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One-Two Punch of Product and Corporate News Results in Knockout Coverage for Smartsheet

 

April and May were incredibly busy months for our client Smartsheet, a fast-growing Eastside company that has been a client of Communiqué’s for more than three years.

Smartsheet makes a spreadsheet-inspired collaborative work management tool that is used by millions of people worldwide. Its software pairs the familiar, easy to use spreadsheet interface with capabilities like file sharing, work automation, Gantt chart features and integration with cloud productivity tools.  More than 61,000 companies use Smartsheet (including Communiqué PR!) to collaborate, plan and execute activities such as marketing campaigns, product launches, business operations, manufacturing processes, strategic planning and HR initiatives.

To set the stage, let’s look at some of the major announcements from April and May:

  • In April, the company issued a customer round-up announcement highlighting how event planners in the sporting world are using Smartsheet to manage large-scale events like the Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four, Mayweather/Pacquiao, and others.
  • This was followed by Smartsheet’s participation at Microsoft’s popular Build conference in San Francisco, where Smartsheet launched the beta version of Smartsheet for Outlook, which was showcased in the Microsoft Office keynote address.
  • Mark Mader, Smartsheet’s CEO and president, was selected as a semi-finalist for the prestigious EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2015 Award in the Pacific Northwest region.
  • Smartsheet was selected as a “Cool Vendor” in the Program and Portfolio (PPM) report by Gartner.
  • Smartsheet issued a corporate milestone announcement (“Smartsheet Achieves 80 Percent YoY Increase for Fifth Straight Year, Increases Footprint in Enterprise Accounts”) highlighting revenue and corporate growth, and customer wins/expansions.

This one-two punch of customer/corporate momentum combined with product news proved to be a knockout for Smartsheet in terms of media interest and coverage.

We were also able to leverage some really unique customer use cases for Smartsheet in our media outreach, such as Top Rank Boxing, the promotions/production house behind the hugely anticipated Mayweather/Pacquiao match. In a customer profile in FierceCIO, Brad Jacobs of Top Rank explained that he relies on Smartsheet to manage more than 250 critical tasks associated with producing an event, including items like making sure that an ambulance – and a backup ambulance – are scheduled before boxing matches get underway.

The coverage mix for Smartsheet in April and May spanned national press, local outlets and tech/trade press, which helped to reach the wide array of organizations using the tool, as well as prospects considering it. Many Windows and Microsoft-focused outlets covered the Smartsheet for Outlook launch, with local media, including the Seattle Times and The Puget Sound Business Journal, covering the corporate momentum news.

There was also an executive profile in Business Insider of Smartsheet’s co-founder and CMO Brent Frei.  Enterprise reporter Eugene Kim spoke with Frei about his experience growing up on a farm in Idaho and discussed how much of what Frei learned as a farmer could be easily applied to his life now, at a tech company.  For example, putting in hard day’s work, being creative with whatever tools you have on hand, and having broad, versatile knowledge that can be applied in different areas, are just a few of the attributes that Frei brings to his work at Smartsheet.

Here’s a snapshot of some of the great coverage Communiqué secured for Smartsheet in April and May: