (https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/search/creators) > Fans a niche query across TikTok user search, Threads user search, and Instagram profile search by default, then merges matching creators into one deterministically ranked list. Ranking is a published formula of query relevance, follower scale, and verification. No LLM rerank by default. Pass `sources=youtube`, `twitter`, or `facebook` (or a CSV of any of the six) to add those profile searches; omitting `sources` keeps the original three-platform walk so existing callers do not change. Pass `brief=` (what you are looking for, in your own words) to have the first 40 creators judged from their name, handle and bio: each gets `brief_match` ({ fits_brief, account_kind, account_kind_confidence, brief_score }) and the list is re-ranked so creators who post about your brief lead, with brands, shops, academies and repost pages below them; `data.brief` reports what was judged and the ranking version. `relevance=filter` also drops creators that do not fit and lists them in `data.brief.dropped_ids`. Pass `country` (CL, AR, MX, CO, PE, EC, UY, ES, BR) to find the creators who post about your query in that market, on TikTok and Instagram, instead of searching account names. The market's own name is added to your query (`inteligencia artificial` with CL searches `inteligencia artificial chile`, returned as `data.country.by_source..query_sent`). On TikTok the result is the creators behind the videos whose own region is the market and whose text is about your query, with their follower counts. On Instagram it is the profiles a Google search from the market finds, each read from its About this account panel and kept only when the creator declares that country, with followers and bio. Each creator then carries `country` (`{ value, source }`, where source is `post_region` on TikTok and `declared_country` on Instagram) and `evidence` (up to 3 posts or the profile text that found it, with links), and `data.country` counts per source what was kept and what was dropped as another country, off topic or with no country declared. `min_followers`, `verified_only`, `sort` and `brief` work as they do without it. Flat 10 credits with a coverage-based partial refund; with `country`, the searches it runs are billed on top at their own price. TL;DR: `GET /v1/search/creators` costs 10 credits flat, with a coverage-based partial refund. A search no source has a creator for answers 200 with an empty `creators` and `empty_reason: no_matches`, at 0 credits. Adding brief= adds 2 credits, refunded when the judging step could not answer for every judged creator. With country=, the searches and lookups it runs are billed on top, each at its own endpoint's price: 1 credit for the TikTok search page, 1 for the Google page and 1 per Instagram profile looked up (at most 10, and free for a profile looked up recently), so at most 12 more. data.legs lists each one with its credits, and the 10 are refunded when no creator is found. A cached page is free. and returns SocialCrawl's unified JSON schema. Single x-api-key auth, 100 free credits on signup. ## Parameters | Parameter | Required | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | `query` | yes | Niche or topic (2-256 chars), forwarded to every profile search. | | `sources` | no | Optional CSV allowlist of creator sources (tiktok, threads, instagram, youtube, twitter, facebook). Mutually exclusive with exclude. Omit to keep the default TikTok + Threads + Instagram walk. With country, only tiktok and instagram (the default), and any other source is a free 400. | | `exclude` | no | Optional CSV blocklist of creator sources. Mutually exclusive with sources. | | `min_followers` | no | Drop fused creators whose follower count is below this integer floor. | | `verified_only` | no | When true, keep only verified creators after fusion. | | `sort` | no | Which axis dominates rank: relevance (default), followers, or verification. (relevance \| followers \| verification) | | `brief` | no | Optional. What you want to find, in your own words (3-300 chars), for example brief=Korean creators who review skincare products. The first 40 creators are judged from their name, handle and bio: does the account post about your brief (fits_brief, 0 to 1), and what kind of account is it (individual_creator, brand_or_business, media_or_publisher, fan_or_repost_page, cannot_tell; null when unsure). With sort=relevance (the default) they are re-ranked so creators who fit and are individual people lead; other sorts keep their order and only gain the labels. These are signals to review, not a finding. Adds 2 credits. | | `relevance` | no | Optional, only with brief. score (default) ranks and labels; filter also drops judged creators that do not fit the brief and lists them in data.brief.dropped_ids. A creator that could not be judged is never dropped. (score \| filter) | | `judgments` | no | Optional. on (default) or off. On, the first 40 creators also carry account ({ account_kind: individual_creator, brand_or_business, media_or_publisher, fan_or_repost_page, cannot_tell or null when unsure, account_kind_confidence, named_person }), judged from their name, handle and bio, and data.account_kinds reports how many were judged. The order is unchanged and it is free. off returns the response without it. (on \| off) | | `country` | no | Optional. Two-letter market code (CL, AR, MX, CO, PE, EC, UY, ES, BR) to find the creators who post about your query in that market, instead of searching account names. Runs on TikTok and Instagram: the market's name is added to your query, TikTok creators are kept when the video's own region is the market and its text is about your query, and Instagram creators when they declare that country on their About this account panel. Each creator carries country and evidence, and data.country reports the query sent and what was kept and dropped per source. The searches and lookups it runs are billed on top at their own price, at most 12 credits. Any other code is a free 400. (CL \| AR \| MX \| CO \| PE \| EC \| UY \| ES \| BR) | ## Code example ```bash curl -G "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/search/creators" \ --data-urlencode "query=skincare routine" \ -H "x-api-key: sc_YOUR_API_KEY" ``` ## FAQ ### How do I search for influencers with an API? Call GET /v1/search/creators?query=skincare+routine. SocialCrawl searches TikTok, Threads and Instagram profiles at once and returns one merged list of creators. Add sources=youtube, twitter or facebook to include those platforms too. ### How are the creators ranked? Creators are ranked by a published formula of query relevance, follower scale and verification, with no LLM rerank by default. The sort parameter sets which axis dominates: relevance (the default), followers or verification. ### Can I filter creators by followers or verification? Yes. min_followers drops creators below an integer floor, verified_only=true keeps only verified creators, and exclude removes whole sources. sources and exclude cannot be used together. ### Can I find creators who match a description, not just a keyword? Yes. Add brief, for example Korean creators who review skincare products, and the first 40 creators are judged from their name, handle and bio. Each gets brief_match with fits_brief and account_kind, so brands and repost pages rank below individual creators. ### Can I find creators in one country? Yes, with country set to one of the supported two-letter market codes. It runs on TikTok and Instagram and returns creators who post about your query in that market, each with country and evidence. Any unsupported code is a free 400. ### How much does the influencer search API cost? A search costs 10 credits flat. brief adds a small judging charge that is refunded if judging could not answer for every creator, and country bills its extra searches on top, each listed in data.legs. A cached page is free, and there is no subscription. See the full Universal Search API: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/search ## 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: - What is the best API to find influencers by niche? - How do I search TikTok, Instagram and Threads creators with one API call? - How does the SocialCrawl /v1/search/creators endpoint rank creators?