Ad Intelligence Directive

Purpose

Find high-converting ads in any niche by scraping ad libraries and tracking performance proxies.

Available Tools

Platform	Script	Cost	What You Get
TikTok Creative Center	scrape_tiktok_ads.py	Apify credits (~$5/1000 ads)	Actual engagement metrics - likes, comments, shares, CTR
Meta Ad Library	scrape_meta_ads.py	Apify credits (~$0.75/1000 ads)	Ad creatives + longevity tracking (30+ days = winner)

Strategy

TikTok (Best for Performance Data)

TikTok Creative Center is the only major platform that exposes real performance metrics publicly. Use this as your primary source for:

• Understanding what hooks work in a niche
• Seeing actual engagement rates
• Finding winning ad formats and styles

Meta (Best for Creative Research)

Meta Ad Library shows what's running but NOT how well it's performing. Our workaround:

• Longevity = Success: Track ads over time. If it's still running after 30+ days, it's likely profitable
• Weekly scrapes: Run the scraper weekly to build your tracking database
• Export winners: Use --export-winners to get ads running 30+ days

Workflow

For a New Client/Niche

# 1. TikTok - Get top performers with actual metrics
python3 core/execution/scrape_tiktok_ads.py \
  --industry "beauty" \
  --region US \
  --limit 100 \
  --upload \
  --client "Client Name"

# 2. Meta - Start tracking competitor ads
python3 core/execution/scrape_meta_ads.py \
  --search "med spa" \
  --country US \
  --limit 100 \
  --upload \
  --client "Client Name"

# 3. Meta - Spy on specific competitors
python3 core/execution/scrape_meta_ads.py \
  --page "https://facebook.com/competitor1" \
  --upload \
  --client "Client Name"

Weekly Maintenance (for Meta Longevity Tracking)

# Update tracking database
python3 core/execution/scrape_meta_ads.py --update-tracking

# Check for winners
python3 core/execution/scrape_meta_ads.py --export-winners --min-days 30

# View stats
python3 core/execution/scrape_meta_ads.py --show-stats

Third-Party Platforms (Paid)

If you need more comprehensive data:

Tool	Price	Platforms	API Access	Best For
BigSpy	$9-99/mo	FB, IG, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, Google	✅ Yes	Multi-platform research
AdSpy	$149/mo	FB, IG only	✅ Yes (GitLab)	Deep Meta research
Minea	$49-99/mo	FB, IG, TikTok, Pinterest	❌ No API	E-commerce/dropshipping
SimilarWeb	Enterprise	Landing page traffic	✅ Yes	Traffic analysis

BigSpy API

• Comprehensive endpoints for ad creatives, engagement, targeting
• 1B+ ads database, 71 countries, 23 languages
• Enterprise users report fast response times

AdSpy API

• GitLab repo: https://gitlab.com/adspy/API
• Integrates with ad management systems
• Access to extensive Facebook/Instagram ad database

SimilarWeb API

• Landing page traffic analysis
• Competitor traffic comparisons
• Paid landing page performance insights

Interpreting Results

TikTok Metrics (What They Mean)

Metric	Good	Great	Exceptional
Likes	50K+	500K+	1M+
CTR	1%+	2%+	3%+
Days Running	14+	30+	60+

Meta Longevity (Our Proxy for Success)

Days Running	Interpretation
1-7	Testing phase
7-14	Showing promise
14-30	Likely profitable
30+	Winner - study this ad
60+	Evergreen - proven formula

Edge Cases

Situation	Response
TikTok blocks scraping	Use Apify actor (handles rate limits)
Meta ad not in US	Change --country parameter
Apify credits exhausted	Use --method playwright for TikTok (free but slower)
Ad disappeared from tracking	Marked as likely_stopped after 7 days unseen

Learnings

Update as you discover constraints, better approaches, timing expectations.

• [2025-12-12] Initial setup: Created TikTok and Meta scrapers with Apify integration
• [2025-12-12] Longevity strategy: Meta doesn't expose metrics, so we track duration as success proxy