Creators, media & newsletters competitor analysis
Criteria, weights, features, KPIs and sources for analysing competitors of YouTube channels, podcasts, newsletters, blogs, Instagram creators, niche media sites.
Creators compete for attention inside a niche and against every other thing a viewer could watch. Useful analysis looks at topics, formats, posting cadence, engagement and how each rival monetises, not just follower counts.
This template scores content quality, consistency, audience size, engagement, SEO and monetisation.
What decides who wins
Score every competitor from 0 to 10 on these criteria. The weights are a starting point; adjust them to what your customers say matters.
| Criterion | Weight | What to look at |
|---|---|---|
| Content quality & depth | 20% | Research, production, originality |
| Consistency & cadence | 14% | Posting frequency, reliability |
| Audience size | 16% | Subscribers, followers, listeners |
| Engagement | 18% | Views per post, comments, shares |
| Search & discovery | 14% | Search rankings, suggested traffic |
| Monetisation | 18% | Sponsorships, products, memberships |
Features and offers to compare
Mark each competitor yes, partly or no. Critical items missing from your offer are the first gaps to close.
- Newsletter (Important)
- Community (Discord/membership) (Important)
- Paid product or course (Important)
- Shorts / Reels (Important)
- Sponsorships (Nice to have)
- Podcast (Nice to have)
- Blog / SEO content (Nice to have)
- Collaborations (Nice to have)
Where to find your competitors
- YouTube and podcast search for your topics
- Newsletter directories and Substack categories
- Instagram and TikTok hashtags in your niche
- Google results for your target questions
Well-known players in related categories
Larger brands your customers may compare you with. Listed for research only; inclusion does not imply they compete with you.
- Music & audio streaming: Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, JioSaavn, Gaana, Tidal, Deezer
- Video streaming (OTT): Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, JioHotstar, HBO Max, Apple TV, Hulu, Paramount+
KPIs to benchmark
- Posts per week per platform
- Median views per post over the last 10 posts
- Top 10 videos or posts by views and their topics
- Sponsors and products promoted
- Search keywords their content ranks for
Five Forces snapshot
Typical pressure in this market. Your local situation may differ; rate it in the Five Forces tool.
| Force | Typical level |
|---|---|
| Competitive rivalry | Very high |
| Threat of new entrants | Very high |
| Threat of substitutes | Very high |
| Bargaining power of buyers | Medium |
| Bargaining power of suppliers | High |
Estimating market share
For this industry, social followers are usually the most practical public proxy for share. Use the same source for every business and read the result as a share of the businesses you track. See how to estimate market share and HHI.
Mistakes to avoid
- Comparing follower counts instead of recent engagement
- Copying topics without an angle
- Ignoring platform algorithm changes as a force