How To See Your Competitor’s Ads On Facebook Right Now
By Nathalia Copeland
It’s finally here.
You can now “spy” on your competitor’s ads directly on Facebook, for free.
This was something only big budget agencies had access to, by paying for a pricey third-party tool. But now, in light of Facebook’s recent privacy problems (especially with political ads), they’re letting you see active ads any Facebook page is running.
What’s good about this:
Competitor Analysis: You can easily see what creative and copy your competitors are currently testing on Facebook
Targeting Insights: You can see what countries they’re targeting
Quality Control: Spammy tactics (ie – fake urgency) are easily spotted
What’s bad about this:
No Real Data: You can’t see any metrics, how well the ad is actually doing, likes, comments, share stats, specific targeting groups or campaign strategy, costs, etc.
Copycats: Creatives and copy will get stale a lot faster once everyone is trying to do the same thing the “industry leaders” are doing
Targeted Promotions: Special promo codes meant only for specific people at certain times (ie – your email list) – can now be seen and used by anyone
The Verdict
Businesses have been able to see each other’s ads for decades. You see them in magazines, billboards, direct mail, tv commercials, etc. Facebook just made it easier to search and find at the touch of a button.
If you’re well branded as a digital entrepreneur and willing to evolve creatively, this is going to help you make better ads and get better clients.
If you’re dishonest and lazy, you’ll try to rip off other people’s stuff verbatim and quickly ruin your own brand.
Don’t Make This Mistake
If you use the exact same image and copy as a competitor, it’s not guaranteed to work.
The ad creative and copy is just one piece of a much bigger picture when it comes to Facebook advertising.
You have no idea what they’re actually paying for these ads. You also don’t know things like targeting, campaign objective selected (engagement, likes, conversions, app installs, etc.), budget, bid, scheduling, landing page conversion rates and so much more that goes into successful ad launches.
Use this for one thing only – to get inspired and test out new ideas with your own unique spin on it.
Want to skip the hours of research? Grab my swipe file below 
where I’ve done all the heavy lifting and compiled some of the best ads for coaches, course creators and entrepreneurs selling services online.
Here’s How It Works:
Step One: Head to a Facebook Business Page and click on “See More” Under Page Transparency:
Step Two: Click on “View in Ad Library” under Ads From This Page section:
Step Three: Boom! See all the active ads (Facebook won’t show you past ads or future scheduled ads)
I’ve already picked up a few ideas for myself.
For example, Sam Ovens runs simple retargeting ads to his website visitors, thanking them for checking out his site and asking them to follow him on Instagram. These are probably really cheap ads to run and grow his followers on Instagram on autopilot.
Another example, Marie Forleo is running a quiz ad using a bright yellow background. Even though it’s not part of her brand colors, it definitely stands out in the news feed!
This can get tedious though. You have to search every business page individually, search through different countries and if the ads are currently off or paused, you won’t see anything.
That’s why I’m always updating my private swipe file with the best ads as I see them.
You can grab it below for free
This is exciting stuff for competitor analysis! You can now reverse engineer, through the creative and copy, how industry leaders are getting the attention of their audience in a busy online space.
What do you think? Will you use this new feature before planning out your ad campaigns? Comment below and let’s talk about it!