Leads & bookings
Research your competitors’ ads
You will have a table of ten ads, three patterns and one message that stands out from them.
Before you start
- Three competitors or similar businesses
- Access to the public ad library of a major platform
- A spreadsheet or notes app
Why look at ads
Ads cost money, so an ad that keeps running is usually working well enough to pay for itself. Reading them tells you what your market is already hearing.
Ad libraries are public and free to search. Names and layouts of these libraries change, so search the platform’s help pages if you cannot find one.
Step 1: Collect ten ads
- Search each competitor’s name in the ad library.
- Choose ads that have been running a while, not brand new ones.
- For each, write the headline, the promise, the offer and the action in a table.
Step 2: Find the patterns
Below is my table of ten competitor ads. List the three most common promises, the three most common offers, and one promise nobody makes. Only use what is in my table. [paste table]
The promise nobody makes is not always a good one. Ask yourself whether it is true for your business and whether customers want it.
Step 3: Choose your message
Write one sentence that is true, specific to you and different from the common promises. Use it as the headline for your next ad or page. Do not copy anyone’s wording or images.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Copying wording or images
- Judging an ad by how new it is
- Choosing a gap that customers do not care about
- Researching so long you never write your own ad
Final checklist
- I recorded ten ads in a table
- I found three common patterns
- I wrote one true, different message