# Competitor ad review template

> A copy-and-paste notes block for reviewing each competitor ad digest: what launched, what to save, the pattern and one test idea. With a filled example.
- **Author**: Marxx
- **Published**: 2026-11-07
- **Category**: Competitor research
- **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-templates/competitor-digest-review-template

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This template is a short notes block you fill in each time a competitor ad digest arrives. It records what launched, which ads you saved and why, the pattern across brands, and one test idea, in about ten lines. Paste it as a thread reply under the digest or into a running doc per client.

Use it if you review rivals' new ads every week for one or more clients. It suits a strategist or account lead who has ten to fifteen minutes per client. Fill in the same block every week, and after a month you can scroll back and see which patterns stuck.

## The template

```
COMPETITOR REVIEW: [Client], week of [date]
Source: [digest / ad library / other]   Reviewed by: [name]

1. WHAT LAUNCHED
   [Brand]: [n] new ads ([formats])
   [Brand]: [n] new ads ([formats])
   Quiet this week: [brands with no new ads]

2. SAVED (max 3)
   [Brand] [format]: saved for [hook / angle / offer / look]
   [Brand] [format]: saved for [ ]
   [Brand] [format]: saved for [ ]

3. PATTERN (one line)
   [What 2 or more brands did the same way]

4. LONG RUNNERS (from the public ad library)
   [Brand] [ad]: live since [date], [n] days

5. ONE TEST IDEA
   If we [change], then [metric] will [improve], because [reason].
   Owner: [name]   Brief by: [date]

6. LAST WEEK'S IDEA
   [Briefed / live / dropped, and why]
```

## A filled-in example

All brands and people below are fictional.

```
COMPETITOR REVIEW: Northwind Escapes, week of 3 Nov 2026
Source: competitor new ads digest   Reviewed by: Priya Shah

1. WHAT LAUNCHED
   Wanderlast Holidays: 2 new ads (reel, static)
   Bluepine Travel: 3 new ads (carousel x3)
   Quiet this week: Saltmarsh Trips

2. SAVED (max 3)
   Wanderlast reel: saved for hook, price per night in frame one
   Bluepine carousel: saved for format, one hotel per card
   Wanderlast static: saved for offer, free airport pickup

3. PATTERN (one line)
   Both lead with what is included, not with the destination

4. LONG RUNNERS (from the public ad library)
   Bluepine "Kerala houseboat" reel: live since 12 Aug, 83 days

5. ONE TEST IDEA
   If we open our Goa reel on "pickup and breakfast included",
   then cost per lead will fall, because buyers compare inclusions.
   Owner: Karan Mehta   Brief by: Thu 6 Nov

6. LAST WEEK'S IDEA
   Live since Monday as "Goa monsoon 01"
```

Section 4 records only what the Meta Ad Library shows anyone: the start date and that the ad is still live. Never write a rival's spend or results into this block. No public library shows them for ordinary ads, so any number there would be a guess.

## Tips

- **Cap saves at three.** The cap forces a choice, and the choice is the useful part.
- **Write the pattern before the idea.** An idea from one ad is a copy. An idea from a pattern is a strategy.
- **Fill section 6 first.** It stops ideas piling up unmade.
- **Keep the ad library dates honest.** Count days live from the "started running" date. [How to find out how long an ad has been running](/guides/how-to-find-out-how-long-an-ad-has-been-running) shows where to look.
- **Turn the idea into a test** with the [ad testing hypothesis template](/templates/ad-testing-hypothesis-template).

If the digest comes from Marxx, it lands in the client's Slack channel with a **Save** button on each ad, so section 2 is already on the client's board. We make Marxx. Setup is in [how to get competitor ads in Slack](/guides/how-to-get-competitor-ads-in-slack).

## FAQ

### Where should I keep the filled-in reviews?

As a thread reply under each digest, plus a copy in one running doc per client. The doc lets you scroll back over months.

### What if no competitor launched anything?

Fill section 1 with "No new ads" and still do section 6. A quiet week is a good week to make last week's idea.

### Can the client see this?

Yes, if it helps. Remove internal notes about budget or staff first.

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- [More Competitor research articles](https://marxx.ai/library-templates/category/competitor-research)
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