Weekly Sports Follower data entry
Budget: $8 – $15 USD
You're right to second-guess the script. Here's the honest breakdown of the grey area problem:
Instagram — no legitimate public API for follower counts since 2019. Any script that pulls Instagram follower counts is either scraping the front-end (violates Instagram's ToS) or using unofficial API endpoints (also violates ToS). Instagram actively detects and blocks this. Scripts break every few weeks when Instagram updates. A freelancer maintaining this is basically running a cat-and-mouse game with Meta's anti-scraping team on your behalf.
Twitter/X — has an official API but it now costs $100/month minimum for basic access. Free tier doesn't include follower counts. Any free solution is scraping.
Facebook — actually has a legitimate free Graph API for public page data including follower counts. This one is clean.
TikTok — has a Research API but requires approval and is restricted.
So yes — manual is actually cleaner here. Here's why:
A human going to each profile and reading the number is 100% legitimate. No ToS issues, no scripts breaking, no grey area. The data is publicly visible. Reading it manually and entering it into a spreadsheet is exactly what a researcher does.
Revised job posting for a manual data entry person:
Title: Weekly Sports Social Media Follower Count Tracker — Manual Data Collection
Description:
I run a sports brand intelligence platform and need someone to manually collect and record social media follower counts for approximately 200 professional sports teams and athletes every Monday morning.
What you'll do:
Visit the official social media profiles for each entity on my list and record the current follower count. That's it — no scraping, no scripts, no automation. Just visit each profile, read the number, enter it in the spreadsheet.
Platforms to check:
Instagram (primary — most important)
Twitter/X
Facebook
TikTok (lower priority, skip if time is tight)
Deliverable:
A completed Excel/CSV file delivered to me every Monday by 10am Eastern with this structure:
Entity Name | Platform | Follower Count | Snapshot Date
Dallas Cowboys | instagram | 4200000 | 2026-07-14
Patrick Mahomes | instagram | 3800000 | 2026-07-14
I will provide the complete list of all 200 entities with their exact profile URLs so you don't have to search for anything — just click the link, read the number, enter it.
Time estimate: 3-4 hours per week once you have a rhythm. Probably faster after the first two weeks.
What I'm looking for:
Detail-oriented — accuracy matters more than speed
Reliable — I need this every Monday without chasing you
Good communication — let me know if an account is deleted, renamed, or private
Long-term relationship — this is ongoing weekly work, not a one-time job
Instagram — no legitimate public API for follower counts since 2019. Any script that pulls Instagram follower counts is either scraping the front-end (violates Instagram's ToS) or using unofficial API endpoints (also violates ToS). Instagram actively detects and blocks this. Scripts break every few weeks when Instagram updates. A freelancer maintaining this is basically running a cat-and-mouse game with Meta's anti-scraping team on your behalf.
Twitter/X — has an official API but it now costs $100/month minimum for basic access. Free tier doesn't include follower counts. Any free solution is scraping.
Facebook — actually has a legitimate free Graph API for public page data including follower counts. This one is clean.
TikTok — has a Research API but requires approval and is restricted.
So yes — manual is actually cleaner here. Here's why:
A human going to each profile and reading the number is 100% legitimate. No ToS issues, no scripts breaking, no grey area. The data is publicly visible. Reading it manually and entering it into a spreadsheet is exactly what a researcher does.
Revised job posting for a manual data entry person:
Title: Weekly Sports Social Media Follower Count Tracker — Manual Data Collection
Description:
I run a sports brand intelligence platform and need someone to manually collect and record social media follower counts for approximately 200 professional sports teams and athletes every Monday morning.
What you'll do:
Visit the official social media profiles for each entity on my list and record the current follower count. That's it — no scraping, no scripts, no automation. Just visit each profile, read the number, enter it in the spreadsheet.
Platforms to check:
Instagram (primary — most important)
Twitter/X
TikTok (lower priority, skip if time is tight)
Deliverable:
A completed Excel/CSV file delivered to me every Monday by 10am Eastern with this structure:
Entity Name | Platform | Follower Count | Snapshot Date
Dallas Cowboys | instagram | 4200000 | 2026-07-14
Patrick Mahomes | instagram | 3800000 | 2026-07-14
I will provide the complete list of all 200 entities with their exact profile URLs so you don't have to search for anything — just click the link, read the number, enter it.
Time estimate: 3-4 hours per week once you have a rhythm. Probably faster after the first two weeks.
What I'm looking for:
Detail-oriented — accuracy matters more than speed
Reliable — I need this every Monday without chasing you
Good communication — let me know if an account is deleted, renamed, or private
Long-term relationship — this is ongoing weekly work, not a one-time job