Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably all heard of the controversy surrounding Cambridge Analytica as well as all the massive changes due to GDPR. I think all the restructuring now happening from these two things is forcing a change for the better in terms of how everyone collects and stores personal data. From now on, we should hopefully be a better and safer internet in the long run.
However, this has also brought along some really kick-ass features for marketers. 😁 Big companies like Facebook and Twitter have been forced to revamp their privacy and transparency policies. They both now provide a way for you to find and see your competitor’s ads for free! How awesome is that?
A lot of this data was previously only available in premium tools, but almost all of these tools have shut down due to costs or privacy reasons. Except for AdEspresso’s Ad Examples.
- Takeaways From Seeing Competitor’s Ads
- How to Find Competitor’s Facebook Ads (free)
- How to Find Competitor’s Twitter Ads (free)
Takeaways from Seeing Competitor’s Ads
Here are just a few examples of how I am using this new data.
- Inspiration for new ideas to try in my marketing campaigns.
- Different ad copy. Even writers get what I call “copy block.”
- Alternative layouts for social media posts.
- Seeing different ad types (boosting, sponsored, carousel, etc.).
- Find out who your competitor is going after in terms of customer acquisition.
- eBook and giveaway ideas.
The possibilities are really endless! Whether your running ads or doing something more organic, seeing how your competitor is advertising can provide some really valuable insights.
How to Find Competitor’s Facebook Ads (Free)
To find competitor’s Facebook ads, the process is stupid easy!
Step 1
Go to Facebook and in the top bar, search for the brand, company, or product that you are wanting to spy on. 😉 In this example, I am using Adidas. But obviously, you’ll want to search for your competitors or brands in your niche. Remember, this could be used on bloggers too! Many bloggers sponsor their posts and you could see how they are doing it and which articles they are boosting.
Step 2
On the left-hand side, there is a new feature called “Info and Ads.” Click on that and you will then see a list of all the advertising that brand is doing on Facebook. It’s instant campaign ideas for you in less than 20 seconds!
Alternative Way
Facebook also launched their Ad Library which you can simply search for any company and instantly see all of their ads and other useful information.
How to Find Competitor’s Twitter Ads (Free)
To find competitor’s Twitter ads, the process is just as easy as Facebook.
Step 1
Go to Twitter Ads Transparency.
Step 2
Just like Facebook, search for the brand, company, or product that you are wanting to spy on. Again, I am using Adidas in this example.
You can then see all of the tweets they are advertising. I can immediately see they are A/B testing some ad copy on the same image.
Summary
Let’s not fool ourselves, this has already been happening for some time with premium tools. But now with these changes, it has never before been so easy to see competitor’s ads for free. What this means is that competition will get even more fierce! So I recommend jumping on this before everyone else does. This blog post probably won’t be helping with that lol. Let the real battle begin. ⚔️
If this was helpful let me know below in the comments! Or if you know a different tool or way to see competitor’s ads that I haven’t mentioned, please speak up.
Great! Thank you for this hidden spying strategy.
Amazing post! Thanks for sharing this useful information.
Hi Brian – Thanks for sharing this super simple and useful strategy. It is critical to keep an eye on your competitor and follow their moves to stay ahead.