How Does Competitor Tracking Give You the Upper Hand?

Do you ever have that moment when your brain feels like it’s dried up? No new ideas, no spark, no fresh angles brewing, no matter how hard you try to think? 

You are staring at the screen, the cursor’s blinking like it’s mocking you, and all you can do is recycle the same old posts and campaigns.

Or maybe you have managed the hard part! You have gone from 0 to 1 and built a foundation, carved out your presence, and seen some traction. 

But how do you get from 1 to 10 or better yet, 10 to 100? That’s not just about showing up. It’s about showing up louder and sharper than everyone else in your space.

Marketing in your own little bubble only works for so long. To grow and dominate, you need more than just internal creativity. You need perspective. You need a watchful eye.

You need to know not just what you are doing, but what your competitors are doing and how you can do it better.

That’s exactly where competitor tracking steps in.

No, this isn’t cheating. It simply shows you what’s working for others, their best posts, engagement trends, and partnerships, without needing logins or secret access. 

It’s not spying. It’s not shady. It’s just using publicly available insights to make sure you are never left in the dark. And when you do it right, it can feel almost unfair.

We are so excited to roll out a new addition to your toolkit, Public Data for Competitor Tracking. In this blog, we’ll walk you through the what, why, and how of competitor tracking in Measure Studio. 

You’ll see exactly how to add competitor accounts, how to use the data across dashboards and benchmarks, and most importantly, how to get that edge using those insights.

So buckle up. Competitor Tracking is about to become your new favorite growth hack.

What is competitor tracking in Measure Studio

Every team wants to crack the code behind their competitors’ success. That’s exactly what competitor tracking in Measure Studio is designed to do.

Using our Public Data feature, you can track any public Instagram or TikTok account of any brand, creator, even influencer, without needing logins or permissions. 

No awkward emails, no hacked-together spreadsheets, just competitive intelligence delivered straight into your dashboards.

So what exactly do you see? Pretty much everything that’s already public, but organized in ways that actually matter for marketing teams:

• Engagement metrics — likes, comments, shares, and views

• Posting habits — daily hustlers vs. once-a-month posters

• Top-performing content — which formats (reels, carousels, shorts) are driving results

• Partnerships & sponsorships — who they are collaborating with, and how those posts perform

  
  

Here’s where it gets really fun!

A competitor just launched a campaign with three influencers. Instead of manually scrolling through feeds trying to piece it together, you can pull those posts into Measure Studio, see exactly how they performed, and benchmark them against your own campaigns. 

It doesn’t just stop here. You can use this feature for multiple use cases like: 

• Influencer tracking – Vet creators by comparing engagement and spotting rising stars.

• Campaign tracking – See which activations your competitors are running and how they perform.

• Brand sponsorships – Keep tabs on partnerships in your category to guide your own deals.

• Market research – Uncover broader content and audience trends across your industry.

• Industry benchmarks – Build your own category averages to see how you really stack up.

  
  

You can pull those posts straight into your dashboard, track engagement, and compare them directly to your own campaigns. 

Read: Which Types of Snapchat Stories Can Make Your Brand Go Viral?

Why competitor tracking matters

Social media often feels like throwing content into the void and hoping something sticks, while your competitor’s post is racking up likes in real time. Competitor tracking changes this very thing. You can:

1. Learn what works in your industry

Every niche has its own rhythm. Some audiences binge short-form TikToks, others still engage with carousels or long captions.

By watching competitors, you can spot which formats and posting cadences are actually resonating without having to test every single idea yourself.

2. Benchmark against leaders

Looking at your own numbers in isolation doesn’t tell the full story. Competitor tracking lets you set performance goals in context. 

Are you pacing with the leaders? Or are you behind on consistency, engagement, or content variety? Benchmarking helps you answer those questions with confidence.

3. Spot opportunities early

Competitors aren’t just posting. They are also experimenting with partnerships, influencer collabs, and campaign tactics. 

By keeping an eye on what’s trending in your category, you can uncover opportunities you might have missed and move faster to capitalize on them.

4. Validate your own strategy with external proof points

Sometimes you just need a gut check. Seeing your approach align with broader industry trends gives you proof that you are on the right track.

 And when your strategy looks different? That contrast can either confirm you are innovating or highlight where a pivot might be needed.

How competitor tracking works in Measure Studio

Here’s a step-by-step guide to using competitor tracking with Measure Studio:

Step 1: Add a public account

To start tracking a competitor, go to your profile dropdown in the upper-right corner and select Manage Social Accounts. Then:

1. Click Add Account.

2. Choose Public from the dropdown menu.

3. Enter the URL of the Instagram or TikTok account you want to track.

Note: Public Data only works for public accounts. Private accounts or stories won’t be accessible.

Step 2: Sync data

Once you have added the account, Measure Studio will start syncing the data. This process may take up to 24 hours, depending on the volume of posts and activity.

After syncing is complete, you can access a wide range of performance metrics, giving you a clear picture of how the competitor’s content is performing.

Step 3: Analyze metrics

With the competitor account connected, you can analyze important metrics, including:

• Engagement – likes, comments, shares, and overall interactions

• Posting Frequency – how often they post and at what times

• Top-Performing Content – identify which posts are generating the most engagement

These insights help you benchmark your performance and uncover trends or content opportunities.

Step 4: How data shows up 

Once you have added a competitor account, Measure Studio lets you leverage that data across multiple features to gain deeper insights and track performance over time.

1. Dashboards

You can display competitor metrics directly on your main dashboard by adding their account as a widget and choosing from a graph or table format.

Customize which metrics to show and filter by time ranges or content types. This side-by-side visualization allows you to:

• Monitor competitor post performance in real time

• Compare trends with your own accounts

• Spot opportunities to refine your content strategy

2. Benchmarks

Use competitor data as a benchmark to see how your metrics stack up against others in your industry or niche.

With Benchmarks, you can:

• Compare engagement rates, posting frequency, and content performance

• Identify areas where you are leading or lagging behind

• Gain context for reports and strategic decisions

3. Post Groups

Include competitor posts in Post Groups to organize content by category, theme, or campaign strategy.

This lets you:

• Analyze content trends by topic or format

• Compare your content performance to specific campaigns

• Identify patterns that drive engagement and apply insights to your own planning

4. Account Groups

Group competitor accounts together to analyze brands or creators within the same category.

Account Groups help you:

• Track similar brands or creators side by side

• Spot broader trends across a category rather than a single account

• Uncover patterns that can inform your strategy when monitoring multiple players

5. Reports

Competitor data can also be featured in both scheduled and on-demand reports.

This enhances reporting by allowing you to:

• Provide context for your performance with industry comparisons

• Support strategic decisions and goal setting

• Turn raw competitor data into actionable insights for your team or stakeholders

Read: TikTok vs Reels vs Shorts: An Exclusive study of Measure Studio

Bonus: Tips for using competitor data strategically

Tracking competitor data won’t make you invincible but how you use it can. Here are some practical tips to get the most out of your insights:

1. Don’t just copy, interpret

Competitor data isn’t a blueprint to copy blindly. Instead, analyze why certain content works and adapt it to fit your own brand’s voice and goals. The aim is to learn, not replicate.

2. Look for patterns

Pay attention to recurring trends in competitor behavior. For example:

• Posting times that drive the most engagement

• Content formats or styles that resonate with their audience

• Collaborations or partnerships that boost reachIdentifying these patterns can inspire smarter content planning and timing.

  
  

3. Use competitor benchmarks to set internal KPIs

Competitor performance provides a real-world reference point for your own goals. If a competitor averages 5% engagement per post, you can use that benchmark to set realistic targets and track progress over time.

4. Combine owned and competitor insights

The strongest strategies come from blending your own data with competitor insights. This gives you a complete picture of what works in your niche, highlighting opportunities to outperform the competition while staying true to your brand.

Read: How to Optimize Your Marketing Funnel with Organic & Paid Social Media

Wrapping up

When you combine your own data with competitor insights, you get the full picture of what’s resonating in your space. 

Add in Post Content AI, tagging, and cross-platform comparisons, and suddenly you’re not just seeing what works, you are uncovering why it works, and how to apply those lessons to your own strategy.

At the end of the day, competitor tracking puts you in the driver’s seat. You’ll know what’s trending across the industry, optimize your campaigns in real time, and plan your next move with confidence. 

Ready to get started? Measure Studio makes it easy to turn competitor data into your competitive edge.

Get started with Measure Studio today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need my competitors' logins to track their data?

Nope! Measure Studio only uses publicly available data from Instagram and TikTok. You just add their public account URL, and the platform does the rest without any logins or hacks.

How often is competitor data updated?

Once you add a competitor, their data starts syncing and updates regularly (initial sync can take up to 24 hours). After that, you’ll always have fresh insights on their latest posts, trends, and engagement.

Can I mix competitor data with my own analytics?

Absolutely, that’s the whole point! You can blend competitor insights with your own performance in dashboards, benchmarks, and reports. That way, you are not just looking at numbers in isolation but seeing the bigger picture of how you stack up and where you can grow.