The Exact Process I Use to Analyze Competitor Ads To Make Wining Ads

What's up, Marketers! This is Aazar.

This newsletter is about leveling up your paid growth marketing skills by analyzing the best brands' paid strategy, tactics, positioning, and value props.

This newsletter is divided into:

• Sharing what I've learned

• Sometimes sharing some other performance marketers’ lessons with you (this issue)

• And I analyze & compare the best ads on the internet

Can you help me out? I am trying to serve my audience with relevant insights every week.

BEST LINKS OF THE WEEK (on popular demand)

My favorite finds

• 24 ways to write a tagline

• ASC+ campaigns aren’t just not good enough

• Beyond logos

• How Hayley Rhode Bieber's brand Rhode is making you hungry for skincare 🥞

• Not related to ads but this guy is a genius in promoting his product

• The next wave of Brandperformance

• Gary Vee was a genius, example from 2008

Competitor analysis isn’t about copying—it’s about understanding what’s working, what’s missing, and where you can stand out.

Here’s my systematic approach to analyzing competitors and finding growth opportunities.

Step #1: Reverse-Engineer Their Winning Ads

The first thing I do? Find their best-performing creatives.

Let’s take an example: Suppose I’m analyzing Loop Earplugs, a competitor in my space.

1. Check ad volume and format.

   • I check the number of Ads they’re running to find what game they’re playing. If it’s high-volume, they’re playing a quantity game.

   • What types of creatives are working best—UGC, carousels, static, or long-form video?

2. Identify long-running ads.

   • If an ad is still live after 30+ days, it’s likely working.

   • What hooks and angles keep showing up?

3. Analyze messaging and structure.

   • What benefits do they focus on?

   • Are they leading with emotional storytelling or hard-hitting direct response?

Step #2: Identify Their Target Audience & Angles

Your ads are effective only if you’re clear about who you’re saying it to.

Once I have their ad data, I break it down:

• Who they’re targeting.

  • What personas are they speaking to?

  • Are they selling to first-time buyers, repeat customers, or high-intent shoppers?

• What pain points do they highlight.

  • Are they tapping into common frustrations (e.g., poor sleep, high stress, anxiety)?

  • Do they lean into emotional triggers like fear, security, relief, or empowerment?

For example, if a competitor is positioning themselves as the “best for relaxation,” I ask:

• Is there a different angle they’re not using?

• Can I focus on a specific demographic they’re ignoring?

I don’t just look at what’s working for them—I look at what they’re missing.

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Step #3: Content Gap Analysis

Think of this like SEO content gap analysis, but for ads—you’re not just analyzing what competitors are doing, but also what they’re not doing.

Here’s how I break it down:

1. What messaging are competitors using?

   • I look through their blogs and other organic content

   • I try to find the angles, benefits, and pain points they focus on.

2. What’s missing?

   • Are there customer desires they aren’t addressing?

   • Are there emotional triggers they’ve overlooked?

   • Is there a positioning opportunity I can own?

To get deeper into these insights, I use SEMrush and Ahrefs to analyze:

• Which keywords and topics competitors are ranking for

• Gaps between their paid ads and organic content

• How their landing pages are structured

Most brands don’t align their ad strategy with their organic presence. If I notice a competitor ranking for “stress-free sleep” in SEO but not using that messaging in their ads, that’s a gap I can exploit.

Once I identify what they’re saying (and what they’re not). Next, I move on to see what their customers actually care about.

Step #4: Customer Review Analysis

Numbers and data are useful, but nothing beats hearing directly from customers. 

Competitor analysis data alone won’t tell you what actually matters to buyers—for that, I dig into competitor reviews and testimonials

Here’s what I look for:

• What customers actually value about my product

• What emotions drive their purchasing decisions

• How they describe their pain points in their own words

• What do they don’t like about the product

I don’t just skim through reviews—I analyze them at scale using review analysis tools.

For example, if 50% of the customers mention "comfort" as their main reason for buying, but my competitors aren’t emphasizing that in their ads, that’s a huge opportunity. I can position my product as the most comfortable option and test ad angles around that.

For example, from this review, I found that the compact size is something that adds to the features of the product alongside the other obvious benefits.

This step makes sure my ads aren’t just based on what competitors are doing—they’re aligned with what customers actually care about.

Step #5: Analyze Their Organic Content Strategy

Most marketers focus on paid ads, but organic content is a goldmine for understanding a competitor’s full marketing strategy.

I look at:

• TikTok & Instagram to see which organic posts go viral

• User comments to find recurring themes and pain points

• Content formats that could be repurposed into ads

For example, if a competitor’s TikTok explainer video is going viral, that’s a strong sign it could work as an ad too.

The comments on this reel give me a clear idea about what the audience thinks about this specific product.

This particular video had a really good engagement, which gives me an idea of what is working.

Step #6: Find Differentiation Opportunities

At this point, I’ve gathered enough insights to spot where I can stand out.

I ask myself:

• What emotions, angles, or messaging are competitors overlooking?

• Can I reposition my offer differently for a stronger hook?

• Is there a better pricing or promo strategy I can test?

For example, if a competitor’s Ads focus on “stress relief” but lack social proof, I might run a campaign with review-driven UGC ads to fill that gap.

This step is about turning insights into action—not just observing what competitors do but using it to create better ads and offers.

That’s all.

I know😅

That looks easy but takes a lot of work. 

You’ve to create a spreadsheet to note down the hooks, angles, ad copies, the keywords that are working and the duration of ads and whatnot. 

I used to do this tracking manually, but I now use Atria to pull insights at scale. This saves me hours and helps me see patterns instantly.

I can just follow a competitor and get to know what’s working for them in one place.

I can scroll through their creatives to find what is working best for them.

I can scan through the hooks they’ve been using for the longest time (and the recent ones).

I can find the best ad copies they’re using.

Look through the different personas they are targeting.

I can see what desires are working the best.

I can analyze the longest-running ad angles.

I can analyze the best hooks, headlines, creatives, ad angles, personas, USPs, Desires and themes they’ve used in just a few clicks. Saving me 10-15 hours of work at least.

Competitor analysis isn’t about copying—it’s about understanding the market and finding gaps to exploit.

Doing an in-depth analysis of ads, organic content, customer reviews, and search data can help you find unique opportunities to differentiate your brand (and win big😉).

Happy Growing with Paid Social,

Aazar Shad

Three ways I can help you, whenever you are ready:

• Work with me to get you growth from paid marketing. Book a call here. I’m open to more clients now.

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P.S. If you love short-form video content, I am sharing some golden nuggets on TikTok, it will mean the world to me if you follow me here (I promise to make some dance videos too 😂).