Work / Case study
The brief
When Quarter Horse first started working with EngageSmart, then a General Atlantic portfolio company, in December 2020, the company was less than ten months away from a planned IPO. Quarter Horse’s job was to take EngageSmart from broadly unknown outside its own markets to a brand with the visibility and credibility an IPO demands by building a cohesive story that resonated with both the market and its employees.
What we did
- 01
Narrative and Messaging
Our first order of business was to unite several recently acquired companies under one narrative umbrella with a common mission. Through deep dives with stakeholders across EngageSmart’s lines of business, Quarter Horse identified the common thread: technology should make it easier for people to access essential services and perform important tasks. We found the simple, human idea at the heart of all of it: “Every time someone says, it shouldn’t be this hard, they’re right.” The message ultimately became part of the CEO’s opening letter in the company’s Form S-1 for its initial public offering.
- 02
Executive Thought Leadership
We extended the narrative beyond the company itself, ghostwriting contributed articles for Forbes and posts under the CEO’s name around the same central theme. We also positioned the CEO as a voice on the broader acceleration of SaaS adoption and why it made EngageSmart’s approach, and its impending IPO, particularly timely.
- 03
Media Relations
As IPO day approached, Quarter Horse conducted media outreach and prepared EngageSmart’s executives for interviews. We ultimately secured more than 20 original earned media stories about the IPO, including coverage from Bloomberg, Boston Business Journal, Boston Globe, Cheddar, Fortune, and Mad Money with Jim Cramer. Following the IPO, we secured a full-page above-the-fold feature on the company in the business section of the Boston Globe.
- 04
Internal and Stakeholder Comms
Quarter Horse crafted a social media strategy for the IPO, along with guidelines for the HR and Marketing teams to share company-wide, helping employees authentically amplify EngageSmart’s story and values through their own channels. We also drafted executive memos for team all-hands conversations about important social issues, leadership changes, and other moments when clear internal communication is critical to maintaining employee trust.
- 05
Corporate Comms Strategy
The IPO was the beginning of our work with EngageSmart, not the end. For the next four years, through the company’s acquisition by Vista Equity Partners, Quarter Horse was a valued partner to EngageSmart’s marketing team. Our work developing the IPO narrative and PR strategy and securing media coverage earned an honorable mention in the 2021 PR Daily Awards.
1,200+
mentions of the IPO news
20%
increase in share price in the days following the IPO
“I’m very grateful for EngageSmart’s partnership with Quarter Horse Strategies. The Quarter Horse team’s balance of creative vision and steadfast support has been key to elevating EngageSmart’s public profile.”
Quarter Horse PR
Communications for purpose-driven companies. Brooklyn, NYC.