How to See Facebook Ads of Competitors: A Practical Guide for Startups

Facebook remains a dominant platform for digital advertising, with over 2.8 billion monthly active users and over 10 million advertisers. Startups can leverage their extensive reach and targeting capabilities.

Learning how to see Facebook ads of competitors allows startups to identify best practices, avoid common pitfalls, and adapt strategies to enhance their own marketing efforts. Read this article to learn about:

• Benefits of analyzing Facebook competitor ads for startups
• Methods and free tools to see competitors' Facebook ads
• Tips for effective searches
• Advanced strategies for Facebook ad competitive analysis
• Other tools for Facebook competitor ad analysis
• How you can use competitor ads to improve your Facebook ad campaigns

Benefits of analyzing Facebook competitor ads for startups

A recent report states that startups identified customer acquisition as their biggest challenge. In essence, most startups struggle with finding paying customers for their products. Facebook ads are an efficient and cost-effective way for startups to reach a wide audience that they can convert to paying customers. Here are other benefits of analyzing competitor ads on Facebook.

Understanding market trends

Analyzing Facebook competitor ads helps startups stay updated with the latest market trends, including popular products, promotional methods, and consumer preferences. For instance, competitors may be using more user-generated content or may use influencers. These could point to the audience being more receptive to these kinds of content. 

Identifying new market opportunities

If you lack the resources for extensive market research, analyzing Facebook competitor ads allows you to get insights into potential new opportunities. For instance, if a competitor starts advertising a new product, it’s possible they have discovered patterns in the market that informed that.

Identifying successful ad strategies

Studying successful ads from competitors gives you an extra creative perspective and allows you to see visual, copy, and creative elements that you can incorporate into your Facebook ads. Here is an example of a Monday.com Facebook Ad.

The ad copy reads, "Manage properties, agents, pipelines, and more with a powerful CRM that connects all the dots." This communicates the USP in direct terms.

Then, the visual element shows a simple but powerful before-and-after state, which lets the audience know that they can organize their untidy work with Monday.com. The ad then closes with a strong CTA to start a free account.

Ads like this show that you can pass powerful messages using the right visual elements. 

Learning from competitors’ mistakes

When you search Facebook ads of competitors, you also want to avoid the pitfalls in their ads. Some basic errors are too much text, not adding any value, using generic stock images, and wrong targeting.

Differentiating your brand from the competition

The goal of analyzing your competitor’s Facebook ad is not to copy them entirely. Rather, you want to look at ways through which you can be different and stand out. When analyzing competitor ads, consider customer unmet needs and see how you can address them. That way, you stand out.

Saves cost and boosts ROI

Effective competitor analysis can optimize ad spend by focusing on the most impactful strategies. Startups can learn where competitors are investing and the outcomes of those investments, enabling better budget allocation.

Methods and free tools to see Facebook ads of competitors

Keeping an eye on competitor ads can provide great insights into market trends, successful strategies, and potential opportunities. Facebook offers several tools and features to help startups access and analyze these ads effectively.

Using the Meta Ad Library

The Facebook Ad Library allows you to see competitor ads on Facebook. It is valuable for startups looking to understand their competitors' advertising strategies on the platform. Here is a step-by-step guide to accessing and using the Ad Library:

1. Access the Ad Library: Visit the Ad Library from your Facebook profile or search for “Facebook Ad Library” on Google and click the top result. That takes you to the page below.

2. Start your search: There are two basic filters, one for location and the other for ad category. Set the location by clicking on the country and clicking on the Ad category to select the ad category you want to view. You want to set that to “All ads”

Enter the name of your competitor, the name of their Facebook page or the relevant keywords in the search bar. When entering a keyword or the name of your competitor, you will find a dropdown list of other advertisers with the same or similar names. Ensure you click on the right one, and you can see competitors' Facebook ads.

3. Analyze ad content: The Ad Library displays active and inactive ads associated with a page, including visuals, ad copy, and the start and end date of the ad. You will also see how many ads they have run and the last time they launched an ad.

Next, you want to scroll the ad and click on ‘see ad details.’ You will then see details, such as

• ‍Ad status: Whether the ad is active or inactive.‍
• Ad start date: The date the ad ran. This will help you understand the frequency of your competitor ads.‍
• The platforms: This tells you other platforms you can find the ad, such as Instagram, Messenger, or Audience network.‍
• Ad category: This shows your competitor’s ad category.

For inactive ads, you will see additional details, such as:

• ‍Estimated audience size: Audience that met the targeting criteria for the ad.‍
• Amount spent: Total budget spent on the ad.‍
• Impressions: Total number of people that saw the ad.

Now, to the Facebook ad. Each ad will show the ad copy, creative, heading, CTA button and landing page URL.

See competitor Facebook ads via Facebook profile

You can also find Facebook competitor ads via the business's Facebook page, and it is not an entirely different process, except this, you start from your competitor's Facebook page. Here are the steps.

1. Open the competitor’s Facebook page and click on ‘About,’ then click on ‘Page transparency.’

2. On the page transparency page, you will find some basic details about the competitor, such as:

• Date of page creation.
• The admins running the page.
• The entity in charge of the page.
• If the page is currently running ads.

Next, click on ‘See all,’ and that will bring up another page from where you can then click on ‘Go to Ad library.’

EU transparency

The EU transparency is a section within the ad that shows the EU ad audience, the age of the target audience, and the reach is the total number of people that saw the ad. It also shows the reach by location, age and gender, which gives you a better insight. Only ads targeting or within the European Union will have this extra section.

Tips for effective searches

• Use broad keywords: Start with broad search terms that help you get a broader view of the competitive environment. It also allows you to find other competitors that you may not know about.
• Check multiple competitors: Analyze ads from various competitors to get balanced insights. Analyzing multiple competitor ads also allows you to study patterns. For instance, if multiple competitors are bidding on a keyword that you have not considered, it’s very likely that the keyword is effective.
• Monitor regularly: The idea of startups is built around a dynamic mindset. Regular checks can help you stay updated on new campaigns and strategic shifts.

Advanced strategies for Facebook ad competitive analysis

To effectively leverage the insights from Facebook’s Ad Library, startups can employ advanced strategies that go beyond basic ad viewing. By utilizing Facebook's search features and systematically analyzing competitor ads, startups can optimize their own advertising strategies.

Keyword-based searches

Use specific keywords to discover how competitors are positioning their products or services. This allows you to see the types of ads competitors are running and the messaging they are using.

Using search filters 

• Filtering by country: See how competitors tailor their campaigns to different markets. Psychographics usually differ by region. So, a type of messaging that might work for a US audience may fail if applied to a UK audience, despite both being English-speaking countries.
• Filter by ad status: Don’t only focus on active ads. Inactive acts are also a treasure trove of insights. They allow you to track your competitor's progress, allowing you to see how they have evolved, what they have changed, and if or how they have pivoted to new strategies.
• Tracking ad performance over time: Monitoring competitor ads over time helps identify which campaigns are maintained or expanded, indicating successful performance.

Monitoring ad changes and iterations

Understanding how competitors experiment with different strategies can reveal what messaging resonates with the target audience. Ad changes can point to seasonality, strategic shifts, new product launches or competitors leaving ineffective keywords for better keyword options.

If you see ads with similar copy but different headlines, it’s likely your competitors were testing to see what works best. You can then zero in on the variation that is still active.

Other tools for Facebook competitor ad analysis

When you analyze competitor Facebook ads, most of the process is done manually. For instance, you have to copy ad links into a spreadsheet and also report your findings there. The process is manual and time-consuming. 

Aside from Meta’s native features, there are other paid and free tools for competitor ad analysis, but here are some reliable ones. 

Kaya’s Competitor Ad Intelligence Tool

If you don’t have the time to learn how to see Facebook ads of competitors, Kaya’s Competitor Ad Intelligence Tool is an AI-driven tool that helps you automate the Facebook ad analysis process end-to-end, from collecting ads to deriving actionable insights for you.

It analyzes competitors’ ad types, messaging, and offers. It also studies the longest-running ads to uncover successful elements and target audience insights. Its capability expands beyond Facebook ads, allowing you to analyze competitor ads across other ad channels including Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads etc. It combines all these insights into an automated dashboard that allows you to make ad strategy decisions. Kaya’s Competitor Ad Intelligence Tool saves you time and headache from crunching all this data. Get a free report here.

AdEspresso Ad Gallery

AdEspresso also allows you to spy on competitors' Facebook ads. It offers automated A/B testing and detailed analytics to track key performance metrics and optimize campaigns for better ROI. The Basic plan starts at $49 per month, offering essential features like A/B testing and basic analytics. 

PowerAdSpy

PowerAdSpy provides ad breakdowns, including insights into ad copies, creatives, and engagement metrics. It shows successful elements of competitors' ads and replicating similar strategies. However, at $49 per month, the basic plan offers only limited functions.

Using competitor ads to improve your Facebook ad campaigns

Analyzing competitor ads provides valuable insights, allowing you to iterate quickly and avoid costly mistakes, thus improving your return on ad spend (ROAS). Here are some tips for improving your Facebook ad campaigns through competitor ad analysis.

Benchmarking

Benchmarking allows you to compare your ad performance against your competitors. Keep in mind that benchmarking metrics can vary based on industry and company stage, among other factors. To get started, consider focusing on key metrics such as click-through rate, cost per click, conversion rate, and cost per action. You also want to benchmark their creative approach, budget allocation, and ad placements.

Getting more creative insights

Competitor ads can be a source of compelling copy ideas. For example, Dollar Shave Club uses wit and humor in their ad. One of their main ad copy reads, ‘Keep those rogue facial hairs at bay with a tool that’s whole job is to pay attention to detail.’ This copy tries to be playful and fun, and this resonates with grooming products.

You can study the phrasing, tone, and structure of competitor ads from which you can develop a better angle for your Facebook ad. Another aspect is the look at design trends, such as the level of detail, colors, and whether they use a single-image layout or a carousel. 

Your goal would be to take these insights and create ads that look and feel relevant and relatable to your audience. You can add animations and graphics. You can re-cut or edit existing videos to create new ones—video ads boost brand awareness by 67%. You can also add new overlays, change the sequences, or play with the speed.

Analyzing ad copy

Analyzing your competitor’s ads allows you to see their USP and offer, as well as the framing and messaging. Watch out for freebies, money-back guarantees, and other deals that your competitors are using to entice the audience. 

Also, see the structure of the CTA, including its positioning, phrases used, and the general structure.

💡 Tip: According to Wista, CTAs in the middle of a video ad generate the highest conversion at 16.95%. So, that could be worth a try.

With paid ads, you need to communicate your USP in a persuasive and customer-centric way. To do that, wear the hat of the customers and ask the simple question, ‘What’s in it for me.’

For instance, DoorDash delivers food and groceries. It is fast and affordable, but it does not focus on that directly. Instead, it frames the messaging like this: 'Your door to $0 delivery fees on your favorite meals' and 'Your door to 30 days of $0 delivery fees.’ These ad copies are concise and communicate the benefits to the audience. Budget-conscious individuals can save money when using the service.

Identifying target demographics

Facebook learns by scanning the intent from ad copies and images to target the best possible audience clusters within the set boundaries. So, analyzing competitor’s ads gives you insights into who they are targeting. 

Facebook does not show the exact targets except for ads targeting EU audiences. For such ads, you can click on EU transparency to get details of the target audience, such as age range, gender, and location. 

When fine-tuning your ad targeting, go beyond demographics. Focus on behavioral attributes and ensure your messaging resonates with your target. For instance, if you sell a luxury product, words like ‘free’ may not be ideal for your audience. Nike Football uses the faces of popular footballers in its European ads. The ads target 18 to 24-year-olds. So, the strategy may appeal to their emotional sentiments.

Ad targeting

Insights from Facebook competitor ad analysis can also improve targeting as you can see demographics you may never have considered. You can experiment with Advantage+ shopping campaigns, which is Facebook's AI-enhanced ad targeting feature. Feed the insights from your analysis into Advantage+ campaigns and allow AI to find your ideal targets. The feature has been noted to reduce cost per acquisition by 19% and cost per 1000 views by 22%.

Improving ad budgeting and scheduling

Competitor Facebook ad analysis can reveal optimal ad frequencies and seasonal trends. It can also show if you’re investing in ineffective keywords, thus lowering your ROI. These insights can show you where you need to cut your investments and where you need to focus them. You can then use Meta's Advantage campaign budget (formerly campaign budget optimization) to manage your ad campaign budget. 

The Advantage campaign budget works by automatically allocating more budget to performing targeting lines. Be mindful not to set up multiple similar targeting lines to prevent ad cannibalization (ads competing against one another).

A/B testing inspired by competitor ads

Use competitor ads as a foundation for developing test hypotheses. By observing competitors' strategies, startups can identify potential areas to test and improve their ads.

You can run an A/B test of ads by setting up different ad sets within the campaign. Each ad set focuses on a specific angle or theme, targeting a particular audience or message. Within each ad set, we can test 2-3 creatives, and one headline and primary text for the ad copies. 

Let your ads run for at least 4-5 days to collect data for your A/B test. While a week-long test is more ideal, the length of testing period is also dependent on other factors like audience size and budget. To manage spending, set clear minimum and maximum limits for each ad set.

Case study: Our approach to Facebook competitor ads analysis

Kaya integrates AI into its internal processes, making it easy for startups to manage their marketing data and make timely decisions. Kaya uses the AI-driven Competitor Ad Intelligence Tool to consolidate ad data from the Meta ads library.

We analyze competitors' Meta ad types, messaging, and offers. We study the longest-running ads to uncover success pointers, themes, and audience insights. This allows us to improve the creative ad elements of our startup clients, many of which are backed by top VCs, including Y Combinator and a16z.

We combine our industry-recognized AI-powered analysis with human expertise, allowing us to deliver impactful campaigns that drive results. Being data-driven allows us to deliver informed, strategic, and robust marketing strategies that resonate with the needs of each client.

Learn more about your competitor landscape here.