> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developer.dashsocial.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Get top competitor posts ranked by performance > Retrieve and rank top-performing competitor posts by engagement metrics across platforms. Pull top-performing posts from tracked competitors. Use the data to identify winning content formats and inform your creative strategy. *** ## Use cases Manually reviewing competitor content across platforms wastes hours each week. Competitive content reports surface top posts instantly. Surface top-performing competitor posts to inspire your creative team with proven formats and themes Benchmark your brand's best posts against what's resonating with competitor audiences Identify which post formats or topics drive results for competitors to inform your strategy *** ## Before you start Prerequisites: * **API Key** - Your authentication token - Get your API key from the [API Quickstart](https://developer.dashsocial.com/guides/get-started/quickstart). * **Brand ID** - Your brand's unique ID * **Tracked Competitors** - Competitors added in Dash Social Supported platforms: * Instagram * Facebook * YouTube * X **Add competitors first:** Report on competitors tracked in Dash Social only. Add competitors in **Dash Social → Settings → Competitor Management** before using this API. ### Test in the dashboard first Preview competitive content in the Dash Social Dashboard to understand the data structure before pulling via API. *** ## Implementation ### Step 1: Get competitor account IDs Get source account IDs for your tracked competitors. Each competitor has a unique ID per platform. Send a POST request: ```http theme={null} POST https://library-backend.dashsocial.com/competitors/search body = { "source": "FACEBOOK" } ``` #### Key query parameters * `source`: Platform to search: * Instagram: `INSTAGRAM` * Facebook: `FACEBOOK` * YouTube: `YOUTUBE` * Twitter (X): `TWITTER` Sample response: ```json theme={null} [ { "avatar_url": "https://cdn.dashsocial.com/avatars/2306810931.jpeg", "brand_details": [ { "brand_id": 144, "created_at": "2019-10-22T21:02:14+00:00" } ], "handle": "sunny.today", "source": "FACEBOOK", "source_account_id": "2306810931" }, { "avatar_url": "https://cdn.dashsocial.com/avatars/230344968.jpeg", "brand_details": [ { "brand_id": 144, "created_at": "2020-03-15T10:22:33+00:00" } ], "handle": "scaniagroup", "source": "FACEBOOK", "source_account_id": "230344968" } ] ``` Collect each `source_account_id` value. Format as comma-separated: `2306810931,230344968,232342925`. ### Track multiple platforms To analyze competitor content across Instagram and Facebook, call `/competitors/search` separately for each platform. *** ### Step 2: Map your report parameters Map the available parameters before making the API call:
Parameter Description
`brand_ids` Your brand ID.
`channels` Competitive channel to report on: * Instagram: `INSTAGRAM_COMPETITIVE` * Facebook: `FACEBOOK_COMPETITIVE` * YouTube: `YOUTUBE_COMPETITIVE` * Twitter (X): `TWITTER_COMPETITIVE` Use the `_COMPETITIVE` suffix for competitor reports.
`metrics` Metric to rank posts by. See [Metrics](#metrics) section below for all options. Request multiple metrics by separating with commas (e.g., `LIKES,TOTAL_ENGAGEMENTS,REACH`)
`competitor_source_account_ids` Comma-separated IDs from Step 1: `2306810931,230344968,232342925`
`start_date` / `end_date` Reporting period in `YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ` format (ISO 8601 with timezone)
`context_start_date` / `context_end_date` Comparison period for trend analysis in `YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ` format.
`report_type` Set to `COMPETITIVE_CONTENT` for this report
`limit` Number of posts to return per competitor. Defaults to 6 if not specified.
*** ### Step 3: Request the content report Send a GET request using the parameters from Step 2. This example gets top Facebook posts from tracked competitors during October 2025, ranked by likes: ```http theme={null} GET https://dashboard.dashsocial.com/reports/data?brand_ids=144& channels=FACEBOOK_COMPETITIVE& metrics=LIKES& start_date=2025-10-01T07:00:00Z& end_date=2025-10-30T07:00:00Z& context_start_date=2025-09-01T07:00:00Z& context_end_date=2025-09-30T07:00:00Z& report_type=COMPETITIVE_CONTENT& competitor_source_account_ids=2306810931,230344968,232342925 ``` ### Rank by multiple metrics Request multiple metrics by separating with commas (e.g., `LIKES,TOTAL_ENGAGEMENTS,REACH`). Posts will be ranked by each metric separately. Sample response: ```json theme={null} { "data": { "2306810931": { "avatar": "https://cdn.dashsocial.com/avatars/2306810931.jpeg", "content": [ { "id": "18123456789012345", "caption": "New fall collection drops tomorrow!", "created_at": "2025-10-15T14:22:00+00:00", "media_type": "IMAGE", "media_url": "https://cdn.dashsocial.com/media/12345.jpg", "permalink": "https://www.facebook.com/sunny.today/posts/123456", "metrics": { "LIKES": 1247, "COMMENTS": 89, "SHARES": 34, "TOTAL_ENGAGEMENTS": 1370 } } ], "data_type": "COMPETITOR", "name": "sunny.today", "user_has_access": false }, "230344968": { "avatar": "https://cdn.dashsocial.com/avatars/230344968.jpeg", "content": [ { "id": "18345678901234567", "caption": "Monday motivation: Your journey starts with a single step", "created_at": "2025-10-21T09:30:00+00:00", "media_type": "IMAGE", "media_url": "https://cdn.dashsocial.com/media/34567.jpg", "permalink": "https://www.facebook.com/scaniagroup/posts/345678", "metrics": { "LIKES": 2103, "COMMENTS": 156, "SHARES": 78, "TOTAL_ENGAGEMENTS": 2337 } } ], "data_type": "COMPETITOR", "name": "scaniagroup", "user_has_access": false } }, "product_category": "COMPETITIVE" } ``` *** ### Step 4: Interpret the response The response includes top-performing posts for each competitor, sorted by your chosen metric. #### Response structure Each competitor includes: * **`content`**: Array of posts, ranked highest to lowest by the selected metric * **`id`**: Unique post identifier from the social platform * **`caption`**: The post text/caption * **`created_at`**: When the post was published * **`media_type`**: Type of content (IMAGE, VIDEO, CAROUSEL, etc.) * **`media_url`**: URL to the media file * **`permalink`**: Direct link to the post on the social platform * **`metrics`**: Performance data for each post * **`name`**: The competitor's social media handle * **`avatar`**: URL to their profile picture * **`data_type`**: Always `COMPETITOR` for tracked competitor accounts **Common errors:** * **Invalid channel name** - Use `FACEBOOK_COMPETITIVE`, not `FACEBOOK`. Competitive channels require the `_COMPETITIVE` suffix. * **Invalid source account ID** - Verify IDs match the `/competitors/search` response from Step 1. * **Missing context dates** - Include `context_start_date` and `context_end_date` for trend analysis. *** ## Metrics | Metric Name | Description | Metric API Name | | --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------ | | Engagement Rate | The percentage of people who engaged with your competitors' posts, based on their follower count | `ENGAGEMENT_RATE` | | Comments | The number of comments your competitors' posts received | `ORGANIC_COMMENTS` | | Likes | The number of likes your competitors' posts received | `ORGANIC_LIKES` | | Estimated Reach | The estimated number of unique accounts that saw your competitors' posts | `REACH` | | Metric Name | Description | Metric API Name | | --------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------- | | Comments | The number of comments your competitors' posts received | `COMMENTS` | | Engagement Rate | The percentage of people who engaged with your competitors' posts, based on their Page Fans | `ENGAGEMENT_RATE_PUBLIC` | | Likes | The number of likes your competitors' posts received | `LIKES` | | Reactions | The number of reactions your competitors' posts received. Reactions include Like, Love, Care, Haha, Wow, Sad and Angry. | `REACTIONS` | | Shares | The number of times your competitors' posts were shared | `SHARES` | | Engagements | The total number of engagements your competitors' posts received | `TOTAL_ENGAGEMENTS_PUBLIC` | | Metric Name | Description | Metric API Name | | ----------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------- | | Comments | The number of comments your competitors' posts received | `COMMENTS` | | Likes | The number of likes your competitors' posts received | `LIKES` | | Video Views | The number of times the videos on your competitors' channels were viewed | `VIDEO_VIEWS` | | Metric Name | Description | Metric API Name | | ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------- | | Engagements | The total number of engagements your competitors' posts received | `ENGAGEMENTS` | | Likes | The number of likes your competitors' posts received | `LIKES` | | Quote Posts | The total number of times your competitors' posts were reposted with a quote | `QUOTE_POSTS` | | Replies | The total number of times your competitors' posts were replied to | `REPLIES` | | Reposts | The total number of times your competitors' posts were reposted | `REPOSTS` | | Total Reposts | The total number of times your competitors' posts were reposted | `TOTAL_REPOSTS` | | Video Views | The number of times your competitors' videos were viewed | `VIDEO_VIEWS` | ## Next steps With your competitive content data, you can: * **Inspire creative strategy** - Share top posts with your content team to identify successful themes and formats * **Benchmark performance** - Compare your best posts against competitor performance to set realistic engagement goals * **Track content trends** - Query weekly or monthly to spot emerging content trends in your industry * **Inform content calendar** - Analyze which post types and topics resonate to guide your publishing strategy Related guides: * [Compare Competitor Metrics Across Platforms](https://developer.dashsocial.com/guides/compare-competitor-metrics-across-platforms) * [Track Competitor Trends with Graph Reports](https://developer.dashsocial.com/guides/track-competitor-trends-with-graph-reports) * [View Full API Reference](https://developers.dashsocial.com/reference/get_reports-data)