A monthly competitive report: the one-page template

A ten-page competitive report gets made once and never again. A one-page report with five sections can be made monthly, and because it gets read it leads to decisions. Here is the structure and the data each section needs.

Five sections

Section 1 — one sentence of conclusion. Did anything change this month that should change our plan. If not, write "nothing" and that is a valid conclusion.

Section 2 — the five-channel table. One row per competitor, four columns: median views, posts this month, breakout videos flagged, follower movement.

Section 3 — breakout videos, if any. One line each: channel, topic, opening pattern, whether a trend was used. See spotting a breakout video.

Section 4 — new advertising. Which ads are new since last month, and which have now been alive over 90 days. See a long-running ad is a profitable ad.

Section 5 — one thing to do. Exactly one. A list of five means none of them gets done.

Data needed and cost

About 310 credits a month for a full report on five competitors. For sections 2 and 3 only, the tracking package is enough.

Why section 5 has exactly one item

Because it is the only section that produces change. A report listing ten observations without choosing one action is a report for the archive, not for use.

Pick the action on two criteria: it relates to the largest change this month, and it can be done next month with the resources you have.

Comparing with last month

Keep the previous report and put a "last month" column next to each number in section 2. A number with nothing to compare against says nothing; a number with last month beside it speaks immediately.

After six months you have a trend line per competitor, and that is when this report starts to be genuinely valuable.

What the report cannot contain

Revenue, budget and order counts for competitors. No public source has them. If somebody in the company asks for those figures, say plainly that they are not measurable and offer the substitutes — see why nobody can estimate a competitor's budget.

Every figure in the report is an estimate from public data the platform displays. Put that sentence in the report.

Frequently asked questions

Is there automatic report export? The tracking package returns data; assembling the page is yours to do, or use the API to build it.

Is monthly too often? For a fast-moving industry, no. For a slow one, do it quarterly and keep the structure.

Who should receive it? Whoever decides about content and budget. If none of them reads it, do not make it.