In addition to creativity, a company's marketing and advertising agencies need to be aware of market movements and competition, after all, no one wants to be left behind! And for this, the Facebook Ads Library can be a great ally.
In this post, we’ll explain what it is, how it works, and how to use it to benefit your business. Keep reading to learn more about it.
Facebook Ads Library: What is it?
Due to the controversies related to political advertisements published on Facebook in recent years, Meta, owner of the most renowned social networks in the world, created the Facebook Ad Library.
In order to provide greater visibility and transparency in the placement of ads, it is possible to access those that have been and are being served on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Audience Network (partner network) from any account.
Did you like it? And there's more! The tool provides information that may be relevant to brands when making decisions, such as the theme of the ads, the start date of the campaign, the texts and images used, among others.
With all this at your disposal, it becomes easier to know what your competitors are doing and create strategies that help to attract the consumer's attention and generate social media engagement.
However, Facebook's ad library imposes its limits. It is not possible to view the budget of a given campaign or the segmentation of the audience you want to reach.
But, based on the information available, it is already possible to have an interesting basis, isn't it?

How do I search the Facebook Ad Library?
The tool is simple, free, and best of all, you don't need to be linked to an account to access it. Logging in is only mandatory in cases of complaints or access to content classified as adult.
The first step is to enter the Facebook Ads Library! When you come across the page, you will soon see “search ads” and that is where the search begins. But first you will need to make some configurations:
- Select the country in which you want to obtain information about ads served;
- Set the ad category: There are two categories available, “all ads” or “relevant topics, elections or politics”. Here, as the interest is in business accounts, it is pertinent to leave the first option;
- Next, in the “search by keyword or advertiser” field, you can type the name of the company whose ads you want to check or the segment, for example, school;
- After entering the company name or keyword, just press enter or click on the magnifying glass, located on the left side.
If the company has ads, which is very likely these days, they will immediately appear on your screen and you will be able to access them by clicking on “view ad details”, allowing you to view:
- The text;
- The images and/or videos used;
- The start date of the campaign and whether it is active or not;
- The social networks on which the ad was or is being displayed.
How to use the Facebook Ads Library to your business' advantage?
Use the filters
The filter will allow for targeted analysis, it is a way for you to get straight to the point, that is, to search only for brands and formats that are relevant to your company at that moment.
Furthermore, it is a great way to optimize time and check what the competitor is investing more in.
The “filter” option is located in the top right corner of the screen, just click and make some adjustments before searching. You can configure:
- Language: choose all languages or Portuguese;
- Advertiser: you can directly enter the name of the competitor you want to analyze;
- Platform: choose between Instagram, Facebook, Audience Network;
- Messenger, or if you prefer, you can enter all platforms;
- Type of multimedia content: you can select only images, memes, images and memes, videos, no images or videos, or all options;
- Online status: refers to the current state of the campaign, so you can choose between active and inactive, active ads or inactive ads;
- Impressions by date: Select the period in which you want to obtain information about the ads that were displayed. For example, for commerce, it is interesting to check the competitor's actions from the last Black Friday.
After entering the filters, click on “apply filters” to start the search.
Take the opportunity to get inspired!
Everyone needs inspiration, right?
Remember that being inspired does not mean copying! It means paying attention to new developments and market trends to do things differently, adapting insights to the company's reality, positioning and identity, so that it brings originality and never a copy.
Checking Facebook's ad library will allow you to analyze how your competitors are working and what they are using to attract the attention of their target audience. This can help you generate creative and original ideas. So, the tip is to observe!
Pay close attention to the images or videos used in the campaigns, the copywriting, the way the company uses mental triggers in the texts to persuade the audience, and lastly, what CTAs (Calls-to-Actions) are used by the brand, the calls to action.
In addition to observing, how about following the path as if you were a lead? Click on the button (CTA) to learn more about the landing page. Who knows, maybe you'll have an even better idea for future campaigns?
Try to analyze the company's positioning
Studying the segment, the macro-environmental factors, analyzing the competition, as well as identifying your positioning, is crucial to creating good digital marketing strategies.
Try using Facebook's ad library to identify your brand's tone of voice, colors, fonts, icons, company direction, and popular topics.
All these aspects are signs that can reveal the competitor’s positioning.

Read also
How to download videos from Facebook Ads Library?
Before we continue with this information, it is important to point out that the files available in the Facebook ad library belong to a brand! Therefore, pay attention to copyright so you don't end up in trouble later, okay?
For analysis purposes, downloading videos or images may be valid, but nothing more. That said, check out the step-by-step guide to downloading videos:
- After searching for the ad in video format, click on “view ad details” and play to load the material;
- Right-click on the video, and then click save as;
- To save correctly, it is important to rename the file and add the extension, for example: video.mp4.
Meet GS2 Digital Marketing
If you are looking to build a successful business that really makes sense and brings value to your brand, get to know GS2 Marketing Digital, an agency specialized in inbound marketing, with a total focus on results.
We use the best digital marketing tools to produce assertive content for our clients, with creative and remarkable actions.
This seriousness and intelligence in digital marketing provides recognition from many of our clients, for whom we have become a lead generation and conversion machine.