What is this Google scraping trick?
There's a search operator most marketers have never tried that surfaces creator emails directly from Google's index. If you need to build an influencer outreach list without paying for a tool like Modash or Creator.co, this workflow gets you there.
The core search string:
site:instagram.com "@gmail.com" + {KEYWORD}Swap {KEYWORD} for your niche — say, fitness, skincare, or sourdough. Google returns Instagram profiles that have a Gmail address visible in their bio. Run variations with different keywords and you can pull thousands of leads in an afternoon.
How do you turn raw results into a usable list?
- Scrape the results. Use a browser extension or a simple Python script to grab the text from search result pages. Tools like SerpAPI or Bright Data can automate this at scale.
- Extract emails with regex. A basic email regex pattern (
[a-zA-Z0-9._%+-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,}) pulls addresses from the raw text. Run it in Python, a Google Sheet with a custom formula, or a regex tool like regex101. - Verify before sending. Upload the list to a service like MillionVerifier. Unverified lists tank your sender reputation fast — according to Mailchimp, bounce rates above 2% can get your account suspended.
- Send the cold outreach. Load verified emails into a cold email tool like Instantly.ai. Keep the message short: who you are, what you sell, and a direct ask for their post rate.
How do you decide which creators to work with?
Ask every creator for their rate. Take the cheapest ones who fit your brand. This isn't about finding the biggest names — it's about finding the lowest CPM.
Once you've run a batch of posts, look at actual results: click-through rates, conversions, or whatever metric ties to revenue for you. Track links using a tool like Shortimize or Viral.app so you can attribute performance to individual creators.
The ones who perform best move to two things:
- A retainer arrangement for ongoing posts
- Paid ad spend behind their content (also called whitelisting or boosting)
Boosting organic creator content as paid ads lets you skip creative production costs and test what's already resonating with a real audience. According to Meta's internal data, ads using creator content see up to 45% lower cost-per-result compared to standard brand creative.
What are the limits of this approach?
A few things to keep in mind:
- This finds creators who publicly listed a Gmail. Many creators use business emails or contact forms — you'll miss them.
- Cold email laws vary by country. CAN-SPAM (US), CASL (Canada), and GDPR (EU) all have different rules around commercial outreach to individuals. Check what applies to you.
- Response rates on cold outreach to creators are low — expect 5-15% depending on your offer and niche. Volume matters here.
- Cheap isn't always efficient. A creator with 8,000 engaged followers in your exact niche will often beat a 200,000-follower generalist on CPM.
This workflow won't replace a full influencer strategy, but as a way to bootstrap creator partnerships without a budget for platforms, it's a practical starting point.