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.

input.json · example based on the deployed schema
{
  "query": "ele"
}

Replace example targets and credential placeholders before running. These are documentation examples, not a promise of currently available source results.

Deployed actor input fields, types, defaults, and descriptions
FieldType / requiredDefaultPurpose
querystringNot specifiedThe 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.
countrystring"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.
adTypestring"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

maxResultsinteger10Return 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)
Deployed actor input fields, types, defaults, and descriptions
FieldType / requiredDefaultPurpose
proxyConfigurationobject{"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.
cacheTtlSecondsinteger00 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

minIntervalMsinteger1000Minimum time between outbound lookups per browser session. Unique queries are serialized with a bounded queue.

Minimum: 500 · Maximum: 10000

requestTimeoutSecsinteger60Total upstream deadline, including browser launch and retries. Queue waiting has a separate 10-second limit.

Minimum: 15 · Maximum: 120

maxRetriesinteger1Retries 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.

Illustrative output shape · not a live run
{
  "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

Instagram

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.

Actor event prices and billing units
Billable eventRate (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.

cURL · start an asynchronous actor run
# 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.json

The 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.

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.