If you run ads for Instagram-based businesses, you already know the frustrating cycle. You spend hours brainstorming creative concepts, launch campaigns, wait for data, realize half your ads underperformed, and start over. The problem is not your execution. The problem is that most agencies start every campaign from scratch instead of building on what is already proven to work.
Foreplay and Inflowave solve different halves of this problem. Foreplay is the research and intelligence layer - it gives you access to over 54 million ads across Meta, TikTok, and LinkedIn, lets you spy on competitor ad libraries in real time, and provides creative analytics that show exactly which hooks, formats, and themes drive performance. Inflowave is the execution and measurement layer - it lets you schedule Instagram content, launch Facebook and Instagram ad campaigns, manage DM conversations generated by those ads, and track which specific ads drive pipeline revenue, not just clicks or impressions.
When you use both together, you create a closed loop. Research feeds creative. Creative feeds ads. Ads feed the CRM. CRM data feeds back into research. Every cycle makes your ads better because every cycle is informed by real performance data and competitive intelligence, not gut feeling.
What Foreplay actually does (and why over 10,000 ad teams use it)
Foreplay was built by Zach Murray, a performance marketer who got tired of the fragmented creative workflow most agencies use. The platform powers over 10,000 social ad teams and agencies worldwide, processes data from over 54 million ads, and has earned a 4.8/5 rating from over 228 Chrome Web Store reviews. It has five core products, each solving a specific piece of the ad creative puzzle.
Discovery - The ad search engine
Discovery gives you access to a database of over 54 million ads. You can search by keyword, brand name, industry, or even by the emotional tone of the ad. The AI-powered analysis breaks down each ad into its components: the hook, the body copy, the call-to-action, the visual format.
This is not just browsing the Meta Ad Library manually. Discovery indexes ads from Meta, TikTok, and LinkedIn, applies machine learning to categorize them, and lets you filter by things like "video ads in the fitness industry that have been running for more than 30 days" - which is a strong signal that the ad is profitable. You can also filter by ad format, language, country, and even the emotional appeal of the creative. The advanced filters alone save hours of manual browsing every week.
Spyder - Automated competitor monitoring
Spyder is a 24/7 ad library scraper that does the tedious work of competitive monitoring for you. You add competitor Meta pages, and Foreplay automatically monitors their ad library every single day. When a competitor launches a new ad, you get notified. When they kill an ad, you see that too.
Over time, Spyder builds a complete picture of your competitors' testing patterns: what hooks they test first, what formats they scale after testing, how long they typically run tests before killing underperformers, and which creative themes they keep returning to quarter after quarter. This is intelligence that would take a junior media buyer 10+ hours a week to gather manually. Spyder does it automatically for every competitor you track, across every client you manage.
Swipe File - Save and organize inspiration
The Swipe File is where you store winning ads you find anywhere on the internet. Foreplay has a Chrome extension with over 30,000 users and a 4.8/5 star rating that lets you save ads from the Meta Ad Library, TikTok Creative Center, or LinkedIn ads with one click.
Ads are automatically transcribed, tagged, and organized into boards that you can share with your team, clients, or creative partners. Think of it as Pinterest for ad inspiration, except every pin includes the full ad transcript, the landing page URL, metadata about how long the ad has been running, and AI-generated analysis of the creative elements. For agencies managing multiple clients, you can create separate boards per client, per campaign theme, or per creative angle - keeping research organized as your operation scales.
Lens - Creative analytics that go deeper than Meta Ads Manager
Lens connects to your ad accounts and analyzes the creative performance of every ad you run. It identifies which hooks perform best, which visual formats drive the highest ROAS, and which themes resonate with different audience segments.
The key difference between Lens and the native analytics in Meta Ads Manager is that Lens looks at creative elements across campaigns, not just campaign-level metrics. Instead of seeing "Campaign A got 3x ROAS," you see "Ads with a question-based hook got 2.4x higher CTR than statement hooks, and UGC-style video outperformed studio video by 37% across all campaigns." That level of creative insight is what separates agencies that scale profitably from agencies that plateau at the same ROAS month after month. You can also build shareable reports from Lens data, making client presentations significantly easier.
Briefs - From research to production in minutes
Briefs takes your research and turns it into production-ready creative briefs. You can build storyboards, write scripts, and create modular briefs that you send to UGC creators or your internal production team.
The AI draws from your swipe file and brand profile to generate briefs that are grounded in proven creative patterns, not generic templates. You can attach reference ads directly from your Swipe File so creators see exactly what style you are going for. For agencies managing 10+ clients, this cuts brief creation time from hours to minutes per client. You can also send briefs to multiple creators and collect all their submissions in one organized place, eliminating the back-and-forth of email chains and shared drives.
What Inflowave brings to the equation
Foreplay tells you what to create. Inflowave is where you actually create it, launch it, and track what happens after someone sees your ad. Where Foreplay ends at research and brief, Inflowave begins at execution and measurement. The gap between these two stages is where most agencies lose efficiency - and where the combination of both tools creates the most value.
Ads Manager - Launch campaigns without leaving Inflowave
Inflowave's built-in Ads Manager lets you create, launch, and manage Facebook and Instagram ad campaigns directly from the same platform where you manage your CRM, DMs, and content calendar. You do not need to switch to Meta Business Suite or juggle multiple browser tabs.
You can create campaigns, set budgets and target audiences, choose placements, upload creatives, and monitor performance all within Inflowave. For agencies managing multiple clients, each client's ad account is accessible from the same dashboard as their DMs, leads, and pipeline. This means when you see an ad generating DM conversations, you can immediately check those conversations, see the lead quality, and adjust the campaign - all without switching tools.
Content scheduling - Organic and paid in one calendar
Most agencies treat organic content and paid ads as separate workflows with separate tools and separate teams. Inflowave puts both on the same calendar, which creates opportunities that siloed tools miss entirely.
You can schedule Instagram posts, Reels, and Stories alongside your ad campaigns and see how organic and paid content work together. When you find a winning ad format through Foreplay research, you can adapt it as both a paid ad and an organic post, testing whether the same creative pattern resonates on both channels. Many agencies discover that their best ads also make great organic content, and vice versa.
DM automation and AI chatbot - Handle the leads your ads generate
Here is the gap that most ad tools and attribution platforms completely ignore: what happens after someone sees your ad and sends you a DM? That DM is a lead. But if nobody responds within 5 minutes, the conversion rate drops by over 80%. If you are running ads across 10 client accounts, that is potentially hundreds of DMs per day that need immediate responses.
With Inflowave, every DM conversation is tracked back to the ad or content piece that generated it. The AI chatbot can automatically qualify incoming leads by asking pre-set questions, answer common questions about your product or service in your brand voice, and book discovery calls through Inflowave Scheduling - all without a human touching the conversation. For agencies running ads for multiple clients, each client gets their own AI chatbot trained on their specific brand voice, product catalog, and qualification criteria.
CRM pipeline - Track from ad impression to closed deal
Inflowave's CRM tracks every lead from the moment they first interact with your Instagram - whether through an ad, a comment, a story reply, or an organic post - all the way through to a closed deal. This is the metric that actually matters to clients: not cost per click, not cost per lead, but cost per closed deal.
When you combine this with Foreplay's creative intelligence, you can answer the question that every client asks: "Which of my ads actually made money?" Not which ones got clicks. Not which ones got comments. Which ones generated revenue. You can tell a client "The UGC video with the question hook generated 23 DM conversations, 8 qualified leads, and 3 closed deals worth $14,700 from $800 in ad spend." That level of attribution is impossible without connecting ad data to DM conversations to pipeline outcomes.
The six-step workflow: from research to revenue
Here is how agencies that use both tools structure their weekly ad creative workflow. Each step takes a specific amount of time, and the entire cycle runs in 5 business days.
Step 1: Research winning creatives (Monday, 30-60 min per client)
Start each week in Foreplay Discovery. Search for ads in your client's niche that have been running for 14+ days - a strong signal that they are profitable. Look at what hooks they use in the first 3 seconds of video ads. Note which formats appear most frequently: UGC testimonials, screen recordings with voiceover, talking head with text overlays, or studio-produced content.
Save the top 10-15 ads to a client-specific board in your Swipe File. Pay attention to the ad copy structure too - Foreplay's automatic transcription makes it easy to study the script of every video ad you save. Look for patterns in how winning ads open (pain point, question, bold claim, or social proof), how they build the middle (demonstration, story, or data), and how they close (direct CTA, scarcity, or social proof).
Step 2: Monitor competitor launches (Monday, 15-20 min)
Check your Spyder dashboard for new competitor ads that launched in the past week. For each new ad, ask three questions: Is this a completely new angle they are testing? Is this a variation of something they have been running (which means the original is working)? Did they kill any ads this week (which means those angles failed)?
Over time, Spyder gives you a detailed map of your competitors' entire creative strategy. You will know what they test before they scale it, how long they typically run tests before making decisions, and which creative themes they keep investing in. This is the kind of competitive intelligence that consulting firms charge thousands per month to deliver, except Spyder updates it automatically every day.
Step 3: Create briefs and produce content (Tuesday-Wednesday)
Use Foreplay Briefs to turn your Monday research into actionable creative briefs. Attach reference ads from your Swipe File so your creative team or UGC creators can see exactly what style and format you are going for. Write scripts inspired by the hooks and structures that are proven to work.
The brief includes storyboard frames, script copy, reference ads, and brand guidelines. Collect all creator submissions in one place instead of chasing deliverables across email, Slack, and Google Drive. This step alone saves most agencies 3-5 hours per client per month compared to writing briefs from scratch.
Step 4: Schedule organic and launch paid (Thursday)
Move to Inflowave. First, schedule organic posts that test the same hooks and formats you are about to run as ads. This gives you a free signal before you spend money. If an organic Reel using a question-based hook gets 3x normal engagement, that is a strong indicator the same hook will work in a paid ad.
Then launch your ad campaigns from Inflowave Ads Manager. Set up A/B tests with different hooks, CTAs, and formats inspired by your Foreplay research. Target audiences based on your existing Instagram engagement data. Set up retargeting from people who have already DM'd you or commented on your posts. Make sure your AI chatbot is configured to handle the types of inquiries each ad is likely to generate.
Step 5: Measure the full picture (following Monday)
Use Foreplay Lens to analyze creative performance across all your ads. Which hooks got the highest click-through rates? Which formats drove the most engagement? Which themes resonated with which audience segments?
Then cross-reference with Inflowave analytics. Which of those high-CTR ads actually generated DM conversations? Which DM conversations turned into qualified leads? Which leads closed? Most agencies stop at "this ad got cheap clicks." The Foreplay + Inflowave combination lets you say "this ad generated $47,000 in pipeline revenue from 23 DM conversations, at a cost of $2,100 in ad spend."
Step 6: Recycle winners and kill losers (ongoing)
Winning patterns get recycled aggressively. If a UGC-style video with a question hook drove the most revenue, create five more variations of that exact format with different talent, different angles, and different CTAs.
Use Inflowave's creative recycling to turn your best organic posts into ads with one click, or repurpose winning ad scripts as Instagram Reels. Set up workflows that automatically flag high-performing content for ad promotion. When you manage multiple client accounts, apply winning patterns from one client's niche to similar clients - the pattern transfers even when the content changes.
Real agency use cases
E-commerce agency managing 30+ brands
An agency managing 30 Shopify brands uses Foreplay Spyder to track 5-10 competitors per client - 150-300 competitor pages monitored automatically. Every Monday, the media buying team reviews competitor launches in Spyder and identifies 3-5 creative angles to test per client. The patterns become clear after a few weeks: competitors in supplements are all testing "before and after" UGC. Fashion brands are scaling carousel ads. Home goods brands are running screen-recording "TikTok-style" ads.
Briefs go to their UGC creator network by Tuesday. Creatives are ready by Wednesday. Campaigns launch Thursday with A/B tests across 3-4 hooks per client. By the following Monday, they have performance data in both Foreplay Lens (which creative elements won) and Inflowave (which ads drove actual purchases and DM inquiries). The entire loop runs in 5 business days simultaneously across all 30 clients because the tools handle the scale.
Instagram growth agency (50+ accounts)
A growth agency managing 50+ Instagram accounts uses Foreplay Discovery differently - instead of searching for paid ads, they search for organic content formats performing well in each client's niche. They look for patterns in viral Reels: specific hook structures, transition styles, text overlay placements, audio choices.
These patterns get adapted into content calendars scheduled through Inflowave across all 50+ accounts. The best-performing organic posts get automatically flagged and promoted as ads. The AI chatbot handles the surge of DMs from high-performing content, qualifying leads and booking calls. This agency grew from 20 to 50 clients in 6 months because automation handled the volume without proportional staff increases. The team grew from 4 to 6 people, not from 4 to 15.
Solo info-product creator running paid ads
A course creator selling a $2,000 coaching program uses Foreplay to study how top creators structure their ad funnels. They noticed a specific pattern: the most successful ads use a 60-second UGC video opening with a pain point, showing a transformation, and ending with a DM-based CTA ("DM me 'GROW' for the exact framework").
They replicated this format, launched through Inflowave, and set up an AI chatbot for the keyword trigger. The chatbot asks three qualifying questions and books discovery calls for qualified prospects. First month: 147 qualified DM conversations, 23 booked calls, 7 new clients at $2,000 each - $14,000 in revenue from $3,200 in ad spend. The entire DM-to-call flow was automated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Foreplay have an API that integrates directly with Inflowave?
Foreplay offers a public API that provides enriched competitor advertising data. Inflowave has built a Foreplay integration that mirrors ad data, brands, and swipe files into your Inflowave workspace. You can search Foreplay's ad database, save ads to swipe files, and access competitor analytics without leaving Inflowave. The integration syncs automatically - new ads saved in Foreplay appear in Inflowave within minutes.
How much does Foreplay cost?
Foreplay offers a 7-day free trial with full access to all features. The Chrome extension is completely free with no account required (30,000+ users). Paid plans start at around $49/month for individual users. Agency plans with team collaboration, Spyder monitoring, and Lens analytics are priced based on usage. Foreplay recommends booking a demo for custom agency pricing.
Is Foreplay worth it for small agencies with only 2-3 clients?
Yes, but the value comes from different features. Small agencies get the most from Discovery and Swipe File - searching 54 million ads with smart filters saves 5-10 hours per week vs manual Ad Library browsing. Spyder becomes more valuable at scale. If you only track a few competitors, manual checking is manageable. At 10+ clients with multiple competitors each, manual monitoring becomes impossible.
Can Foreplay track Instagram ads specifically?
Foreplay tracks ads from the Meta Ad Library, which includes both Facebook and Instagram ads. You see all Meta placements including Instagram Feed, Stories, Reels, and Explore. You can filter by placement to see only Instagram-specific creatives. Foreplay also tracks TikTok and LinkedIn ads for multi-platform coverage.
What is the difference between Foreplay and other ad spy tools like AdSpy or BigSpy?
Foreplay is built for the complete creative workflow, not just ad spying. AdSpy and BigSpy are databases you search. Foreplay adds organized boards (Swipe File), automated daily competitor monitoring (Spyder), your own creative performance analysis (Lens), and production-ready brief generation (Briefs). The Spyder automation and Lens creative analytics are features no other spy tool offers.
Do I need both Foreplay and Inflowave?
Each tool works independently. Foreplay is valuable for any ad team, even with a different CRM. Inflowave is valuable for any Instagram business, even without ad research tools. Together, the combination eliminates the gap between research and execution. Without Foreplay, your campaigns are based on guesswork. Without Inflowave, your research never connects to revenue data.
How does Foreplay Spyder compare to manually checking the Meta Ad Library?
Manually checking one competitor takes 15-20 minutes. Tracking 10 competitors across 5 clients is 12-17 hours per week of manual browsing. Spyder does this automatically 24/7 and captures historical data the Ad Library does not show - like when ads launched, how long they ran, and when they were removed. The time savings alone justify the cost for any agency tracking more than a handful of competitors.
Can I use Foreplay research to create organic Instagram content?
Absolutely. Creative patterns that work in paid ads often work better as organic content because they have been validated with real ad spend. Use Discovery to find winning formats, adapt them as Reels and Stories scheduled through Inflowave. The smartest strategy is testing formats organically first (free), then promoting winners as paid ads, reducing your testing budget significantly.
What ROI can agencies expect from using both tools?
ROI comes from three areas: time savings (10-15 hours/week on research and briefs), better ad performance (20-40% CTR improvements from research-informed creatives), and revenue attribution (cutting waste by knowing which ads actually generate revenue). The combined monthly cost is typically less than one hour of a senior media buyer's weekly time.
How quickly can I get set up?
Both tools offer 7-day free trials. You can complete your first research-to-campaign cycle in a single afternoon. Install the Foreplay Chrome extension (30 seconds), spend 20 minutes in Discovery saving ads, set up Inflowave and connect your Instagram accounts (5 minutes per account), and schedule your first content batch. Most agencies complete their first full cycle within 7-10 days.