Looking for ways to enhance your social ads? Curious about what strategies your competitors are using? Social media competitor analysis gives you a front-row seat to their tactics—from attention-grabbing headlines to irresistible offers that drive sales. In this article, we’ll guide you on how to check competitors’ social media ads across popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
With around 2.89 billion monthly active users, Facebook has become a primary choice for businesses in social media marketing. Running ads on Facebook provides significant exposure—especially important as organic reach for business pages averages only about 5%.
Before creating a new ad, it’s valuable to research what types of ads your competitors are running. Thanks to a privacy policy update, anyone with a Facebook account can now view the ads associated with any Facebook page. While the average user may not utilize this feature, it’s a powerful tool for businesses wanting to improve their own ad strategies. Here’s how you can access it.
There are two ways to check competitors' social media ads on Facebook. First, you can open the Facebook Ad Library in your browser. Here, you can choose a location, and an ad category, and type in your competitor’s name to see their active ads.Alternatively, visit your competitor’s Facebook page and locate the Page Transparency box by tapping the About finding the Page Transparency section and clicking See All.
In the pop-up, scroll down to find Ads From This Page and click Go to Ads Library.
Either way, you’ll gain access to all the active ads a business is running on Facebook, Instagram, Audience Network, and Messenger.
If your competitors are running numerous ads, it can feel overwhelming to sift through them all. To simplify, use the Facebook Ad Library’s filters to narrow your results and focus on the ads most relevant to your research.You can filter by language or by platform, allowing you to see ads running specifically on Facebook if that’s your focus. There are also options to filter by media type, such as images with minimal text, memes (images with text), videos, and more. These filters make it easier to find exactly the type of content you’re looking for.
And finally, you can also filter ads by impressions within a specific date range. This feature is especially useful for seeing which ads received the most visibility. Impressions represent the number of times an ad appeared on a screen for the first time, giving you insight into which ads are performing well and gaining popularity.
If you come across a competitor's ad in your Facebook feed, don’t just scroll past it. Click on the three dots in the top-right corner and select Why Am I Seeing This Ad?
This option reveals why the ad was shown to you and provides details on the targeted audience. This insight can help you understand your competitor’s audience strategy and refine your own ad targeting.
Now that you have access to your competitor's active ads, you might be wondering what to focus on. Here are some key elements to consider:
According to Instagram, 81% of users say they use the platform to research products and services. Don’t you want these users to find your business before they find your competitors? With Instagram’s 1 billion monthly active users, creating a standout ad is a powerful way to grow your audience.
The key to effective Instagram ads is researching what already works for your competitors. By studying their strategies, you can save time and replicate successful elements with your own unique spin. Here’s how to view your competitors' Instagram ads.
Since Facebook owns Instagram, you can easily view competitors' Instagram ads through the Facebook Ad Library. Start by either searching directly in the Ad Library with your competitor’s name or going to their Facebook page. From there, select Page Transparency in the sidebar, click See All, and then choose Ads From This Page.
Once you’ve accessed your competitor's ads in the Ad Library, use the filters to view only their Instagram ads. Click on Filters and select Instagram as the platform. You’ll also have options like Language, Media Type, and Impressions by Date to narrow down your results. This will show you all ads your competitor has created for Instagram’s feed or Stories.
Now that you can view your competitor’s active Instagram ads, here are a few critical details to observe:
While LinkedIn may not be the first platform that comes to mind for social media advertising, it has a substantial network of over 774 million members, offering valuable exposure potential for businesses. Before jumping into LinkedIn ads, it’s wise to research whether your competitors are advertising there and how their ads perform. Here’s how to get started.
Head to LinkedIn and search for your competitor’s page. Once there, go to the Posts section, where you can filter to view only ads. Even if you aren’t in your competitor’s target audience, you can browse all their active ads to gain insight into their advertising strategies.
Though LinkedIn doesn’t offer a comprehensive ad library like Facebook, you can still gather useful data. By clicking on the three dots in the top-right corner of an ad and selecting Copy Link to Post, you can open the ad in a new window to view engagement metrics. Here, you’ll see how many people have liked the ad and any comments it has received, providing insight into the ad’s effectiveness and audience response.
When analyzing LinkedIn ads, focus on the following aspects to improve your own social media strategy:
In 2018, Twitter launched the Ads Transparency Center, allowing users to view all ads from any Twitter profile—similar to Facebook’s Ad Library. However, this feature was removed in early 2021, so accessing competitors’ current ads now requires a different approach. Here’s how to gather insights from your competitors’ Twitter ads.
Since there’s no centralized library for Twitter ads, you’ll need to keep an eye out for competitors’ ads as you browse your feed. Interacting with your competitor’s Twitter account may increase the likelihood of seeing one of their ads. If you spot an ad, take a moment to examine it closely.
Pay attention to elements like the ad copy, whether they’re using an image or video, and the ad’s engagement metrics. Consider what aspects of the ad could be applied to your strategy and where you might improve. For added insights, click on the three dots in the top-right corner of a promoted tweet, select Why This Ad?, and Twitter will reveal why you’re part of the target audience—useful for refining your own ad targeting.
Without an ad library, observant scrolling is essential. If you encounter a competitor’s ad, look for these details to inform your own Twitter ad strategy:
Now that you’ve gathered insights into your competitors’ ads, here are five tips to enhance your ad library searches and strengthen your social media ad strategy.
Brand messaging is essential, even on visually focused platforms. Not all users have time to watch a full video or scroll through a carousel, so observe the types of CTAs (calls to action) your competitors use. Are they using on-screen text, voiceovers, captions, or a combination? Knowing where their CTAs direct users—whether to a landing page, product page, or lead form—can help guide best practices for your own ads.
While analyzing competitor ads, note the engagement types they receive, such as comments, likes, and shares. If comments are turned off, this could be strategic or indicative of sensitive content. Comparing engagement types will show how effectively competitors connect with their audience and reveal opportunities for your own engagement improvements.
Observe how competitors facilitate conversions. Are they using native lead forms or directing users to their site? LinkedIn’s native lead forms, for example, are four times more effective than website-based conversions. On platforms like Meta, however, quality traffic may be better achieved through links to product pages or in-app shopping options. Experiment with the methods that best suit your audience.
While analyzing ad campaigns, pay attention to landing page URLs and any custom UTM parameters. These UTMs often include campaign, source, and medium details, providing insight into your competitor’s strategy and target audience. Consider using similar UTMs to refine your own campaign tracking and CTAs.
Ad transparency centres often reveal where ads are actively running. Compare these locations to see if competitors target regions you’re not reaching. Also, take note of regional language or dialect differences that may appeal to specific audiences. For instance, if you’re in the sunscreen industry and see competitors advertising in sunny regions, consider this as a strategic placement for your ads.
After researching your competitors’ ads on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter, the next step is to put these insights to work.
Look for patterns in top-performing ads, and use them to guide your own social media marketing strategy. If you notice that video ads drive more engagement than static images, for example, try incorporating video into your own campaigns.
This research will help you save time on ad testing, giving you a head start with strategies that have already proven effective. By analyzing competitors’ ads, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of what makes a successful, high-converting ad and valuable insights into your audience’s preferences and interests.
The Facebook Ad Library is a powerful tool for viewing and analyzing your competitors' ads. To access it, visit the Facebook Ad Library and enter your competitor's name in the search bar. Once you've found your competitor, you can filter the results to narrow your search.
Go to the advertiser's Instagram profile, click on the three dots in the top right corner, and select About This Account.
To see your competitors' ads on Twitter, you can follow their Twitter accounts or search for their profiles and browse through their tweets and promoted content.
