Peers Finder
Learn how to find comparable companies using the Linkup API with Google Sheets
Struggling to identify your company’s true competitors and industry peers? This comprehensive step-by-step guide shows you how to leverage the powerful Linkup API with Google Sheets to build your own automated peer comparison tool. Perfect for investors, market analysts, and business strategists who need accurate competitive intelligence without expensive enterprise solutions.
Don’t walk away if you’re not a developer! This tutorial is designed to be accessible for everyone - no coding experience required. Just follow our simple copy-paste instructions and clear screenshots to set up your own peer comparison tool in minutes.
Prerequisites
Before starting, ensure you have:
- A Google account
- A Linkup API key (required for making requests)
Get your API key
Create a Linkup account for free to get your API key.
Setup Guide
Step 1: Open Google Sheets
- Open a new Google Sheet
- Name it “Company Peer Finder” or any name you prefer
Step 2: Access Apps Script
- Click on “Extensions” in the menu bar
- Select “Apps Script” from the dropdown menu
1: Accessing Apps Script through the Extensions menu
Step 3: Set Up the Script
- In the Apps Script editor, delete any existing code
- Copy and paste the following script:
Step 4: Configure Your API Key
- Replace
YOUR_API_KEY
with your actual Linkup API key - If you don’t have an API key:
- Go to app.linkup.so
- Create an account or sign in
- Navigate to your API settings
- Copy your API key
Step 5: Save the Script
- Click the “Save” button (or press Ctrl+S/Cmd+S)
Step 6: Authorize the Script
- When prompted, authorize the script to:
- Access your Google Sheets
- Make external API calls
- Display dialogs
2: The Google authorization screen
Step 7: Initialize the Spreadsheet
- Click “Run” and select “SetupSpreadsheet”
3: Selecting SetupSpreadsheet
Step 8: Verify Setup
- Look for a confirmation popup in your main sheet
4: The confirmation popup
Step 9: Launch the Tool
- Click “Run” and select “OnOpen”
5: Selecting OnOpen
Using the Peer Finder
Step 1: Enter Companies
- Go to the “Input Companies” sheet
- Enter up to 5 companies in cells A2-A6
- Make sure to enter the full company names
Step 2: Extract Characteristics
- Click on the “Peer Finder” menu
- Select “Extract Common Characteristics”
- Wait for the process to complete
- Review the extracted characteristics in the “Characteristics” sheet
Step 3: Select Characteristics
- In the “Characteristics” sheet, review the list of common characteristics
- Use the checkboxes in column B to select which characteristics to use for finding peer companies
- Select at least one characteristic
Step 4: Find Peer Companies
- Click on the “Peer Finder” menu again
- Select “Find Peer Companies”
- Wait for the process to complete
- Review the list of peer companies in the “Peer Companies” sheet
Step 5: Review and Refine
- Review the list of peer companies
- If needed, go back to Step 3 and adjust your characteristic selections
- Run the peer finder again with different characteristics
For more detailed examples and use cases, check out our Prompt Catalog.
Facing issues? Reach out to our engineering team at support@linkup.so or via our Discord.