How to Reverse-Engineer Top Ads with the Facebook Ads Library

Tired of wasting money on underperforming Facebook ads while the competition runs circles around your paid campaigns?

The Facebook Ad Library has the information you need to stop guessing and see what’s working for top advertisers in your space.

I’ll walk you through how to use the Facebook Ad Library to reverse-engineer the best ads and create paid campaigns that actually deliver results.

What Is the Facebook Ad Library?

The Facebook Ad Library is a database of all ads running across Meta platforms — including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Threads, and Audience Network.

It contains active ads as well as any campaigns that advertisers have run in the EU over the past year. Plus, it has all ads about social issues, politics, or elections that have run over the past seven years.

The library displays ads just like they appear in the feed. So you can see the copy, creatives, calls to action (CTAs), and linked landing pages in each ad.

It also shows additional details like which platforms the ad appears on and when the ad started running. And if the ad has had impressions in the EU, the library shows additional details about reach and audience targeting.

Also known as the Meta Ad Library, this tool is completely free to use and available to everyone, whether or not you have a Facebook account.

Think of it as a tool for spying on competitors’ Meta ads and getting inspiration for your own Facebook ad campaigns.

How to Access the Facebook Ad Library

Open the Facebook Ad Library by navigating to facebook.com/ads/library.

You don’t need to log into an account. Instead, you can jump right into researching.

Alternatively, open the library directly from Facebook. Go to any Facebook page and navigate to the Page Transparency section on the page’s About tab.

You’ll land right on the page’s Facebook ads library, where you can start exploring the company’s ads.

How to Use the Facebook Ad Library

This free research tool gives you a few options for finding ads:

• Use the search bar to look up ads by advertiser name or keyword.
• Choose a location to narrow your search by country.
• Set the filters to adjust search results by platform, format, language, active status, and date.

If you’re like most advertisers, you’ll want to use the All Ads search setting. This way your search will bring up all related ads, regardless of category.

But you also have the option to filter ads by special categories like political and social issues, housing, employment, and financial products and services.

11 Ways to Build Stronger Ads with the Facebook Ad Library

Here’s how our agency uses the Facebook Ad Library to do competitive research, monitor trends, and gather insights to create better ads.

1. Develop Ad Creatives That Stop the Scroll

Are your ads stuck in a creative rut? Can’t figure out if you should focus more on lifestyle content, product shots, or graphics?

One of the best ways to use the Meta Ad library is seeing which ad creative styles are trending in your industry. It also reveals which color combinations are popular and how brands are using elements like text overlays.

Use the library to search for top brands in your space or look for keywords related to your niche. Then, scroll through recently launched ads.

For example, ads by many floral brands have a consistent theme: brightly colored flower arrangements against white backgrounds.

The brand often uses straightforward product shots for evergreen campaigns. And in seasonal ads, text overlays highlight the occasion, creating clear differentiation between campaign types.

2. Drive Engagement with the Right Ad Format

Should you focus on image ads or create interactive carousels? Would video ads be better for engagement?

Use the Meta Ad Library filters to explore different types of ads.

I recommend checking ads from a wide range of competitors, such as national and local brands. This will give you a better sense of what’s standard in your space and how to stand out.

For example, most major floral brands primarily run image ads. However, some actively experiment with video ads — making the brand’s content distinctive.

You can click the See Ad Details button above any ad to get a closer look at the creative, watch the video, and get ideas for your own ads.

3. Write Ad Copy That Holds Attention

Creatives are great for stopping the scroll. But ads also need strong copy that clearly spells out the message and conveys the offer.

Facebook and Instagram ads have multiple opportunities to add copy:

• The headline is short and sweet, which is ideal for sharing a concise, compelling message.
• The primary text field has much more space, which you can use for detailing the offer or telling a story.

So, what works best? Compare different brands’ approaches to see what kind of ad copy they use most often.

For example, some pet brands tend to use short copy that succinctly speaks to pain points and benefits.

Others use a much wider range of copy styles. Some ads appeal to pet owners’ emotions, while others focus on information sharing, with detailed offer descriptions.

To see what’s trending, pay attention to recent ads. The ad library displays the date that each ad started running, making it easy to compare newer versus older ads.

4. Spark Action with CTAs That Get Clicks

The most effective ads don’t just engage the target audience. They also prompt customers to click through and take the next step — whether that’s signing up for an email list, booking a call, or making a purchase.

Instagram and Facebook ads all have built-in CTA buttons. But this doesn’t have to be the only element that sparks action.

Search the ads library to get ideas for CTAs to incorporate directly into your ad copy.

Enter potential CTAs into the search bar to see how other brands are using this kind of copy. For example, a search for “get tickets” reveals how venues or entertainers are using ads to drive ticket sales.

5. Reach Customers on the Right Ad Platform

By default, Meta ads typically run across all eligible platforms — from Facebook and Instagram to Messenger and Audience Network. And now Threads supports ads, too.

To get the most for your ad spend, you have to target the right platform. Which sometimes means manually selecting ad placements in Meta Ads Manager.

Use the ads library to see how competing brands make this decision. They might choose platforms based on:

• Format: Short-form videos might perform better as Instagram reels ads, while images might perform better on Facebook or Threads.
• Audience: The target audience might prefer Facebook, making it the only platform worth using.

To collect more data, open the filter settings and opt to view Active and Inactive ads. This way, the ad library report you see won’t be limited to active ads alone.

6. Build Ad Funnels That Convert

Struggling to get engaged prospects to convert? There’s no need to waste ad spend on sales-focused campaigns that aren’t getting results.

Instead, get inspiration from your competitors’ ad strategy.

Scroll through their ad library and identify their awareness, consideration, and conversion ads. Take notes, and then consider how to translate their tactics to your own advertising strategy.

For example, this software company’s awareness ads introduce the product and highlight key benefits.

The brand’s consideration ads feature customer testimonials as social proof.

And the company’s conversion ads include a compelling CTA, encouraging prospects to start for free.

7. Time Your Ad Campaigns Right

Curious when to launch seasonal ad campaigns? Waiting too long can cause you to miss out on sales, while starting them too early can lead to wasted ad spend.

To perfect your timing, use the ads library to keep an eye on other brands’ campaign schedules.

For example, brands won’t necessarily wait until summer to start running ads focused on grilling and pool prep. These ads from a local business launched in April.

For additional data, do a keyword search. Enter the season or the holiday into the ad library search bar to see when advertisers start promoting seasonal and holiday campaigns.

8. Launch Campaigns That Create Long-Term Value

Short-term ads are great for seasonal campaigns and limited-time promotions. But ideally, you also want to set up successful evergreen campaigns that generate a high return on ad spend (ROAS) for the long term.

To find top brands’ long-running campaigns, filter your ad library search by date. Then, analyze the brand’s oldest active ads.

For example, this evergreen ad incentivizes customers to order in the app. The ad uses a text overlay to convey the offer clearly and prompt customers to act.

It’s important to note that the ad library won’t tell you the ROAS, click-through rate (CTR), or conversion rate for any ad. But if an ad has been active for several months, that longevity often signals a successful campaign.

9. Level Up Your A/B Testing

Take it from me: even the most experienced advertisers can’t always predict exactly which messaging or creative will grab the audience’s attention and get results.

Fortunately, Meta supports both dynamic ad content and A/B testing, two features that make experimentation a little easier. If you’re not sure how to put these features to work, the Meta Ad Library can help.

While the library doesn’t specifically highlight A/B tests, it does show the different creatives advertisers have selected for each ad. Click to view any ad and scroll through the creatives.

This will give you a solid idea of how competitors are experimenting and the different types of creatives they’re testing.

10. Craft Influencer Campaigns That Expand Reach

Sometimes the best ad campaigns don’t come directly from your brand. Influencer campaigns can be incredibly effective for expanding reach, building trust, and driving conversions across Meta platforms.

With the Facebook Ad Library, finding these campaigns is easy. All paid partnership content appears in relevant brand and keyword searches.

By browsing paid promotions like these, you can get a better sense of the types of influencers who could be a good fit for your brand and the kinds of campaigns that could help you reach your advertising goals.

11. Fine-Tune Your Ad Targeting

Not all ads in the Facebook Ad Library show targeting details. However, ads that have impressions in the EU show audience details for transparency purposes.

Click on any ad served in the EU to learn more about the target audience’s location, age range, and gender.

You can also see the total reach for the ad, including a demographic breakdown.

If you want to reach a similar audience, these insights can give you a better sense of who to target and how to build your ad audience.

Final Thoughts on the Facebook Ad Library

The Facebook Ad Library is much more than just a collection of ads. It’s your shortcut to producing winning ads.

Skip the expensive guesswork and build better ads faster.

With the Facebook Ad Library, you can research the competition, reverse-engineer what’s working, and ultimately create ads that drive the results you want.