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Ad research and the Meta Ad Library

Ad research on Meta starts with the Meta Ad Library, the public archive Meta keeps of every active ad on its apps. It shows the creative, the Page and the start date of any running ad. Spend, reach and targeting appear only for political and issue ads and for ads shown in the EU or UK.

This topic explains what the library can and cannot tell you about a competitor, and what copyright, trade mark law and Meta's own rules let you do with what you find. The search steps live in the Meta Ad Library guide.

Key terms

Common questions

What is a winning ad?
A winning ad is one that keeps running profitably while the advertiser switches off the rest. The Meta Ad Library shows when each active ad started, so a long run is the usual public sign of a winner. Meta does not publish results for ordinary ads, which makes that sign an inference rather than proof.
What is a swipe file in advertising?
A swipe file is a saved collection of ads, headlines and hooks that a marketer studies before making new ads. For Meta ads it usually holds screenshots from the Ad Library with notes on the hook, format and offer. It is a reference for ideas and structure, not a store of assets to reuse.
Can you see who a Facebook ad is targeting?
Only for some ads. For ads shown in the EU or UK, the Meta Ad Library shows the age, gender and location targeting the advertiser chose. For political and issue ads it summarises targeting at Page level. Ordinary ads that run elsewhere show no targeting at all.
Is it legal to research competitors in the Meta Ad Library?
Yes. Meta built the library for public viewing, and anyone can search it. Downloading search results needs a Facebook login and acceptance of Meta's terms. Reusing what you find is a separate question, which copyright, trade mark law and Meta's intellectual property rules decide.

Put it to work

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