Get extensionHow to find leads in ad libraries
Ad libraries are public. Meta, Google, LinkedIn and TikTok each let anyone see which companies are running ads right now. A company that's advertising is trying to grow this month, which is about as clear a buying signal as you can get for free.
- 1Spot the ad
- 2Press Save
- 3It lands in your list
- 4Follow up
Why ad libraries are worth your time.
Most prospecting signals are indirect. An ad is direct: the company is paying money, today, to win customers. You don't have to guess whether it wants growth.
Ad libraries also show you the work. You can read the copy, see the images and click through to the landing page before you write a word, so your first message can be about something specific in their own campaign.
The signals worth saving.
Many ads running at once
The company is testing creative and will need more of it.
Advertisers in your category
Search a keyword your buyers use and you get a list of companies paying to reach them.
A first-time advertiser
A company with only a handful of ads may not have settled on an agency or a process yet.
A good ad with a weak page behind it
Click through. The gap between the ad and the landing page is your opening.
A quick test before you press Save.
Save it
- A company running several versions of an ad at once
- An advertiser using a keyword your buyers search for
- An ad whose landing page lets it down
Skip it
- Brands with in-house teams far beyond your size
- A single ad that ended months ago
- Political and issue ads, unless that's your market
How to do it.
- Open an ad library and search for a keyword or a company.
- On Meta, press the green Save icon on the ad card. On Google's Transparency Center, Save sits beside the advertiser's name. On LinkedIn and TikTok it's on the ad's detail page.
- Confirm the advertiser as the company.
- Note what the ad promises. That's your first line.
Two ways to open.
Your ad for [offer] has been running on Meta. The page it lands on [specific observation]. Here are two changes I'd test.
Saw you're advertising [product] on LinkedIn. If you're also testing [channel], that's what we do.
Templates, with the parts in brackets for you to fill in. The specific detail is what gets a reply, so don't send them as they are.
A landing-page consultant searches Meta's library for "free delivery" and finds Pine Street Coffee running an offer. The ad is clear. The page it leads to buries the offer under a newsletter popup. He saves the ad, and his message is two sentences about the popup.
An invented example. The people and companies in it are fictional.When to follow up.
Write while the ad is running. Once a campaign ends, your observation about it stops being useful.
Whatever the channel, set a follow-up date in On Radar when you save. A lead without a date is a lead you'll rediscover in three months.
4 sites in this channel.
| Site | Plan | What you save |
|---|---|---|
| Meta Ad Library | Power | Save an advertiser and the ad it is running. |
| TikTok Ad Library | Power | Save an advertiser and the ad it is running. |
| Google Ads Transparency | Power | Save an advertiser and the ad it is running. |
| LinkedIn Ad Library | Power | Save an advertiser and the ad it is running. |
Each name links to its own guide, with where the button sits and exactly what a save keeps. The sources page has the full list.
What to avoid.
The short answers.
What does a save keep?
The advertiser, the ad's text as the library shows it, its library id and link, and up to two image links on Meta.
Can I see how much they spend?
No. Spend, reach and targeting figures aren't saved, and an ad isn't proof of a large budget.
Is TikTok's ad library covered?
It's switched on but not yet confirmed, because the library didn't load from our test location.
Is it safe for my accounts?
Save This Lead never posts, likes, follows or messages, and it never browses on your behalf. It reads a page when you press Save.
What does it cost?
There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $19 a month. The plan each site needs is in the table above and on the pricing page.
Go deeper.
More from Save This Lead.
One button to save.
One place to find it.
Keep useful posts, leads and their context together. Leave the copy-paste routine behind.
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