Reverse Engineering Your Competitor's Funnel

Most marketers stop at the ad library. They see a competitor's creative, swipe the headline, and think they've done their research. They are missing 90% of the picture.

The ad is just the tip of the iceberg. The real money is made in the funnel.

The "Burner Identity" Method

To properly spy, you need to become the customer.

1. Create a clean browser profile: No cookies, fresh history.
2. Use a dedicated "Burner" email: You want to capture their email sequence.
3. The Click: Click the ad.

What to Document

As you go through their flow, screenshot everything:

1. Landing Page: Is it a long-form sales letter? A quiz? A VSL (Video Sales Letter)?
2. The Offer: What is the hook? "Free Trial," "Discount," "Consultation"?
3. The Checkout: Are there order bumps? Upsells immediately after purchase?
4. The Abandonment: Close the tab on checkout. Do they retarget you on FB? Do they send an abandoned cart email?

Analyzing the Email Sequence

This is where the magic happens. Over the next 2 weeks, monitor that burner email.

• Day 0: Welcome / Instant Gratification.
• Day 1: Value add / Story.
• Day 3: Hard pitch / Urgency.

Tools to Help

• AdOperative: Use our analysis tools to see where the traffic is going.
• BuiltWith: Scan their landing page to see what tech stack they are using (Shopify, ClickFunnels, Klaviyo).

Conclusion

You don't need to reinvent the wheel. If a competitor is spending millions on ads, their funnel converts. Analyze it, understand the psychology, and then build a better version for your brand.