The Competitor Comments Strategy: Finding the Content Gaps They Missed
So far, we've focused on listening to your own customers. But there's another, equally valuable group of people to learn from: your competitors' customers.
Their public comments, reviews, and questions are a roadmap to their frustrations, desires, and—most importantly—their unanswered questions. By listening carefully, you can identify the content gaps your competitors have missed and position your brand as the most helpful resource in your space.
This isn't about "spying." It's about being a "help detective." You're looking for opportunities to answer questions and solve problems that others are ignoring.
Here's how to do it.
The Mindset: Look for Gaps, Not Just Flaws
Your goal isn't to find flaws in your competitor's product to attack them. It's to find gaps in their communication and support. You're looking for recurring themes of confusion or frustration that you can solve with a genuinely helpful piece of content. When you do this, you build trust with potential customers before they've even considered buying from you.
Part 1: Analyzing Public Review Sites (Trustpilot, Google Reviews, etc.)
This is your starting point. People go to sites like Trustpilot or Google My Business to share their unfiltered experiences.
- Actionable Step: Make a list of your top 3-5 direct competitors. Search for them on these platforms and set aside 30 minutes to read.
- What to look for in 1- to 3-star reviews: This is where you'll find the most valuable insights. Ignore generic complaints about shipping and look for specifics:
- "I couldn't figure out how to..." or "The instructions were confusing." This is a direct request for a clear, step-by-step "how-to" guide.
- "I was disappointed because I thought it would..." This signals a mismatch between customer expectations and reality. It's an opportunity for you to create a post titled "What to Really Expect When You Buy a [Product Type]" or a guide that clarifies common misconceptions.
- "It doesn't work with [another product]." This is a prompt to create content around compatibility, helping customers understand what your product works with before they buy.
- What to look for in 4- and 5-star reviews: Even happy customers reveal content gaps.
- "My only wish is that it could..." This highlights a desired feature or use case you can write about.
- "I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered it could also..." This points to a hidden benefit or use case that you should be highlighting for all your customers.
Part 2: Digging into Social Media and YouTube Comments
Comments on social media posts and YouTube videos are more casual and immediate. They often reveal pre-purchase questions and points of confusion in real-time.
- Actionable Step: Find your competitor's most popular YouTube tutorial or a recent Facebook/Instagram ad. Ignore the post itself and head straight for the comments section.
- What to listen for:
- Direct questions: "Can it do X?", "How long does the battery last?", "Is it waterproof?" If people are asking these on a competitor's post, they're probably asking them everywhere.
- Follow-up questions on tutorials: On a YouTube video, look for comments like, "What about the part at 2:15?" or "You didn't explain how to clean it." These are specific gaps in an existing piece of content that you can fill comprehensively.
- Comments from tagged friends: One person tags a friend saying, "We should get this!" The friend often replies with a question or a concern. That follow-up question is a pure, unfiltered look into a potential customer's thought process.
Turning Your Detective Work into a Content Plan
After an hour of this research, you should have a list of questions and points of confusion.
Your goal is to now create the single best, clearest, and most helpful piece of content on the internet that addresses each gap you found.
- If customers are confused about a competitor's warranty, create a post titled "A Simple Guide to Understanding [Your Industry]'s Warranties."
- If customers complain that a competitor's product is hard to assemble, create "The Easiest Way to Assemble a [Your Product Type]" with clear pictures and simple steps.
By systematically finding and filling these content gaps, you're not just selling a product; you're selling clarity. And in a confusing market, the brand that provides the most clarity wins the most trust.