If you're on a product, marketing, or competitive intelligence team, and you've ever been blindsided by a competitor's move—this one's for you. Setting up custom alerts in Crayon can help you spot what matters before everyone else hears about it. But let's be honest: most alert systems are either too noisy or miss the good stuff. Here’s how to make Crayon work for you without flooding your inbox or wasting your time.
Why Custom Alerts Matter (and When They Don’t)
Before you dive into settings, get clear on why you're doing this. Alerts should help you react faster to real threats or opportunities—not just fill your Slack with noise.
Custom alerts are worth it when you: - Need to know ASAP if a competitor launches a new product or feature. - Want intelligence on price changes, new messaging, or leadership shakeups. - Don't have time to sift through a firehose of competitor updates every day.
But skip the overkill: - If you set up alerts for every little thing, you’ll just start ignoring them. - Not every move from a competitor is a five-alarm fire.
Pro tip: Decide what actually matters to your team before you set up a single alert.
Step 1: Get Your Crayon Environment Ready
If you’re not already tracking your competitors in Crayon, start there.
- List out your real competitors. Not just anyone in the space—pick the ones who can actually steal your customers.
- Feed those competitors into Crayon. Use their company names, websites, and any public profiles. Some folks throw in “aspirational” competitors, but that just adds noise.
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Set up data sources. Crayon can pull from:
- Company blogs and press releases
- Product documentation
- Pricing pages
- Review sites (like G2 or Capterra)
- Social channels (LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube)
- Job boards (for hiring signals)
Don’t go nuts—start with the sources that actually get updated.
What to ignore:
Random news mentions or broad web searches almost always create junk alerts. Stick to official sources and trusted review sites.
Step 2: Pin Down What You Actually Want Alerts About
Crayon can surface everything from website tweaks to leadership changes. But just because you can alert on everything doesn’t mean you should.
Start with these high-signal triggers: - Product launches and updates: Major releases, feature rollouts, or roadmap reveals. - Pricing changes: New plans, promos, or discounting strategies. - Messaging shifts: Tagline updates, new positioning statements, or homepage overhauls. - Leadership moves: High-profile hires or departures. - Case studies or big customer wins: Shows where competitors are gaining traction.
How to spot what matters:
Look at the last 3 months of competitor moves. Which ones would you have wanted to know about immediately? Build alerts around those patterns.
Step 3: Set Up Custom Alerts in Crayon
Here’s where you make Crayon do the heavy lifting.
3.1 Create Your First Alert
- Go to the Alerts & Notifications settings. Usually in the sidebar.
- Choose "Custom Alert."
- Set your filter criteria. Some ideas:
- Specific competitors
- Data sources (e.g., just product changelogs or blog posts)
- Keywords (e.g., “launch,” “price,” “integration,” your own company name)
- Types of updates (e.g., only website changes, only press releases)
- Pick your delivery method. Email, Slack, or in-app. Don’t pick all three unless you want to hate yourself.
Pro tip: Start narrow. You can always widen the net later, but it’s tough to rebuild trust if people tune out early.
3.2 Use Keywords and Boolean Logic (But Don’t Get Fancy)
Crayon lets you use keywords and Boolean operators ("AND," "OR," etc.) to get specific.
- Good example:
- Keywords: “launch,” “new feature,” “integration”
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Filter: Only from product blog or release notes
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Bad example:
- Keywords: “the,” “and,” “update”
- Filter: All sources
If you’re not sure which keywords to use, start with a short list of 3-5 real triggers. Don’t try to outsmart the system with complicated logic—you’ll just miss things.
3.3 Test Your Alert
Before you roll it out to the whole team:
- Trigger a test by running a recent, known competitor update through your setup.
- Make sure the alert shows up where you expect, with relevant info and a clear summary.
- Adjust the filters if you get too much (or too little) noise.
Step 4: Pick the Right Notification Channel
Crayon can send alerts by email, Slack, or in-app. Here’s how to choose:
- Email: Good for occasional, high-signal alerts. Bad for rapid response.
- Slack: Best for teams that need to react quickly. But set up a dedicated channel (don’t dump alerts in #general).
- In-app: Fine if you’re in Crayon every day. Most people aren’t.
Honest take:
If you send every alert to everyone, nobody will read them. Assign alerts to the people who actually care and will act. For example, send pricing changes to sales, product launches to product or marketing, etc.
Step 5: Tune (and Prune) Your Alerts Over Time
Custom alerts aren’t “set and forget.” You’ll need to adjust as your competitors (and your own attention span) change.
Every month or so: - Review which alerts actually helped you. - Nuke any that are just creating noise. - Add new alerts for moves you missed. - Ask your team what’s useful and what’s a waste.
Signs you need to tune your alerts: - People start ignoring them. - You get “alert fatigue” and miss the real stuff. - You’re missing key competitor moves that matter.
Pro tip:
Less is more. One well-tuned alert that actually gets read is better than ten that get ignored.
What to Watch Out For
Not everything Crayon tracks is worth an alert. Here’s what to skip or treat with skepticism:
- Minor website tweaks: Changing button colors isn’t a strategic move.
- Generic news mentions: Unless it’s an acquisition or funding round, most “XYZ company named in list” stories are noise.
- Social posts without substance: “Excited to be at this event!” is rarely actionable.
- Job postings: These can signal new offerings, but most are just business as usual—don’t obsess.
If you’re not sure:
Ask yourself, “Would I actually change what I’m doing because of this?” If not, don’t make it an alert.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Setting up custom alerts in Crayon isn’t rocket science, but doing it well takes a little discipline. Start with what matters, keep things tight, and don’t be afraid to kill alerts that outlive their usefulness.
You don’t need 24/7 surveillance—just a system that lets you catch what matters before it’s old news. Set up your alerts, tune them often, and focus on signals, not noise. That’s how you actually stay ahead.