Top Hacks on How to Spy on Competitors’ Ads

Have you ever wondered how your competitors always seem to be one step ahead in ads? You are frustrated seeing your competitors pop up on Google, slide into your Instagram feed, and appear right before your YouTube video starts, leaving you to wonder, “How are they doing it?” Let us tell you now, you can spy on competitors’ ads, and now you can do it ethically! 

Let’s face it- digital ad spend is growing, and competition is fiercer than ever. According to Statista, global digital advertising spending is projected to reach USD 1.16 trillion in 2025. If you are not keeping a close eye on what others in your niche are doing, you are essentially flying blind. However, here’s the thing: Spying on your competitors doesn’t mean crossing ethical lines. In fact, when done right, it’s not spying; it’s called competitor research, which is a part of smart marketing. 

So, let’s delve deep into the top lesser-known and ethical ad strategy insights on how to keep tabs on your competitors’ ads without being shady about it. 

Why Should You Spy on Competitors’ Ads?

Wondering why ethical spying matters? Well, doing proper competitor research can enable you to understand your competitors’ ads that give you:

• A peek into their customer psychology
• Clues about what’s working in your industry
• Ideas you can follow or use to create something better

As long as you are using public data, insights tools, and staying original, you are playing fair and smart! So, it’s not spying, rather it’s analysis, and here’s how you can do it! 

1. Use the Facebook Ad Library Like a Pro

Almost every marketer knows about the Meta Ads Library, but very few use the platform to its full potential. Here’s a smarter way to use the Facebook ad library for ethical competitor analysis:

• Filter by active v/s inactive ads to understand which campaigns are running long-term because longevity invariably and implicitly means performance. 
• Search with keywords, page name, or location to scope out geo-targeting strategies. 
• Check for seasonal ad patterns (e.g., pre-Diwali or Black Friday promotions).

An additional tip from me would be to create a swipe file of the best creatives to inspire your own angles. Don’t copy, but adapt. 

2. Use the Google Ads Transparency Center for Search and YouTube

Most businesses that want to spy on competitors’ ads ethically can use Google Ads Transparency Center because it shows:

• All active Google Search and YouTube ads
• Targeted languages, countries, and ad formats
• Start dates and visibility of campaigns

Besides, you can also estimate the ad budget they are spending, but remember that it’s not 100% accurate. These tools only provide ballpark figures, not precise numbers, which is why you can use this info to:

• Reverse engineer funnel strategies (Are they driving to landing pages, apps, or blogs?)
• Compare creative trends across different verticals
• Analyze the frequency and content of their messaging 

Simple, right? 

3. Use Bing Ads Library for Microsoft Ad Campaigns 

If your competitors are running campaigns on Bing (Microsoft Ads), you can conduct competitor ad analysis via the Bing Ads Library or Microsoft Ads Library. This can act as one of the best marketing intelligence tools as it provides insights on:

• Text ad formats
• Industries focusing on desktop search
• Regions being targeted

Any B2B companies or those targeting the corporate audience can use this to spy on competitors’ ads, and we promise, the Bing Ads library will work like a charm. 

4. Use the LinkedIn Space for B2B Targeting

This is another name among the ad spying tools that works brilliantly for brands in the B2B space. 

Go to any company’s LinkedIn page, then click on “posts”, followed by “filter by ads,” and there you will get to see:

• Sponsored posts
• Messaging tone
• Industry-specific CTAs, and more!

You can use this to spot:

• Value propositions being tested
• Lead magnets or offers they push, and
• Hiring-related campaigns

Understanding this, you can create your own strategy that’s based on insights about what your competitors are doing and dodge the mistakes that your competitors have already made. 

5. TikTok and Snapchat (Keep an Eye Out)

These platforms don’t have a public ad library yet, but things are evolving fast. For now, you can keep an eye on:

• TikTok for Business, and
• For Snapchat, stay updated on official ad case studies and brand spotlight stories via Snapchat for Business. 

These will show you:

• Bes-performing creatives
• Regional breakdowns
• Industry benchmarks, etc.

I agree, it’s not as transparent as Meta or Google, but it’s still useful for inspiration and platform-specific trends. 

6. Buy Their Product (Go Undercover as a Customer)

Sometimes, the best way to spy is the old-fashioned way- buy their product or sign up for their free offer. By doing so, you will uncover:

• Their email funnel, follow-ups, and retargeting cadence
• Upsell/cross-sell strategy
• Packaging, unboxing, and delivery speed
• Offline ad touchpoints, inserts, or QR-based offers

While you are on it, I suggest that you use a new profile and a clean device to avoid contaminating your own ad pixel or remarketing flow. 

7. Reverse Engineer Their Tech Stack

Use tools like BuiltWith or Wappalyzer to see what advertising infrastructure your competitor uses:

• Meta Pixel?
• Google Ads tag?
• LinkedIn Insight tag?
• Marketing automation platforms (Klaviyo, HubSpot, etc.)

This will help you to understand what channels your competitors are prioritizing, how you can replicate or differentiate based on their tech choices, and how you can gauge their budget and CRO focus. 

8. Reverse Image Search Their Creatives

Got a screenshot of a slick ad? Upload it to TinEye or Google Reverse Image Search. This can reveal:

• Where else is the creative being used (native ads, banners, third-party blogs)
• Whether it’s a stock image or custom content
• If their visuals are recycled across platforms

Trust me when I say this: visual consistency is indicative of a brand’s most trusted creative. 

Ad Spy Tools to Bookmark

Thank me later, but I am here with some tools that can give you a deeper view into creative formats, ad types, and placements. 

Tool	Best For
BigSpy	Social ad creatives across platforms
Adbeat	Display and narrative ads
Moat	Banner and video creatives
SEMrush Ads	Search and display PPC data
TikTok Creative Center	Best-performing TikTok Ads

Remember: Many of these won’t show exact budgets, especially not Snapchat or TikTok. Even Google estimates can vary, so treat all numbers as directional, not definitive.

Conclusion

When competitor analysis is done right, it’s not a sneaky trick; rather, it is a competitive edge. For more information on competitor analysis or how to run ads, feel free to reach out to our PPC agency, and we would be more than happy to help you!