5 Smart Ways to Spy On Your Competitors’ Ads

Most marketers approach competitor analysis with the wrong mindset. They see a successful ad and think, “I should do exactly that!”

This is a recipe for mediocrity.

Competitors don’t always know what they’re doing. Their campaigns might be underperforming, and blindly following them could land you in the same hole. You also don’t want to get into a copying war and become indistinguishable from one another.

Here’s the thing: competitive analysis isn’t about copying. It’s about learning.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to be a marketing detective, not a plagiarist.

Competitors may not always know better. But you do still want to know what your competitors are doing, because:

Competitors may actually know something you don’t: Maybe they’ve discovered a creative approach that’s working. Or maybe they’ve cracked the code on budget allocation and ad placements that keep CPAs low. You’re not looking to mimic their campaigns; you’re reverse-engineering what’s working and why.They help you benchmark performance: Without context, $100 per click seems crazy. But in industries like legal or insurance, that might be par for the course. Competitor data keeps your expectations grounded in reality.They help you find gaps and opportunities: Sometimes the most valuable insights are what competitors are not doing. Underserved audiences, neglected messaging angles, or outdated positioning are opportunities you can use to carve out a differentiated, sharper value proposition.They reveal market trends before they hit you: If your competitors start shifting messaging or offers, it’s not random. It could signal seasonal trends, algorithm changes, or shifting consumer sentiment. Spot the wave and ride it out.

Let’s explore how to snoop on your competitors’ advertising strategies:

1. Tap into ads libraries from major ad platforms

Most major ad platforms offer “Ads Libraries” or transparency centers where users can view inactive ads, ad details, keyword search data, and more.

Here are the top platforms you should explore:

Meta Ad Library

The Meta Ad Library lets you see all active and inactive ads any Page is running across Meta platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Audience Network, Messenger, and Threads.

Choose an ad category, then search for a keyword and advertiser. For example, these are the ads we’ve been running:

You can click “See ad details” to see more information about each ad. You can also click the call-to-action button on each ad to see which landing page the ad is sending paid traffic to.

You can also add filters, like by language, platform, media types, active status, and date range.

If you click the Branded content tab, you can also search for specific brands or creators and see their paid partnership content:

However, they need to be “declared” on the platform otherwise it won’t show up.

Google Ads Transparency Center

Exactly like Meta’s version, Google Ads Transparency Center shows a business’s ads on Google Search, Maps, Play, Shopping, and YouTube.

Search for an advertiser or website and you’ll see all their ads:

However, you won’t be able to see the target keywords or audience these businesses are targeting. You’ll have to use a competitive intelligence tool (see below.)

TikTok Ads Library

TikTok Ads Library shows all ads run by an advertiser on their platform. You can see the creative (e.g., the short video), when the ad ran, how many unique users saw it, and a summary of the ad’s targeting.

You can even see who paid for the ad (in this case, Loewe’s TikTok ads are likely paid for by their agency in charge, Publicis):

If you don’t do any search, you can actually see the entire ads database:

LinkedIn Ad Library

LinkedIn Ad Library shows all the ads a business has run on its platform. You can search by either company name or by keyword.

Unfortunately, LinkedIn only shows a few details: the copy, creative, and landing page you can click through to.

2. Use competitive intelligence tools

Ad libraries are amazing, but they don’t show you all information. For example, Google Ads Transparency Center doesn’t show you the keywords a business is targeting.

To see that, you need to use a competitive intelligence tool like Ahrefs Site Explorer.

Plug your competitor’s domain into Site Explorer and go to the Paid keywords report.

For example, here are the keywords Shopify is targeting on Google Ads. You can also see the landing page they’re using, the estimated paid traffic they’re receiving, and the CPC. If you hover over the magnifying glass, you can also see the actual Google ad:

If you prefer to see all the ads a website is running on Google, go to the Paid ads report:

If you prefer to see their landing pages, go to the Paid pages report:

3. Use ad intelligence platforms

You have social media and search ads covered. What about display ads? To spy on your competitor’s display advertising, you’ll need a tool like Adbeat.

Enter your competitor’s domain and you’ll be able to see how many ads they’ve been running, their ad channels, ad creatives by size and type, where the ads have been running, and more.

Pretty cool.

4. Explore ads repositories

Sometimes, the best ideas come from real-world examples. Curated ad repositories offer a mix of top-performing, creative, and experimental ads across industries.

Here are some useful ad libraries:

Swipe File — Hundreds of ads, copywriting, design, landing pages, and even pricingMadgicX — Not just an ad library; it also allows you to save ads you see and create ads using AIAdSearch.io LinkedIn Ads Library — An ad library specifically for LinkedIn adsSocioh Ads Library — An ad library specifically for D2C ads

Better yet, build your own swipe file. Screenshot ads you see on social media or Google, store them in a repository like Notion or Airtable, and organize them by brand, date, messaging angle, or creative format.

5. Do it yourself

Sometimes the most effective research comes from experiencing competitor ads as a potential customer would.

Here’s what you can do:

Search for keywords relevant to your industry and products: Notice which competitors appear consistently and what messaging they use. Consider using a VPN to get more accurate search results (especially for local searches).Get retargeted: Visit their websites and browse their products or services. Then, monitor what retargeting ads they serve you over the next few weeks. Often, this reveals their retargeting strategy and messaging for different stages of the funnel.Sign up for their newsletters: Email marketing often aligns with advertising campaigns. Monitor their promotions, product launches, and seasonal campaigns.Follow them on social media: Many brands run dark posts or audience-targeted campaigns you can occasionally catch and analyze.

Collecting data is only half the battle. The real value comes from turning competitive research into actionable steps.

What can you do with all your competitors’ ads? Here are some ideas:

Compare their ads over time: If a competitor sticks with a headline or CTA for weeks, it’s likely working. Identify what messages they keep and what they ditch.Spot consistent themes or messages: If multiple competitors emphasize something like “fast delivery” or “24/7 support,” that might be table stakes in your industry. Craft your unique spin to stand out.Analyze their landing pages: Follow competitor ads to their destination pages to understand the full customer journey. How do they structure their offers? What calls-to-action do they use? These insights can inspire improvements to your own conversion paths.Develop counter-messaging: Position your product as the answer to gaps in your competitors’ promises. If they emphasize “speed,” maybe you emphasize “depth” or “reliability.”Explore under-used platforms: Noticing your competitors aren’t active on Pinterest, Reddit, or TikTok? That might be your opportunity to test and win early.

Final thoughts

The goal isn’t to copy your competitors’ methods but to understand what’s working and improve on it.

The most successful advertisers don’t just react to competitors; they use competitive insights as one input among many to craft unique, audience-focused campaigns that stand out rather than blend in.

Just remember: don’t copy. Learn. Iterate. Elevate. Before long, your competitors will be the ones spying on your ads for inspiration.