Here’s a ready-to-use Social Media Competitor Analysis Template you can implement immediately. Copy this into a spreadsheet (Excel/Google Sheets) and start filling it today.

🚀 Quick-Start Template (Copy These Headers)

Create a spreadsheet with these columns:

Engagement Rate Formula: (Likes + Comments + Shares) ÷ Followers × 100

📋 Step-by-Step Execution Plan

Phase 1: Identify Competitors (30 mins)

Choose 3-5 competitors:

• 1 Direct competitor (same size/audience)
• 1 Aspirational competitor (bigger, where you want to be in 1-2 years)
• 1 Adjacent competitor (different industry, same audience demographics)
• 1 “Unconventional” competitor (high engagement despite smaller following)

Pro tip: Use the “Audience Overlap Tool” in SparkToro or simply check who your followers also follow.

Phase 2: Data Collection (1-2 hours)

For each competitor, audit their last 30 posts across their top 2-3 platforms:

Quantitative Data:

• Follower growth (check Social Blade or manually track weekly)
• Average likes/comments per post type
• Posting times/days
• Story/reel frequency

Qualitative Data:

• Content pillars (what topics repeat?)
• Caption length and structure
• Visual aesthetic/themes
• Response time to comments/DMs
• Influencer partnerships

Phase 3: Content Category Audit

Create a separate tab categorizing their content:

🔍 Deep-Dive Analysis Framework

1. Platform-Specific Tactics

Focus on the 2 platforms most relevant to your business:

Instagram:

• Reels vs. Static performance ratio
• Story highlights strategy
• Collab post frequency
• Shop integration usage

LinkedIn:

• Employee advocacy presence
• Newsletter usage
• Document/PDF post performance
• Comment engagement pods (are they using them?)

TikTok:

• Trend adoption speed
• Hook strategies (first 3 seconds)
• Comment-to-content ratio

2. The “Ghost Follower” Test

Check their engagement quality:

• Do they have 100K followers but only 50 likes? (Bought audience)
• Are comments generic (“Nice!”) or specific? (Real community)
• Do they reply to comments within the golden hour?

3. Content Velocity Analysis

Track their content cadence for one week:

• Posting times (when do they get most traction?)
• Story frequency (5/day vs. 1/day)
• Live streaming schedule

🛠️ Recommended Tools (Free to Start)

🎯 Turn Analysis Into Action

Once your spreadsheet is complete, create a “Do This, Not That” list:

Example Output:

• Stop: Posting product photos without faces (Competitor X gets 3x engagement with team photos)
• Start: Using carousel posts for educational content (Competitor Y uses these for 40% of top performers)
• Steal: Their “FAQ Friday” story series format (adapt to our “Tech Tip Tuesday”)
• Avoid: Their hashtag stuffing strategy (30 tags = spammy, they get better reach with 5-8 targeted ones)

The 30-60-90 Day Plan

• Week 1: Implement 3 quick wins from competitor gaps
• Month 1: Test their top-performing content format with your spin
• Month 2: Develop the content pillar they’re missing
• Month 3: Differentiate—do what they can’t (e.g., deeper expertise, behind-scenes access)

💡 Advanced: The “Secret Sauce” Section

Add these qualitative observations to your template:

1. Vulnerability Analysis: What are they NOT doing that customers ask for in comments?
2. Voice Moat: Can you tell it’s them without seeing the logo? If yes, analyze their verbal tics.
3. Community Rituals: Do they have weekly prompts, specific greeting styles, or inside jokes with followers?

Which platform is your primary focus right now—Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, or something else? I can provide platform-specific metrics and examples tailored to that ecosystem, or help you prioritize which competitor to analyze first if you share your industry/niche.

Social Media Competitor Analysis Template

Conducting a social media competitor analysis helps you uncover gaps in your strategy, benchmark performance, steal winning content ideas, and spot opportunities like untapped platforms or high-engagement formats. Aim to analyze 3-5 direct competitors (similar audience/products) quarterly for ongoing insights.

Step-by-Step Guide to Get Started

Follow these actionable steps to complete your analysis in 2-4 hours initially, then automate where possible.

1. Identify 3-5 Competitors (15-30 mins)

   • Search your industry keywords on Google (e.g., "best [product] 2026") and note top-ranking brands.
   • Check social platforms directly (e.g., Instagram Reels, TikTok For You, LinkedIn search).
   • Review your audience insights (e.g., Instagram Insights > Accounts Reached > Followed Accounts) for patterns.
   • List: Direct (same products) vs. indirect (similar audience).

2. Gather Data Manually or with Free Tools (30-60 mins)

   • Visit profiles: Note follower count/growth (use SocialBlade.com for historical data), posting frequency (last 30 days), top posts (likes/comments/shares).
   • Calculate engagement rate: (Likes + Comments + Shares) / Followers x 100 (aim for 1-5% benchmark).
   • Track content: Types (Reels/videos/carousels), hashtags (top 5), tone (funny/professional).
   • Free tools:

     Tool	Best For	Link
     Social Blade	Follower growth, engagement trends (IG, TikTok, YouTube, X)	socialblade.com
     Native Analytics	Your/competitor posting insights (if public/business account)	Platform apps
     Hootsuite Free Trial	Benchmark up to 20 profiles	hootsuite.com
     BuzzSumo Free	Top content by engagement	buzzsumo.com

3. Analyze & Benchmark (30 mins)

   • Input data into the template below.
   • Compare to your metrics and industry averages (e.g., IG engagement: 0.5-1.5%; post 3-5x/week).
   • Do a quick SWOT per platform.

4. Apply Insights & Monitor (Ongoing)

   • Test 1-2 ideas (e.g., match top content type).
   • Set Google Alerts or use free monitoring for mentions. Re-run monthly.

Downloadable Free Templates

Copy the markdown tables below into Google Sheets/Excel, or grab these pre-built ones:

• Hootsuite Spreadsheet (metrics + SWOT tabs): Download here
• Sprout Social Spreadsheet (platform-specific sections): Download here
• Fleximize Google Sheet (SME-focused, editable): Get it here

Editable Template (Copy to Google Sheets/Excel)

1. Competitor Overview

2. Platform-Specific Metrics (Duplicate rows per platform)

*Share of Voice: Your engagements / Total industry engagements x 100

3. Content & Audience Analysis

4. SWOT Analysis (Per Platform or Overall)

Quick Wins to Implement Today

• Post more like winners: If Reels dominate, schedule 3/week.
• Fill gaps: Jump on ignored platforms (e.g., Threads if competitors skip it).
• Track weekly: Add a "Date" column and update one sheet per Friday.

What industry are you in, which social platforms matter most, and who are your top 2-3 competitors? Share those details, and I'll customize this template further or suggest specific benchmarks!