Ads research
How to read the Ad Library, what the top-performing ads do, and how to find the people who make them.
Updated September 24, 2026 · 7 min
How do I use the Meta Ad Library to see what competitors are running?
How to search the Meta Ad Library by brand, read run time and variations, spot the ads a brand keeps paying for, and what the library cannot tell you.
Daryl BudimanUpdated September 24, 2026 · 6 min
How do I find my competitors' ads on Facebook and Instagram?
Find every ad a competitor is running from their website or brand name, read which ones they keep paying for, and see the creators they use. Free methods first.
Daryl BudimanUpdated September 24, 2026 · 9 min
What does Facebook ad copy that runs for months look like?
Twenty Facebook ad copy examples from ads that have run 120 to 1,400 days, with the run time, the versions, and what each first line does. Dated, from the index.
Daryl BudimanUpdated September 24, 2026 · 8 min
Which hooks keep Facebook and Instagram ads running the longest?
Fifty hooks from Facebook and Instagram ads that ran 120 to 1,400 days, grouped by type (problem, offer, question, story, claim), with what each does.
Daryl BudimanUpdated September 24, 2026 · 6 min
How do I know an ad is fatiguing, and what do I do about it?
The signs of ad fatigue on Facebook and Instagram, the numbers to watch, why the longest-running ads have many versions, and a refresh routine that works.
Daryl BudimanUpdated September 24, 2026 · 7 min
How do I find UGC creators who already post about my category?
Find UGC creators on TikTok and Instagram by what they post, not who applied. The metrics to check, the red flags, and the one signal no platform shows you.
Daryl BudimanUpdated September 24, 2026 · 6 min
How many ad creatives should I test, and for how long?
A testing routine for Meta ads that a small team can keep: how many creatives per idea, how long to let one run, what to read, and what the long-running ads did.
Daryl Budiman
Using AI assistants
Step-by-step workflows for Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini: creator research and Meta Ad Library research, with the prompts.
Updated September 24, 2026 · 7 min
How do I use Claude to find and vet UGC creators?
A step-by-step workflow for finding UGC creators with Claude: the connector that gives it TikTok and Instagram data, the prompts to paste, and how to read the numbers it returns.
Daryl BudimanUpdated September 24, 2026 · 7 min
How do I use Claude to research the Meta Ad Library?
Use Claude to research Facebook and Instagram ads: connect it to an index of the Meta Ad Library, ask which angles perform best, open a competitor's account, and get briefs from the winners.
Daryl BudimanUpdated September 24, 2026 · 6 min
How do I use ChatGPT to find and vet UGC creators?
A ChatGPT workflow for finding UGC creators: the connector that gives it TikTok and Instagram data, the prompts, the numbers to check, and how to draft outreach it never sends.
Daryl BudimanUpdated September 24, 2026 · 6 min
How do I use ChatGPT to research the Meta Ad Library?
Use ChatGPT to research Facebook and Instagram ads: the connector that gives it the Meta Ad Library as data, the questions that work, and how to turn top-performing ads into briefs.
Daryl BudimanUpdated September 24, 2026 · 6 min
How do I use Gemini to find and vet UGC creators?
A Gemini workflow for UGC creator research: where the data comes from, the paste-in prompts for vetting and outreach, and a Gem that keeps the instructions.
Daryl BudimanUpdated September 24, 2026 · 6 min
How do I use Gemini to research the Meta Ad Library?
A Gemini workflow for Meta ads research: get the ads with their run times from an index of the Ad Library, then use Gemini for the patterns, the briefs and the rewrites.
Daryl Budiman
Comparisons
Dovey against the tools you already know, with prices and features on the date checked.
Updated September 24, 2026 · 5 min
Dovey vs Foreplay: which ad library tool fits you?
Foreplay and Dovey compared on price, what they index, how they search, what they read from creatives, and who each is for. Checked September 24, 2026.
Daryl BudimanUpdated September 24, 2026 · 5 min
Dovey vs AdSpy: a $149 database or a search that answers?
AdSpy and Dovey compared: price, coverage, search, what each reads from an ad, and who each suits. AdSpy is the deepest old-school Facebook database; Dovey answers questions. Checked September 24, 2026.
Daryl BudimanUpdated September 24, 2026 · 5 min
Dovey vs Minea: product research or ads research?
Minea and Dovey compared. Minea is a dropshipping product-research stack with ads on top; Dovey is Meta ads research you can question. Prices and features as of September 24, 2026.
Daryl BudimanUpdated September 24, 2026 · 4 min
Dovey vs BigSpy: the cheapest sweep or the search that answers?
BigSpy and Dovey compared. BigSpy is the budget multi-platform ad sweep from $9 a month; Dovey is Meta ads research by meaning with an agent. Checked September 24, 2026.
Daryl BudimanUpdated September 24, 2026 · 4 min
Dovey vs Motion: your own ads' analytics, or the market's?
Motion analyzes the performance of your own ad account from $250 a month; Dovey researches what runs in the market and makes ads from it. Different jobs, compared honestly. Checked September 24, 2026.
Daryl BudimanUpdated September 24, 2026 · 4 min
Magic Brief shut down. What replaces it?
Magic Brief closed on July 31, 2026 after Canva's acquisition. What it did, and which tools cover each part now: Foreplay for the swipe file, Dovey for research and questions, Canva Grow for making.
Daryl Budiman
Posters and flyers
For the person behind the counter: menus, flyers and posters without a designer.
Updated September 11, 2026 · 7 min
How do I make a poster without design software?
Three real ways to get a poster made in 2026, what each costs, how long each takes, and when none of them is the right answer.
Daryl BudimanUpdated September 11, 2026 · 6 min
What is a faster alternative to Canva for a one-off poster?
An honest comparison: what Canva is genuinely best at, where the template tax costs you time, and when describing a poster beats designing one.
Daryl BudimanUpdated September 11, 2026 · 7 min
How do I make a menu without a designer?
The real options for a menu or a specials board, the pricing and layout rules that change what guests order, and what to print it at.
Daryl BudimanUpdated September 11, 2026 · 6 min
What should a help wanted flyer say?
The six things a hiring flyer needs, why the pay belongs on it, what to make the headline, and the sizes to print it at.
Daryl BudimanUpdated September 11, 2026 · 7 min
Can ChatGPT or Claude make a poster or flyer?
Yes for an image, usually no for a usable poster. What each model can actually do, why the text comes out wrong, and what to use instead.
Daryl Budiman