Building 98 Production Actors on Apify Store in Six Months.

Olivier Reynaud· July 22, 2026 View original

Summary

A developer shares their experience of successfully building 98 production-ready "Actors" on the Apify Store within six months. The key to success was focusing on niche areas rather than popular, saturated markets like LinkedIn or Amazon.

A developer recounted their journey of creating and deploying a significant number of production-grade "Actors" on the Apify Store, achieving a count of 98 within a half-year period. The core insight from this experience was the importance of strategic niche identification. Initially, the developer considered popular platforms such as LinkedIn, Amazon, and Instagram for their Actors. However, the most profitable and successful ventures emerged from less competitive, specialized niches where existing solutions were scarce. This approach allowed for greater market penetration and financial returns.

Why it matters

This post offers valuable strategic advice for developers and entrepreneurs looking to succeed in platform marketplaces, emphasizing the importance of identifying underserved niches rather than competing in saturated popular areas.

How to implement this in your domain

  1. 1Conduct thorough market research to identify underserved niches within your target platform or industry.
  2. 2Prioritize developing solutions for specific, less competitive problems rather than broad, popular ones.
  3. 3Analyze existing marketplace offerings to pinpoint gaps where unique value can be added.
  4. 4Iterate quickly on niche-focused products to capture early market share.
  5. 5Leverage platform-specific tools and documentation to optimize development and deployment.

Who benefits

Software DevelopmentE-commerceData ScienceConsultingMarket Research

Key takeaways

  • Success in platform marketplaces often comes from targeting niche problems.
  • Avoid saturated markets where competition is high.
  • Strategic market research is crucial for identifying profitable opportunities.
  • Rapid development and deployment in niche areas can yield significant returns.

Original post by Olivier Reynaud

"Like every new Store developer, my instinct was LinkedIn, Amazon, and Instagram. The Actors that actually paid off were the ones in niches nobody else had built."

View on X

Originally posted by Olivier Reynaud on X · view source

Want to go deeper?

Turn these trends into skills with Learnijoy's hands-on AI & tech courses.

Explore courses