KOLens
Manual

Discovery plans — automated recurring influencer discovery

Last updated: 2026-06-10

In short

A discovery plan re-runs a keyword search on a schedule you set (for example every 168 hours = weekly) and can feed newly found creators straight into a target list. Each run costs the same credits as a manual search of the same size and is skipped safely when your balance is too low. Plans turn one-off research into a pipeline: the niche keeps producing new creators, and your shortlist keeps filling — without anyone remembering to search again.

What it is

A plan is a saved search plus a schedule: name, keyword, platform, optional region, interval_hours, max_videos_per_run, and optionally a target_list_id. The scheduler runs it on cadence, deduplicates against creators you already have, and records what each run found. Plans can be paused and resumed at any time, and run on demand with one click.

Why it matters

A niche keyword is a stream, not a snapshot. The creator who will carry your Q4 campaign may have posted their first viral video last week. Manual re-searching is exactly the kind of work teams forget; a plan does it on schedule and surfaces only what's new. It also smooths credit spend: instead of one big quarterly sweep, you invest a predictable few credits per week.

How to set one up

  1. Open Discovery plans in the app (or POST /api/discovery-plans on the API).
  2. Pick a proven keyword — one that already returned good creators in a manual run. Plans amplify a good query; they don't fix a bad one.
  3. Set the cadence: interval_hours=168 (weekly) suits most niches; fast-moving topics can run daily (24).
  4. Set max_videos_per_run to control cost — 50 videos per run = 5 credits per run.
  5. Point target_list_id at a list so new finds are queued there for triage automatically.
  6. Review per-run output under the plan's Results tab (GET /api/discovery-plans/{plan_id}/results) — next_run_at / last_run_at show the schedule state.

Tip

Use “Run now” (POST /api/discovery-plans/{plan_id}/run-now) right after creating a plan to validate the keyword before the schedule takes over.

Typical scenarios

  • Always-on affiliate recruiting: a TikTok Shop seller runs “phone case” weekly with region=US into a list named Inbox — every Monday the list has fresh, deduplicated candidates to triage.
  • Agency retainers: one plan per client niche; the monthly report writes itself from each plan's run history.
  • Trend watch: a daily 20-video plan on an emerging topic costs 2 credits/day and catches breakout creators within 24 hours.

Advanced usage

  • Pair with watchlist: triage plan output weekly, shortlist into the list, and add real prospects to the watchlist so growth alerts take over monitoring.
  • Budget control: plans skip (not fail) when credits are insufficient, so a low balance never silently drains; pair with the credits-low banner top-up.
  • Ask your agent: via MCP, list_discovery_plans lets Claude review plan freshness and propose cadence changes based on yield.

Frequently asked questions

Do plans re-charge for creators already in my database?

A run is billed by videos scraped (max_videos_per_run), like any search. Known creators are deduplicated in your database — their records get fresher stats rather than duplicates.

What happens if I run out of credits?

The scheduled run is skipped and the plan stays active; the next run happens once you top up. Nothing fails destructively and you're never overdrawn.

How many plans can I run?

There's no hard cap — cost is governed by each plan's size × cadence. Three weekly 50-video plans cost 15 credits/week, a sustainable always-on pipeline for most teams.

Related

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Discovery plans — automated recurring influencer discovery | KOLens