API SolutionInstagram Video Transcription API for Reels and Posts
Transcribe Instagram Reels, video posts, and carousel videos using automatic speech recognition. Get accurate, timestamped transcripts in clean JSON format.
What is the Instagram Video Transcription API?
The Instagram Video Transcription API uses speech-to-text technology to generate transcripts from Instagram video content. This includes Reels, video posts, and videos within carousel posts. The API processes the audio track to produce accurate text with precise timestamps. For carousel posts with multiple videos, you can transcribe individual videos or all videos at once.
Supported Instagram content
Instagram Reels
Short-form vertical videos up to 90 seconds. Provide the Reel URL and get the full transcript.
Video Posts
Standard video posts in the Instagram feed. Single videos or specific videos from carousels.
Carousel Videos
Multiple videos in a single post. Transcribe one video with img_index or all videos with all_videos parameter.
Important: Transcribe endpoint only
Instagram videos are processed via the /v1/transcribe endpoint using speech-to-text. The transcript retrieval endpoint is not available for Instagram content. This API generates transcripts from the audio track rather than retrieving embedded captions.
What data is returned?
- Full transcript with word-level timestamps (start/end times)
- Video metadata: caption, thumbnail URL, duration
- Creator information: username, profile URL
- Engagement stats: views, likes (when available)
- For carousels: total items, video count, combined duration
- Structured segments for each video
- Post URL and creation timestamp
Example use cases
Transcribe influencer Reels to analyze messaging, brand mentions, and content themes at scale.
Track competitor Instagram content by transcribing their videos for keyword and topic analysis.
Build searchable archives of Instagram video content for brand monitoring and trend detection.
API workflow
- 1.Send POST to /v1/transcribe with Instagram URL
- 2.API downloads video and extracts audio
- 3.Speech-to-text generates transcript
- 4.Response returns transcript + metadata
Code examples
Integrate the Instagram Transcription API with these examples. Note the carousel-specific parameters.
The documentation includes an interactive playground to test API calls.
Response structure
Single video (Reel or post)
{
"status": "success",
"data": {
"video_info": {
"title": "Instagram Reel by @creator",
"description": "Amazing content! Check this out #reels #viral",
"thumbnail": "https://scontent-lhr6-1.cdninstagram.com/v/...",
"url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/ABC123xyz/",
"channel": "@creator",
"channel_url": "https://www.instagram.com/creator/",
"duration": 32.5,
"views": 150000,
"likes": 8500
},
"transcript": [
{ "start": 0.0, "end": 2.8, "text": "Let me show you this trick." },
{ "start": 2.8, "end": 6.4, "text": "First, you need to do this step." },
{ "start": 6.4, "end": 10.1, "text": "Then watch what happens next!" }
]
}
}Carousel with all_videos=true
{
"status": "success",
"data": {
"carousel_info": {
"total_items": 5,
"video_count": 3,
"image_count": 2,
"transcribed_count": 3,
"total_duration": 85.5
},
"videos": [
{
"index": 1,
"status": "success",
"video_info": { "duration": 28.5, ... },
"transcript": [
{ "start": 0.0, "end": 3.2, "text": "Welcome to part one..." }
]
},
{
"index": 2,
"status": "success",
"video_info": { "duration": 32.0, ... },
"transcript": [...]
},
{
"index": 3,
"status": "success",
"video_info": { "duration": 25.0, ... },
"transcript": [...]
}
]
}
}Why use VidNavigator for Instagram transcription?
Our speech-to-text engine transcribes 1 hour of video in under 30 seconds. Instagram Reels are processed almost instantly.
Transcribe Instagram videos in over 99 languages with high accuracy.
Transcribe specific videos by index or all videos in a carousel with a single request.
Scale up to as low as $0.0041 per minute of video. Even cheaper for Enterprise plans.
Pricing
Start free. Speech-to-text scales up to as low as $0.0041 per minute. Transcribe 1 hour for as low as $0.25. Enterprise plans available at even lower rates.