Company: Airtable
Founded: 2012
Founders: Howie Liu, Andrew Ofstad and Emmett Nicholas
Description: Spreadsheet-database hybrid used to help individuals and teams organize.
This playbook focuses on marketing strategies and tactics used by Airtable.
The marketing playbook series is for founders who want to:
1. learn from real-life examples
2. discover which growth strategies fit which businesses and industries
3. find the 20% of strategies that return 80% of results
- Content Marketing
- Freemium Marketing
- Affiliate Marketing
- Scarcity Marketing
- Micro Marketing
- Paid Marketing
- Permission Marketing
- Discount Marketing
- Feel Good Marketing
- Ease Marketing
- Presence Marketing
- Flywheel Marketing
- Ecosystem Marketing
- Viral Feature Marketing
- Integration Marketing
- PR Marketing
- Social Proof Marketing
Content Marketing
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screen-Shot-2019-07-17-at-3.25.13-PM.png)
1. Interviews
The Airtable founders have been guests on several podcasts. They raise brand awareness while sharing lessons learned.
Podcast Interviews:
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screen-Shot-2019-07-17-at-3.27.35-PM.png)
2. Airtable Webinars
Airtable hosts webinars to educate prospective and existing users on how to use the service. (List)
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screen-Shot-2019-07-17-at-3.29.57-PM.png)
3. Airtable Forum
Airtable’s forum is a source of user-generated content that boosts discoverability via SEO. (Forum)
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screen-Shot-2019-07-17-at-6.23.34-PM.png)
4. Built On Air Podcast
After making appearances on other podcasts, Airtable started their own. (Page)
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screen-Shot-2019-07-17-at-4.36.05-PM.png)
5. Airtable Templates
Airtable templates help users see potential benefits and quickly bootstrap projects. Templates are one of the most effective content marketing tactics in their arsenal. (Page)
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screen-Shot-2019-07-17-at-4.38.51-PM-1024x463.png)
6. Airtable Blog
The Airtable blog shares stories, product updates, partnership news and more. (Page)
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screen-Shot-2019-07-17-at-4.40.56-PM.png)
7. Twitter
Airtable connects directly to users via Twitter. They often reply to users and retweet positive coverage. (Page)
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D70Cp6RXYAEcQCB.jpg)
8. Learn with Jason
Airtable sales engineers help create content that benefits Airtable, content creators and users. (Video)
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screen-Shot-2019-07-17-at-5.07.43-PM-1024x234.png)
9. YouTube
Airtable’s YouTube channel consists product demonstrations, case studies, conference talks and more. (Page)
Freemium Marketing
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screen-Shot-2019-07-17-at-4.51.18-PM.png)
10. Airtable Free Plan
Airtable offers a free plan that also serves as a lead magnet. Free plan users get to try the service out for free while Airtable gains permission to maintain contact with them. (Page)
Affiliate Marketing
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screen-Shot-2019-07-17-at-4.54.01-PM.png)
11. Referral Program
An affiliate program gives users an extra incentive to spread the word. They use a dual-reward system where the referrer and referee receive a benefit. (Page)
Scarcity Marketing
![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0174/4760/files/logo_9f75d66e-38fb-471c-b16b-2e1b220d6c6a_2048x.png?v=1548661316)
12. Invite Only
Airtable initially launched as an invite-only service. This gave Airtable more control of growth as they nailed product-market fit. They also boosted demand by limiting supply. (Page)
Micro Marketing
![](https://builtonair.com/uploads/Airtable-founders-2.png)
13. Personal Networks & First Users
The first users came from the founders’ personal networks while the service was invite-only. (Page)
Paid Marketing
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screen-Shot-2019-07-16-at-2.51.20-PM.png)
14. Google
Airtable advertises on Google. (Article)
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/image-54.jpeg)
15. Billboards
Airtable uses display ads to raise brand awareness. (Link)
![](https://www.leadfeeder.com/blog/assets/images/posts/Airtable-1-500by469-fa90bf.png)
16. Facebook
Airtable uses sponsored posts on Facebook. (Post)
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DZOAWg-WsAMpp3a.png)
17. Display Ads
Airtable follows potential users with display ads. (Post)
Permission Marketing
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screen-Shot-2019-07-17-at-6.28.13-PM.png)
18. Emails
Airtable promotes new features and tests offers on it’s user base via email. (Post)
Discount Marketing
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screen-Shot-2019-07-17-at-5.34.23-PM.png)
19. Annual Plans
Annual plans help Airtable boost retention and recognize revenue earlier while helping users save money. (Page)
Feel Good Marketing
20. Nonprofit Plans
Airtable offers nonprofit organizations 50% off certain plans. (Page)
Ease Marketing
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screen-Shot-2019-07-17-at-5.37.58-PM.png)
21. Empowering Non-Technical Users
Airtable nailed it’s product design to help non-technical users build powerful apps. The superior design compared to alternatives is enough to trigger word of mouth and retain existing users.
Airtable’s intuitive design was a critical factor in it’s rise to become a star in the no-code movement. (Article)
![](https://flaviocopes.com/airtable/examples-node.png)
22. Easy Backend for Developers
Airtable also carved a niche in the developer space. They offer an easy, yet powerful, backend for developers. (Page)
Presence Marketing
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screen-Shot-2019-07-15-at-3.44.15-PM.png)
23. VidCon2019
Airtable’s presence at VidCon2019 and other conferences allow them to create rich memories and deep interactions with users. (Tweet)
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DrbXozKUcAAJ7Hs.jpg)
24. Airtable Swag
Airtable swag gives them brand awareness in the physical world. Swag is a billboard that moves. (Tweet)
Flywheel Marketing
![](https://support.airtable.com/hc/article_attachments/115011593908/Screen_Shot_2017-05-02_at_3.40.06_PM.png)
25. Kanban
Airtable attracts users in need of Kanban board. (Page)
![](https://support.airtable.com/hc/article_attachments/360002799854/Screen_Shot_2018-03-27_at_5.39.03_PM.png)
26. Calendar
Airtable attracts users in need of a powerful calendar. (Page)
![](https://support.airtable.com/hc/article_attachments/115012417148/Screen_Shot_2017-05-10_at_7.05.59_PM.png)
27. Gallery
Airtable attracts users who need to display visuals and text. (Page)
![](https://i2.wp.com/bigtechquestion.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Airtable-3.png?fit=990%2C453&ssl=1)
28. Spreadsheet
Airtable attracts users that need a spreadsheet that can easily power applications. (Article)
![](https://usefyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/airtable-forms-example-screenshot.png)
29. Forms
Airtable attracts users that need to collect user-input. (Page)
![](https://upmostly.com/wp-content/uploads/react-airtable-complete-app-1024x530.jpg)
30. API
Airtable attracts users that need an easy backend for their applications. (Page)
![](https://support.airtable.com/hc/article_attachments/360014503494/Find_a_Block.png)
31. Airtable Blocks
Airtable attracts users that need powerful apps to leverage spreadsheet data. (Page)
Ecosystem Marketing
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screen-Shot-2019-07-17-at-6.35.10-PM.png)
32. Apple App Store
Airtable in the App Store creates a new form factor for users to experience the product. The mobile app also gives Airtable higher visibility by operating in a smaller ecosystem. (Link)
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screen-Shot-2019-07-17-at-5.49.36-PM.png)
33. Chrome Store
Moving into the Chrome Store gave Airtable more visibility among existing and prospective users. (Link)
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screen-Shot-2019-07-17-at-5.50.06-PM.png)
34. Zapier Integrations
Zapier integration helps people discover Airtable. Airtable’s role as a data layer makes it one of the most important Zapier integrations. (Page)
Viral Feature Marketing
![](https://www.reallygoodemails.com/wp-content/uploads/smiles-davis-hello-smilesdavis-yeah-invited-you-to-their-workspace-really-good-emails-airtable.png)
35. Workspace Collaboration
The ability to invite others to collaborate establishes a viral product hook. (Page)
![](https://support.airtable.com/hc/article_attachments/360000711708/Screen_Shot_2018-02-19_at_2_53_13_PM.png)
36. Public Bases
Publicly shared bases gives Airtable additional visibility among whoever views the data. (Page)
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/image-22.png)
37. Branded Forms
Free and Plus plans include Airtable branding on forms. Users must purchase the Pro or Enterprise plan to remove the brand. (Page)
Integration Marketing
38. Table2Site
As a developer tool, Airtable is leveraged in a visible way by other tools such as Table2Site. (Link)
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1121465154330341377/pu/img/Qq7ssnUmRq-_db3f.jpg)
39. Maker Pad
Maker Pad helps users build products without coding. They are huge proponents of Airtable. (Link)
![](https://dl.airtable.com/.attachments/8f56ba1af7101781c815d8221188fd56/68d96c09/155471331875772980321__1554372606_10.png)
40. JotForm
JotForm integration brings user awareness to Airtable. (Tweet)
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screen-Shot-2019-07-17-at-5.57.19-PM.png)
41. LiftOff
LiftOff is similar to Table2Site. Both tools require users to interact with Airtable as a data layer. (Post)
![](https://snipcart.com/media/203990/gridsome-airtable-tutorial.png)
42. Snipcart
Snipcart’s content marketing strategy involves integrating with Airtable. (Tweet)
PR Marketing
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dz861wIV4AA8wvy.jpg)
43. Fast Company
Airtable’s coverage in Fast Company is a spray and pray strategy that raises brand awareness. (Tweet)
![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Mzn4M4E_Ee4/maxresdefault.jpg)
44. Forbes
Forbes coverage is effective although it’s less targeted than other strategies. (Link)
![](https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/46118248745_83543b0371_k.jpg)
45. TechCrunch
TechCrunch coverage is more targeted than Fast Company and Forbes. (Article)
Social Proof Marketing
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screen-Shot-2019-07-17-at-6.03.54-PM-1024x345.png)
46. Case Studies
Airtable publishes case studies which serves as social proof for other companies. (Page)
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/image-18.png)
47. Airtable Inspiration
Airtable mixes templates with testimonials to inspire users. (Page)
![](https://support.airtable.com/hc/article_attachments/115023400647/Screen_Shot_2017-09-25_at_6.25.38_PM.png)
48. Airtable Universe
User-generated content is leveraged as social proof for existing and prospective users. (Page)
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screen-Shot-2019-07-17-at-6.13.27-PM.png)
49. Retweet Praise
Airtable constantly retweets praise and novel use cases. (Page)
![](https://druriley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screen-Shot-2019-07-15-at-3.42.02-PM.png)
50. Trusted By
Airtable builds trust by showing recognizable brands that trust them with their data. (Page)
Thanks for reading!
Which company you would like to see next?
Let me know — @DruRly.
Check out the playbook series for more growth strategies.