Ever feel like your competitors are everywhere? They launch new blog posts, videos, whitepapers, and somehow always seem one step ahead. If you’re in content, product marketing, or competitive intelligence, you know how hard it is to keep up—let alone report on what actually matters. Manual tracking is a pain. Most “comprehensive” guides just hand-wave toward generic tools.
If you want to actually track, analyze, and report on competitor content (without chasing your tail or drowning in data), this guide’s for you. We’ll walk through how to use Crayon—warts and all—to get real insight into what your rivals are publishing, what’s working for them, and how to share findings that drive decisions.
Let’s get into it.
Step 1: Pick Your Real Competitors (Not Just Aspirational Ones)
Before you fire up Crayon, get clear on which competitors actually matter. It’s tempting to track everyone, but that’s a recipe for noise.
How to choose: - Start with 3–5 direct competitors—those selling to the same customers, with similar products or services. - Skip the “aspirational” giants unless their moves truly impact your market. - Don’t forget up-and-comers. Sometimes the scrappy startups are hungrier (and faster) than the incumbents.
Pro tip: If you’re not sure, look at who your sales team loses deals to—or who your customers mention unprompted.
Step 2: Set Up Competitor Tracking in Crayon
Now, get your Crayon workspace set up to monitor content activity.
Here’s what to do: 1. Add Competitors: Plug in their domains and social profiles. The more sources, the better—but only if you’ll actually use the data. 2. Pick Content Types: Decide what you care about—blog posts, resource libraries, videos, press releases, etc. Crayon can track most formats, but don’t bother with channels your audience doesn’t use. 3. Set Up Alerts: Choose how often you want updates (real-time, daily, weekly). If you’re reporting regularly, daily or weekly digests usually work best.
What works: Crayon’s auto-detection for blogs and resource sections is pretty good, but double-check it’s pulling the right feeds. Sometimes, you’ll need to add specific URLs for less-obvious content (think webinars or gated guides).
What doesn’t: Don’t try to track everything—newsletters, podcasts, obscure microsites—unless you have a real reason. You’ll just create noise and burnout.
Step 3: Tag, Filter, and Organize Content for Clarity
The raw feed in Crayon can get overwhelming fast. Organize it so you (and anyone else) can make sense of what’s happening.
Best practices: - Tag by Topic: Set up custom tags for major themes—product updates, thought leadership, customer stories, etc. - Filter Out Fluff: Not every post is strategic. Ignore low-value stuff (holiday greetings, generic culture posts) unless they’re unusually relevant. - Assign Owners: If you’re on a team, divvy up competitors or content types so everyone knows what they’re responsible for.
What to ignore: Don’t get distracted by every minor tweak, like a blog redesign or minor copy updates. Focus on content that could influence buyer decisions or market perception.
Step 4: Analyze Competitor Content Moves
This is where most people get stuck. Don’t just collect links—look for patterns and signals.
Key questions to ask: - What topics are they doubling down on? Are they suddenly obsessed with AI, security, integrations? - Are they shifting formats? More video, fewer blogs, new types of guides? - How often are they publishing? Cadence often signals priorities or resourcing. - What’s getting engagement? Crayon can track social shares and basic metrics, but back this up with manual checks on their most-shared content.
How to spot what matters: - Look for clusters: Are three competitors all talking about one pain point this month? - Watch for bold moves: Did someone launch a huge resource hub or start a new webinar series? - Track “firsts”: Who’s setting trends, and who’s playing catch-up?
What works: Set aside an hour a week to scan and tag notable moves, not every minor post.
What doesn’t: Don’t obsess over word counts or SEO scores unless you’re in direct competition for keywords. Focus on strategic signals, not vanity metrics.
Step 5: Build Simple, Actionable Reports
Nobody wants a 20-page slide deck full of screenshots. Your goal is to make insights digestible and actually useful.
Tips for better reports: - Summarize key moves: “Competitor X launched three new customer stories focused on healthcare.” - Highlight implications: “They’re targeting the same vertical we’re selling into this quarter.” - Use screenshots sparingly: One or two per finding, max. Don’t overload slides or docs. - Keep it regular: Monthly or quarterly reports usually hit the sweet spot—enough to see trends, not so much that you’re repeating yourself.
A good report might include: - A summary table: who published what, where, and when. - A handful of “what matters” callouts. - An appendix with links for anyone who wants to dig deeper.
What to skip: Don’t just forward Crayon’s raw digest emails. They’re a starting point, not a finished product.
Step 6: Share Insights and Spark Real Discussion
The real value isn’t just in tracking—it’s in helping your team act smarter.
How to get buy-in: - Tailor your message: Sales cares about new case studies; product might care more about new feature launches. - Ask questions: “Are we seeing more content targeting X industry than usual? Should we tweak our messaging?” - Host quick reviews: 15-minute monthly huddles can do more than any emailed report.
What works: Being clear about “so what?”—why does this competitor move matter right now?
What doesn’t: Dumping data with no commentary. If people can’t see the relevance, they’ll tune out.
Step 7: Rinse, Repeat, and Ignore the Hype
Competitive content tracking isn’t a one-and-done project. Markets shift, priorities change, and what worked last quarter might flop now.
Keep it simple: - Review your list of competitors every 6 months. - Audit your tags and filters—trim what’s not useful. - Don’t chase every new shiny tool or channel. Stick to what your customers (and rivals) actually use.
Honest take: Crayon is solid for tracking and organizing competitor content, but it won’t magically tell you what to do. You still need to apply judgment and context. Skip the hype about AI “reading between the lines”—at least for now.
Wrapping Up: Don’t Overthink It
Start small. Track the competitors that actually matter. Focus on the few content moves that shape your market, and make sure your reports spark real conversations. Iterate as you go. Most teams get stuck trying to boil the ocean; the smart ones just keep it practical and adjust over time.
If you use Crayon well, you’ll get out of the weeds and start spotting the trends that actually matter. That’s how you stay a step ahead—without burning out or drowning in data.