If you’re tired of “competitive intelligence” that’s just a pile of news alerts and PR fluff, this is for you. Whether you’re a product manager, founder, or just the unofficial “spy” at your company, you want to know what your competitors are really up to—without getting buried in noise. This guide is a practical walkthrough on using Owler to spot and compare product launches and strategic moves. Less hype, more signal.
Why bother comparing product launches and strategic moves?
Let’s face it: most companies aren’t as original as they think. Watching how your rivals launch products, enter markets, or announce partnerships gives you a heads-up—sometimes even a blueprint. You’ll spot patterns, avoid mistakes, and occasionally get to say “called it” in a meeting. But tracking this stuff manually is a slog.
That’s where tools like Owler come in. But before you sign up and start clicking, let’s be clear: Owler isn’t magic. It’s a data aggregator with some handy features, but it can be noisy. You’ll need a clear plan, some patience, and a healthy dose of skepticism.
Step 1: Get set up with Owler (without drowning in notifications)
Sign up and build your watchlist
- Create an account. The free version gets you started, but advanced tracking is behind a paywall. Try before you buy.
- Add companies. Focus on your direct competitors and maybe a couple of “aspirational” ones (the giants you watch from afar).
- Pick your battles. Don’t add every tangential player—you’ll just end up with alert fatigue.
Pro tip: Start with 3-5 competitors. Quality over quantity. You can always add more if you’re not overwhelmed.
Set your notification preferences
- Owler will want to email you about everything. Turn off daily digests unless you like inbox clutter.
- Use weekly digests or in-app browsing to control the stream.
Step 2: Use Owler’s News Feed for product launches and strategy signals
This is the bread and butter. Once your watchlist is set, Owler will pull in news articles, press releases, and blog posts about those companies.
What to look for:
- Product launches: Phrases like “announces,” “introduces,” “unveils,” or “releases.” Filter for actual launches, not just feature tweaks.
- Strategic moves: Partnerships, funding rounds, acquisitions, executive changes, or new market entries.
How to cut through the noise:
- Ignore: Articles with recycled PR language (“industry-leading,” “game-changing,” etc.). These usually say little.
- Skim for substance: Look for specifics: Who’s the target customer? What’s the price? What problem does it solve?
- Track patterns: If you see several similar moves (e.g., everyone launching an AI feature), it’s a trend—not an accident.
What doesn’t work:
- Owler sometimes scrapes irrelevant news, especially for companies with generic names. You’ll need to sanity-check the sources.
- Not every “launch” is real—sometimes it’s a rebrand or a minor update.
Step 3: Compare competitors side by side
Owler lets you pull up company profiles and compare them. The comparison tools aren’t super deep, but they’re useful for a snapshot.
How to do it:
- Go to the “Compare” feature (usually a button on each company profile).
- Select up to four companies.
- Owler will show you things like estimated revenue, employee count, funding, and recent news side by side.
What’s actually useful here:
- Recent news and launches: See who’s most active.
- Funding and growth: Who just raised money? That often signals a spending spree or expansion.
- Employee trends: Sudden hiring? They might be gearing up for something big.
What to ignore:
- Revenue and funding numbers are often estimates—treat them as ballpark figures, not gospel.
- “Employee count” is usually pulled from LinkedIn and can lag by months.
Pro tip: If you want a real timeline of launches, build your own simple spreadsheet as you go. Owler gives you the raw data, but you’ll get more clarity by tracking major events yourself.
Step 4: Set up alerts for launches and strategic moves
If you’re serious about not missing anything big, set up custom alerts.
- You can create keyword alerts like “launch,” “partnership,” or “acquisition.”
- Combine keywords and company names for better targeting (e.g., “Acme Corp + partnership”).
Watch out for:
- False positives: Not every keyword hit is relevant. “Launch” might refer to a marketing campaign, not a product.
- Alert overload: Start with a few alerts, not dozens. Tweak as you see what actually comes through.
Pro tip: Pair Owler alerts with Google Alerts or another aggregator. Sometimes Owler misses a news item that another source catches.
Step 5: Dig into strategic moves—not just the press releases
Owler’s feeds show you what happened, but not always why. When you spot a competitor’s big move:
- Read past the headline: Go to the original source, not just Owler’s summary.
- Ask: Who cares? Is this aimed at your market segment? Or are they chasing a totally different audience?
- Look for patterns over time: A single launch might be noise. Several related moves (e.g., a string of healthcare partnerships) is a real strategy shift.
What doesn’t work:
- Don’t assume every announcement is a sign of success. Sometimes it’s just a company trying to look busy.
- Ignore vague “strategic partnership” PRs unless they name customers, products, or clear goals.
Step 6: Filter, summarize, and share insights (without becoming the office newsbot)
All this info is only useful if you can distill it for your team—or your own sanity.
- Summarize: Every month, jot down the 2-3 most significant launches or moves for each competitor.
- Contextualize: Don’t just say “Competitor X launched a new app.” Explain what it means (e.g., “First time entering SMB market; feature set looks weak compared to ours”).
- Share sparingly: Nobody wants a 10-page dump of news items. Highlight what matters.
Pro tip: Over time, you’ll get a sense of which competitors are real threats and which are just making noise. Focus your energy accordingly.
The honest bottom line: What Owler is good for (and what it’s not)
Where Owler shines:
- Aggregating news and press releases in one place
- Getting a quick, side-by-side snapshot of several competitors
- Spotting broad trends (e.g., everyone jumping into AI in Q2)
Where it falls short:
- Data quality can be spotty, especially for private companies
- Too much noise if you don’t filter aggressively
- Not great for deep competitive analysis—think headlines, not case studies
What to skip:
- Don’t rely on Owler alone. It’s one tool in your kit, not the full solution.
- Be wary of the “estimated” numbers—always double-check with other sources if it really matters.
Keep it simple—and keep iterating
Competitive intel isn’t about collecting every scrap of news. Use Owler to stay aware, not to build a 50-slide deck. Set up your alerts, track real launches and strategic shifts, and filter out the fluff. As you go, adjust your process—ditch what’s not working and focus on what actually gives you an edge.
You don’t need to out-Gartner your competitors. You just need to spot the moves that matter before they do.