ADS: FIND BUSINESSES ALREADY PAYING FOR ADS

Every Facebook and Instagram ad running right now is public in Meta's Ad Library.
This is the search from the video, step by step, with a sheet to copy what you find into.

Names in quotes are the ones on Meta's help page for the Ad Library:
https://www.facebook.com/help/259468828226154
Everything else is in plain words, because Meta's help pages don't name it.
If your screen words something differently, go by your screen.


THE FIVE STEPS

1. OPEN THE AD LIBRARY
   Type facebook.com/ads/library into your browser.
   Select a country: the one you sell in.
   In the "Ad category" dropdown, select "All ads". The other categories are for special ads,
   such as ads about issues, elections or politics, and housing ads.

2. SEARCH A TRADE AND A CITY
   Type a trade and a city into the search bar, for example: roofing Denver
   Run a few versions, the way a customer would say it: roofer Denver, roof repair Denver,
   and the towns around you.
   Write down every search you run, so you can run the same ones again next month.

3. KEEP THE ADS STILL RUNNING, AND READ THE START DATE
   Meta's help page says a search of all ads covers the ads that are currently active.
   If your screen offers a filter for active and inactive ads, keep only the active ones.
   At the top of each ad is the date it first appeared. That's the day it started running.
   To keep a link to an ad, click "Options", then "Copy Ad Link".

4. COPY EACH ONE INTO YOUR SHEET, THEN SORT OLDEST FIRST
   One row per business, not per ad. If a business is running several ads,
   use the start date of its oldest one.
   Fill in the page name, the city, the search you used and the start date.
   The sheet works out the days running.
   Sort the sheet by start date, oldest first.

5. ADD EACH BUSINESS'S WEBSITE
   Click "See ad details" at the bottom of the ad. It shows information from the About section
   of the business's Facebook Page. Look for the website there.
   If it isn't there, search the page name and the city, and check the site belongs to the same business.


WHAT THE DATE TELLS YOU

30 days or more: an ad that has run for 30 days or more tells you the business keeps paying for it.
It doesn't prove the ad works. Treat it as a sign the business has a budget for ads,
not as a sign the ad is good.

Under 30 days: a new ad may be a test. Keep the row, and check again in a few weeks
whether it's still running.


THE SHEET (ads-template.csv)

page_name           The name of the Facebook Page running the ad.
city                The city you searched, or the one on their page.
search_used         The words you typed, such as roofing Denver.
start_date          The date at the top of their oldest ad that's still running.
days_running        Worked out for you: =IF(D2="","",TODAY()-D2)
website             From "See ad details", or a search of the page name and city.
what_the_ad_offers  One line in your own words: the service, and what the ad offers.
ad_link             From "Options", then "Copy Ad Link".
date_checked        The day you looked. Ads stop and start, so check again before you use the row.
keep                Worked out for you, TRUE at 30 days or more: =IF(E2="","",E2>=30)


IF YOU RUN ADS YOURSELF

Run the same search for your own trade and your own city. Open the ads that have run longest
and note three things: what they offer, the first line of the text, and what the button asks
people to do. That's what your competitors keep paying for, which isn't the same as what works.


BEFORE YOU CONTACT ANYONE

If you use this list to reach these businesses by email or phone, read the email and calling
rules linked from the checklist page first. They are notes, not legal advice.


The businesses, dates and searches here and in the video are examples to adapt.
Nothing here is a result; it is a checklist.