How to See Your Competitors' Facebook & Instagram Ads.

Advertising on social media platforms has fast become one of the marketing mix ‘go-tos’ for businesses. Why? Because it is a quick way to tap into your target audience seamlessly, on the daily, without your audience even noticing — if it’s done well.

Article Contents

• Why Competitor Analysis is Crucial
• How to Use the Meta Ad Library
• Facebook Page Transparency tool
• Instagram Mobile App
• Meta Ad Library
• Tips to Apply Competitor Insights
• Video Content for Meta Ads
• Privacy and Data Considerations
• Ms Frankie’s Social Media Success

A competitor analysis should be at the crux of every business’ marketing strategy. Making sure you are across your competition and their marketing activity will help to guide you when you formulate your own marketing strategy. Analysing what your competitors are doing in terms of advertising can direct your campaign strategies with insights that will help you adapt and improve your own campaigns to stay ahead in the game.

Using the Meta Ad Library, you can view any business’ ads, from your direct competitors to companies that you’d like to compete with in future.

Yes, the Facebook (Meta) Ad Library allows users to view current and historical ad campaigns from businesses on Facebook and Instagram. It provides information about the target audience, budget, and performance of the ads, which can be useful for businesses to stay informed about their competitors' advertising strategies.

In fact, at Spicy Web, competitor analysis played a crucial role in our successful campaign for Ms Frankie, a vibrant Italian restaurant in Melbourne.

Here are three different ways to access your competitors' library of ads on Facebook, Instagram, and within the Meta Ads Library — you can choose whichever way suits for you.

Why Competitor Analysis is Crucial

Platforms are always changing, audiences are becoming more selective, and privacy regulations are tightening. Keeping an eye on your competitors' advertising strategies ensures that you remain competitive and agile in adapting.

A strong example is our work with Ms Frankie, a popular Italian restaurant in Cremorne and Carlton. By carefully studying competitor ads and refining our paid social media advertising strategy, we significantly increased their restaurant bookings and event enquiries.

Competitor analysis enabled us to identify the gaps in their previous social strategy, refine targeting, and maximise return on ad spend.

How to Use the Meta Ad Library

The Meta Ad Library is the go-to resource for businesses looking for transparency in social media advertising. With the updates, it’s easier than ever to browse competitor ads on Facebook and Instagram.

Here’s a simple guide on how to use the Meta Ad Library:

#1: Facebook Page Transparency tool

One quick and easy way to look at your competitors’ ads is via the Page transparency tool on the competitor’s Facebook page.

Step 1: Search for your competitor’s Facebook page and scroll down to find ‘Page transparency’ on the lower-left hand corner of the page then select ‘See all’.

Step 2: To view their ads, select ‘Go to Ad Library’.

Step 3: Explore the active and historical ads, copy, imagery, video and engagement strategy:

#2: Instagram Mobile App

To view your competitor’s ads via the Instagram mobile app, search and select your competitor’s Instagram account.

Step 1: Click the three dots in the upper-right corner of the account's profile.

Step 2: A range of options will pop up, choose ‘About this Account’. If the account has active ads, an ‘Active ads’ option will appear in the menu.

Step 3: Select ‘Active ads’ and this will take you to their Meta Ad Library.

#3 Meta Ad Library

The Meta Ads Library is a public repository of active ads running on Facebook. It provides information about who is running ads, ad content, and who the target audience is. To access the Meta Ads Library, follow these steps:

Step 1: Go to the Meta Ads Library via this direct link.

Step 2: Search for the competitor company name, industry keyword, or related search terms using the search box. You will see a list of related ads from a range of companies when searching by keyword.

If you wish to explore a subject or an industry rather than a specific company, this option may be useful. It is also handy if you want to find out what companies in your industry are advertising.