Apify actor · whoareyouanas/meta-brand-dropdown-search
Meta Ad Library Brand Search & Page ID Finder
Resolve a brand name or prefix into Meta Ad Library advertiser suggestions. Retrieve ranked candidate pages and Page IDs for competitor selectors, advertiser discovery, and downstream ad searches.
Documentation checked 2026-10-29 · deployed build 0.1.6 · run through your Apify account
01 / Overview
Match the actor to the job.
Brand-to-Page-ID lookup
Search one brand phrase or prefix and review ranked advertiser candidates.
Verify the candidate
Use category, social links, and verification context to choose the intended advertiser.
Dropdown API workflow
Use the documented Standby endpoint for a search interface or run a bounded lookup through Apify.
02 / Input
Start with a clear, bounded input.
Use one non-empty query per lookup with country, ad type, and result controls when needed. This is an advertiser-suggestion search, not a batch of keywords or an ad-copy search.
{
"query": "ele"
}Replace example targets and credential placeholders before running. These are documentation examples, not a promise of currently available source results.
| Field | Type / required | Default | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| query | string | Not specified | The single brand name or partial name to search, such as ele, Nike or Spotify. Required for every lookup; use 2–200 characters. Standby requests send this field to /search instead of setting it at server startup. |
| country | string | "ALL" | ALL or a two-letter ISO country code such as US, GB or IN. This selects Meta's search context, not the advertiser's headquarters. |
| adType | string | "ALL" | Meta Ad Library ad category. Availability of regulated categories varies by country. Options: ALL, POLITICAL_AND_ISSUE_ADS, HOUSING_ADS, EMPLOYMENT_ADS, FINANCIAL_PRODUCTS_AND_SERVICES_ADS |
| maxResults | integer | 10 | Return up to this many ranked Facebook advertiser suggestions. Meta controls the available dropdown results; raising this limit does not add pagination. Minimum: 1 · Maximum: 50 |
All other input controls (5)
| Field | Type / required | Default | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| proxyConfiguration | object | {"useApifyProxy":true,"apifyProxyGroups":["RESIDENTIAL"]} | Residential proxies are the cloud default for Meta Ad Library access. Apify bills proxy traffic separately. Direct access is available when your network supports it. |
| cacheTtlSeconds | integer | 0 | 0 fetches live results (default). Set up to 300 to reuse recent results in a warm Standby run. fresh=true bypasses this cache. Minimum: 0 · Maximum: 300 |
| minIntervalMs | integer | 1000 | Minimum time between outbound lookups per browser session. Unique queries are serialized with a bounded queue. Minimum: 500 · Maximum: 10000 |
| requestTimeoutSecs | integer | 60 | Total upstream deadline, including browser launch and retries. Queue waiting has a separate 10-second limit. Minimum: 15 · Maximum: 120 |
| maxRetries | integer | 1 | Retries retryable upstream errors with a new browser/proxy session, within the same time limit. Minimum: 0 · Maximum: 2 |
03 / Output
Know what each returned row represents.
- Rows contain query context, rank, page identity, category, available verification or social fields, and source links.
- Verification badges do not prove that a similarly named page is the brand you intended. Social and country fields can be null.
{
"query": "ele",
"country": "US",
"adType": "ALL",
"rank": 1,
"pageId": "114803668557265",
"pageName": "Eleven Media Group",
"category": "Newspaper",
"pageAlias": "ElevenMediaGroup",
"pageUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/ElevenMediaGroup",
"libraryUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?active_status=all&ad_type=all&country=US&view_all_page_id=114803668557265&search_type=page",
"likes": 20753610,
"verification": "BLUE_VERIFIED",
"igUsername": "elevenmediagroup",
"igUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/elevenmediagroup/",
"igFollowers": 124480,
"igVerification": true,
"advertiserCountry": null,
"source": "meta_ad_library_typeahead",
"fetchedAt": "2026-10-28T13:07:13.794Z"
}Example values illustrate the published contract. Available fields and populated values depend on the source, mode, and result status.
Fields in the documented output view
query
Query
country
Country
rank
Rank
pageId
Page ID
pageName
Advertiser
category
Category
likes
Facebook likes
pageAlias
Facebook alias
verification
Verification
igUsername
igFollowers
IG followers
igVerification
IG verified
libraryUrl
Ad Library
pageUrl
Facebook page
logoUrl
Logo
fetchedAt
Fetched at
Output views select columns. They do not necessarily filter record types or exhaust the full JSON payload. Use structured JSON when you need nested arrays or objects.
Dataset links and run artifacts (3)
- Advertiser suggestions
- Available through the actor's Output tab for your run.
- Single search outcome (normal runs)
- Available through the actor's Output tab for your run.
- Search request history (Standby runs)
- Available through the actor's Output tab for your run.
04 / Pricing
Understand the billable unit.
These are the active public event prices checked on 2026-10-29, in USD. They describe each event, not a universal flat price for a run. Confirm your current Apify plan and run budget before starting.
| Billable event | Rate (USD) | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
Actor Start apify-actor-start | $0.00005 / event | Charged when the Actor starts running. Number of events charged depends on Actor memory (one event per GB, minimum one event). Start units depend on allocated memory: one event per GB, with at least one event. |
result apify-default-dataset-item | $0.004 / event | Single result in the default dataset. $4.00 per 1,000 of this event. Other events and separate services are additional. |
- Budget the current per-result event and memory-based startup event for actor runs.
- Standby/API use has its own request behavior and charging context. Review the current README and Pricing tab rather than assuming every response is a free cached lookup.
A result limit and a spending cap are different controls. Account charges, applicable taxes, and separately billed providers or proxies must be considered where relevant. A cap setting is not a minimum invoice charge.
05 / API & automation
Use the same input from your workflow.
Test a small run in Apify Console, inspect its records and charges, then save a task or call the actor from your own application. Keep your Apify token in an environment variable. Source-specific credentials, if required, are separate from the Apify API token.
# Save the input example as input.json and set APIFY_TOKEN.
# This request starts an asynchronous, potentially billable run.
curl --request POST \
'https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/whoareyouanas~meta-brand-dropdown-search/runs' \
--header "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data @input.jsonThe response identifies the run. Wait for it to finish, inspect its status, and use its default dataset and key-value store to retrieve results. A successful run can still contain partial or failed records; check the output contract above before continuing downstream.
Coverage & interpretation
Check the result before relying on it.
- Typeahead suggestions are ranked candidates, not a complete export of every matching advertiser.
- One query can return several brands or Pages; confirm the identity before sending a Page ID to another actor.
Questions
Before you build an integration.
What do I need to provide?
Use one non-empty query per lookup with country, ad type, and result controls when needed. This is an advertiser-suggestion search, not a batch of keywords or an ad-copy search.
What should I check in the output?
- Rows contain query context, rank, page identity, category, available verification or social fields, and source links.
- Verification badges do not prove that a similarly named page is the brand you intended. Social and country fields can be null.
How do I budget the run?
- Budget the current per-result event and memory-based startup event for actor runs.
- Standby/API use has its own request behavior and charging context. Review the current README and Pricing tab rather than assuming every response is a free cached lookup.
Keep exploring
Practical guides for the next step.
How to Export Meta Ads from Facebook Ads Library for Competitor Research
Learn how to export Meta Ad Library ads, organize creatives, find winning angles, and turn competitor Facebook and Instagram ads into useful strategy.
Read the guideIs That Meta Ad Still Running? Check an Ad Library ID
Look up a saved Facebook or Instagram ad, distinguish inactive ads from failed lookups, and build a status history you can trust.
Read the guide