How to find competitors ads on facebook
If you’re running Facebook ads for your B2B company, you already know the platform is a goldmine for targeted lead generation. But what about your competitors? Uncovering their ad strategies can reveal the exact messaging, offers, and audiences that are winning in your space. Let’s walk through the practical ways to spy on your rivals’ Facebook ads without breaking any rules.
Use the Facebook Ad Library
The most straightforward and completely legal method is Facebook’s own Ad Library. This public tool lets you search for any Page and see every active ad they’re running across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Audience Network. You can filter by country, platform, and even see the date an ad started running. For a B2B founder, this is your first stop to understand what messaging resonates with your shared audience.
Don’t just look at the ads themselves—click through to the “Page transparency” section to see when the Page was created and its admin country. This can hint at whether a competitor is investing heavily in a specific region, which might inform your own prospecting or sales outreach in those markets. Set a reminder to check the Ad Library weekly, as competitors often rotate creative to test new angles.
Pro tip: Use the search bar to look for your competitors’ Page names, but also search for the keywords your ideal customers might use—like “B2B lead generation software”—to find ads from less obvious competitors who are targeting the same search intent.
- Search by Page name or keyword in the Ad Library.
- Filter by country and media type (e.g., video, image).
- Click “See ad details” to view the full copy and landing page.
- Check the “Active” toggle to see current campaigns only.
- Review the “Page transparency” for ad run dates and spending insights.
Tap Into Third-Party Spy Tools
While the Ad Library gives you raw data, third-party tools like AdSpy, BigSpy, and PowerAdSpy offer advanced search filters, historical ad data, and engagement metrics. These platforms aggregate ads from millions of Pages and let you search by keywords, domain, or even text within the ad. This is especially useful for B2B because you can find ads that are driving leads to specific lead magnets—like whitepapers or webinars—that you can mirror or improve upon.
These tools often show you estimated ad spend and the duration of a campaign, which gives you a sense of your competitor’s budget and commitment. For example, if you notice a competitor has been running the same ad for 90 days with high engagement, that ad is likely converting well. You can then craft a similar angle but with a unique twist to capture part of that proven demand.
- Use keyword filters to find ads targeting your exact pain points.
- Look for ads that have been active for 30+ days—they’re likely profitable.
- Export ad creatives to share with your sales team for positioning ideas.
- Set up alerts for new competitor ads to stay ahead of their launches.
Analyze Engagement Signals
Beyond just seeing the ad, check the comments and reactions on public posts. The Ad Library shows you the public version of the ad, and you can click through to the Page to see how people are engaging. Look for questions like “How do I get started?” or “Does this work with Salesforce?” Those comments are direct feedback from your shared prospects. They reveal objections, desired features, and the exact language your target market uses.
This intelligence is gold for your sales team. If a competitor’s ad gets a comment asking about a feature you already have, that’s a prospect you might be able to reach out to directly—though be careful not to be creepy. Instead, use that insight to update your own ad copy or your sales pitch to proactively address those questions. Engagement signals also show you which hooks are strong enough to stop the scroll—a critical lesson for your own creative testing.
- Sort comments by “Newest” to spot recent interest.
- Identify common questions or objections to address in your own content.
- Look at the ratio of comments to shares—high shares indicate strong value.
- Check the Page’s top posts to see if the ad is performing better than organic content.
Set Up a Competitive Monitoring Routine
Spying on competitors isn’t a one-time task—it’s a habit. Create a simple spreadsheet with columns for competitor name, ad headline, primary text, CTA, landing page URL, and the date you spotted the ad. Update it every week. Over time, you’ll see patterns: which offers they recycle, when they run promotions, and how they adjust messaging for different stages of the funnel—from top-of-funnel awareness to bottom-of-funnel lead gen.
This routine feeds directly into your pipeline. For instance, if you notice a competitor is aggressively retargeting decision-makers with a free demo, you might want to launch a retargeting campaign that offers a more detailed comparison guide. The goal isn’t to copy but to understand the landscape so you can differentiate. Share your findings with your sales team in a weekly email so they can use those insights during prospect conversations.
- Create a competitive ad tracker in Google Sheets or Notion.
- Set a recurring calendar reminder every Monday to review new ads.
- Note the landing page CTA and the offer behind the ad.
- Track how your competitors change their messaging over a quarter.
- Use your findings to refine your own value proposition.
Leverage Meta’s Audience Insights
While not strictly for ad spying, Meta’s Audience Insights (available through Ads Manager) lets you see demographic overlap with your competitors’ audiences—if you know their Page. You can select a competitor Page as an ‘Interest’ and see the age, gender, and job titles of people who engage with that Page. This data helps you refine your own targeting for lead generation campaigns.
For B2B, this is particularly powerful because you can layer in job titles like “Sales Director” or “CEO.” If you see that a competitor’s audience is heavily skewed toward a specific industry, you might decide to create a separate campaign targeting that industry with a tailored message. This way, you’re not just watching your competitors; you’re using their audience data to build a more precise prospecting list for your sales team.
- Access Audience Insights via Ads Manager > Planning > Audience Insights.
- Add competitor Pages as interests to see overlapping audiences.
- Filter by job title and industry to find untapped segments.
- Use these insights to create lookalike audiences from your own contact lists.
- Pair with your CRM data to score leads based on competitor engagement.
Check Landing Pages and Lead Magnets
The ad itself is only half the story. Click through to the landing page and download the lead magnet if it’s free. Whether it’s an ebook, webinar, or a free consultation, take note of the form fields they request. Are they asking for a work email only, or also company size? This tells you how they qualify leads. It also gives you insight into their sales funnel—what they promise to deliver in exchange for contact information.
This information helps you craft a more compelling offer for your own prospecting. For example, if a competitor’s lead magnet is a generic checklist, you might create a highly specific template tailored to a niche industry. That specificity can make your ad stand out and generate higher-quality contacts for your pipeline. Also, note the retargeting sequence that follows—do they send an email series, or do they retarget with a Facebook ad? You can mimic the structure while improving the content.
- Visit the ad’s landing page and note the URL structure.
- Fill out the form with a test email to see the follow-up sequence.
- Evaluate the offer’s perceived value—is it worth the contact info?
- Check if the landing page uses social proof like testimonials or logos.
- Look for exit-intent popups or live chat—those are conversion tactics you can borrow.
Now you have a practical toolkit to uncover your competitors’ Facebook ads and turn those insights into better lead generation and a fuller pipeline. Start by setting up your weekly Ad Library review and note down one actionable idea from each competitor. The more you learn about their moves, the sharper your own sales and outreach become. Don’t stop at watching—use what you find to build a stronger, more differentiated presence that wins the customers they’re chasing.
Useful links
FAQ
Is it legal to spy on competitors’ Facebook ads?
Yes, as long as you use public tools like the Facebook Ad Library. The Ad Library is designed for transparency and shows all active ads to anyone. Using third-party tools that aggregate public data is also legal, but avoid any method that involves hacking or unauthorized access to private accounts.
How often should I check my competitors’ ads?
At minimum, once a week. The digital ad landscape changes fast, and competitors often test new creative monthly. A weekly review helps you spot trends early without becoming obsessive. If you’re in a highly competitive niche, consider a daily check of the top 3 competitors.
Can I see how much my competitors are spending on Facebook ads?
Not directly. The Ad Library doesn’t show spend, but some third-party tools provide estimates based on ad activity and duration. Those estimates are rough, but they can give you a sense of whether a competitor is running a high-budget, always-on campaign or just testing with small budgets.
What should I do with the insights I gather?
Use them to refine your own ad copy, offers, and targeting. If a competitor’s ad is performing well, don’t copy it—improve on it. For instance, if they use a generic statistic, you can use a more specific one from your own product. Also, share the insights with your sales team to align your outreach with the messaging that’s already resonating in the market.