Shortlist podcasts for outreach

The published Apple Podcasts Scraper use cases include creating shortlists for media buying or outreach from topic, country, and public show metadata. Search finds candidate shows via the official iTunes Search API. A watchlist refresh re-resolves the collection IDs you keep through the iTunes Lookup API. Official Apple/iTunes endpoints. No proxy is required.

Try Input: search + limit 3 ≈ $0.0125 total (incl. Start $0.005). From $2.50/1k.

Try the cheapest first paid Apple Podcasts / iTunes search on Apify Input

Search, then watchlist, then optional reviews

Use this page when the job is a reusable list of public shows. Use Apple Podcasts Chart Scraper when the job is storefront rank movement. Use Apple Podcasts Reviews Scraper after you have collection IDs and need public ratings.

Step Actor / input What you keep
Find candidates Apple Podcasts Scraper searchTerm collectionId, showName, publisher, sourceUrl
Optional rank context chartRequests snapshot, or Chart Scraper rank on chart rows only
Refresh the list lookupIds watchlist Updated show metadata without a new search
Optional reputation Reviews Scraper podcastIds Public review rows or one rating report

This Actor does not score “fit,” rank outreach priority, or invent audience size. Rank is not a download count or advertising guarantee.

Search for candidate shows

Keyword search is the lowest-friction way to find public shows in Apple Podcasts. Set searchTerm. At least one of searchTerm, chartRequests, or lookupIds is required. country is the ISO storefront for the search (default us). limit is the maximum number of podcasts returned (1–200; live default and Store prefill 3). Start with limit 3. See the cheapest Apple Podcasts first paid run.

{
  "searchTerm": "technology",
  "country": "us",
  "limit": 3,
  "includeEpisodes": false
}

Search rows are source-linked dataset items. Sample rowType is podcast_search_result. Documented fields include collectionId, showName, publisher, country, sourceUrl, and fetchedAt. rank is null on search rows; rank belongs to chart requests. This Actor does not document genre filters, review text, contact emails, or pagination beyond limit.

See Apple Podcasts search discovery (iTunes Search API).

Keep collection IDs as the shortlist

Apple Podcasts collection IDs are stable identifiers for recurring checks. After a search run, export the default dataset and keep the collectionId values you want on the list. You can also take an ID from an Apple Podcasts URL (id1535144780 → 1535144780). A public RSS feed does not search the Apple directory; search is for discovery when you have a topic, not a feed URL. See RSS feed vs iTunes Search.

The shortlist is the set of IDs and source URLs you keep. Use the public fields that are present: show name, publisher, country, and Apple page URL.

Refresh the shortlist with a watchlist

Pass those IDs as lookupIds. Lookup uses the official iTunes Lookup API. Recurring refreshes re-check show metadata without running a new keyword search.

{
  "lookupIds": ["1535144780"],
  "country": "us",
  "includeEpisodes": false
}

Documented lookup fields include collectionId, showName, publisher, country, sourceUrl, and fetchedAt. Set includeEpisodes true only when recent episode titles help the shortlist; that path is slower. Empty or no-change watchlist polls are described as avoiding payable default-dataset writes when nothing is saved.

For the complete published history of a show you already know, read that show’s public RSS feed. See RSS vs Apple Podcasts Scraper and Refresh Apple Podcasts watchlists (iTunes Lookup API).

Run search and watchlist refreshes on Apify Input

How do I shortlist podcasts for outreach with Apple Podcasts Scraper?

Run a small searchTerm query against the official iTunes Search API for the topic and country you care about. Review the default dataset and keep collectionId values for the shows you want. On later runs, pass those IDs as lookupIds through the iTunes Lookup API. Leave includeEpisodes false until the show list is useful. The Actor does not score fit, rank outreach priority, or invent audience size.

Does this Actor find contact emails or audience size?

No. This Actor does not document genre filters, review text, contact emails, or pagination beyond limit. Use the public fields that are present: show name, publisher, country, and Apple page URL. Do not invent audience figures from rank or search position.

Should I use charts instead of search for outreach?

Search is the lowest-friction way to find public shows by topic. Charts snapshot who is ranking on a storefront; rank is null on search rows. Use chartRequests when the shortlist should start from official rankings. For new, changed, or dropped Top Podcasts positions, use Apple Podcasts Chart Scraper instead of joining snapshots yourself.

When should I attach reviews to a shortlist?

After you have collection IDs. Apple Podcasts Reviews Scraper reads public Customer Reviews RSS for podcastIds you already have. Apple Podcasts Scraper does not return review text. Get IDs first with search or a watchlist refresh, then pass them to Reviews Scraper if reputation context is required.

How is Apple Podcasts Scraper priced for this workflow?

Billing is pay-per-event: Actor start plus one result event per default-dataset item. The published Store price is $0.005 per Actor start and $2.50 per 1,000 dataset results ($0.0025 per row). Empty no-change watchlist polls are described as avoiding payable default-dataset writes when nothing is saved.

Should I repeat searchTerm instead of switching to lookupIds?

After you keep collectionId values, later runs should pass those IDs as lookupIds. Recurring refreshes re-check show metadata without a new keyword search. See One-time export vs iTunes watchlist lookup.

Does a search shortlist include chart rank?

No. rank is null on search rows. Use chartRequests when the shortlist should start from official rankings. Rank is catalog metadata, not audience size.

Can I attach reviews before I have collection IDs?

No. Apple Podcasts Reviews Scraper needs podcastIds you already have. Get IDs first with search or a watchlist refresh, then pass them to Reviews Scraper if reputation context is required.

Does this workflow dump a show’s full episode catalog?

No. Leave includeEpisodes false until the show list is useful. For a known show’s complete published history, read that show’s public RSS feed. includeEpisodes is recent episode context, not a full-catalog dump.

Where do I send the shortlist after a dataset export?

Start with delivery set to dataset. After the payload is approved, you can set delivery to webhook and provide webhookUrl (Slack, Discord, Zapier, or any HTTP endpoint). Use dryRun to test without dataset writes or webhooks.

How to run it

  1. Open Apple Podcasts Scraper, then the Actor on the Apify Store.
  2. Run a small searchTerm query for the topic and country you care about. Leave includeEpisodes false until the show list is useful.
  3. Review the default dataset. Keep collectionId values for the shows you want on the shortlist.
  4. On later runs, pass those IDs as lookupIds. Use delivery: "dataset" until the payload is approved, then webhook plus webhookUrl if you want HTTP delivery (Slack, Discord, Zapier, or any HTTP endpoint). Use dryRun to test without dataset writes or webhooks.

Billing is pay-per-event: Actor start plus one result event per default-dataset item. The published Store price is $0.005 per Actor start and $2.50 per 1,000 dataset results ($0.0025 per row).

From $2.50 per 1,000 results

Open Apple Podcasts Scraper Input on Apify

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