What Is B2B SaaS Content Marketing and What NOT To Do In 2023
In SaaS (Software as a Service), the first step toward lasting success is developing a product that helps people achieve their goals. The second step is to create equally relevant and helpful content that empowers, educates, and provides value to your ideal customer. Thus, a strategy-backed content marketing strategy is integral. B2B SaaS Content Marketing is a unique challenge because you must humanize complex technology into an empathy-driven human experience.
Without content marketing that effectively resonates with your target audience, the success of your app, platform, or service can suffer an unnecessarily sparse customer base.
This post is all about how you can harness the power of B2B SaaS Copywriting and help promote a thriving product lifecycle. I’ll be the Navi to your Link, and guide you through this comprehensive (AKA really long), showing you how to avoid the many pitfalls that lead to cricket in your content marketing strategy.
Below I’ve outlined all the talking points in a neat little menu, so you can jump to the subjects that matter most to you, and save your poor pointer finger some scrolling duty…
As you can see, from the whats and whys to the what not to do and how-tos, I’m stuffing my years of experience as a professional B2B SaaS Copywriter into a one-stop-shop of all things content marketing.
Before we dive into the post, I created a helpful resource you can take with you after you close the tab on this blog post.
To cut down on your research time, I’ve compiled a BIG list of SaaS blog topic tools you can tailor to your specific product and target audience.
I’ve also included a free comprehensive blog template that you can customize to your liking! Sign up with your email address below, and you’ll get a welcome email with all the goodies inside.
Download KBK’s FREE Beginner B2B SaaS Content Marketing Kit
Save time coming up with topics your audience will want to click on.
Create better content faster with strategically-developed templates.
Improve conversions because your content is more than just words on a page.
What is B2B SaaS Content Marketing?
B2B SaaS content marketing is the strategic conceptualization, execution, and iteration of marketing assets like blog posts, social media, email marketing, and video marketing. The most effective content marketing requires a lot of planning, customer and competitor research, and defining success metrics based specifically on your business goals. And that all has to happen before a single word gets written.
Examples of B2B SaaS content marketing include
Blog Posts
White Papers
Video Marketing (Youtube, TikTok, Webinars, etc.)
Case Studies
The Purpose Of Content Marketing
The point of content marketing is the same, no matter what industry you’re in:
Generate awareness
Establish industry authority
Build trust and reputation
Provide value with the sole intention of serving the reader
Compel prospects to venture further into the sales funnel
While content marketing influences a brand’s success in generating revenue, content marketing isn’t about selling anything. Content marketing supports “selling”, but should never be a sales pitch. Great content is about what you can do for your potential customer—not what they can do for you.
Content marketing is like inviting someone on a coffee date. No commitment, no expectations… just an introduction.
If the date goes well (i.e., you provide value and prove you’re not a creep), the person may want to go on a second date (i.e., subscribe to your newsletter) to learn more about you.
From there, your content marketing evolves into something focused on selling (but still leading with value and reciprocity)—but that’s a discussion for another blog post.
5 Reasons Why You Need B2B SaaS Content Marketing
The benefits of content marketing have revealed themselves year after year. With Millenials and Gen Z becoming the consumer majority, they make their buying decisions based not just on the quality of a product, but the quality of the brand experience.
Your content marketing is a massive part of the brand experience.
They have high expectations from the brands they invest in. However, when content marketing is executed correctly—the results are invaluable to a thriving product lifecycle. Here are five essential benefits of prioritizing B2B SaaS content marketing.
Number 1: Increases organic traffic
Most people think content marketing matters because of the organic traffic it generates for your websites and platforms. While that IS true, it’s not necessarily that simple.
There’s a lot that goes into getting content to rank—and when you don’t understand the technical elements that go into such content, it leads to tons of frustration, confusion—and, worst of all—a belief that content marketing doesn’t offer enough ROI to justify the investment.
But when you work with B2B SaaS content marketing experts like me-e-e-e, I can help you blend the creative and technical components into great content that helps attract more people to your brand.
A Teeny Disclaimer: Too many factors go into Google’s decision to rank a page that I can’t and won’t promise specific page results. However… What I can promise is writing content that’s as valuable, engaging, optimized, and accessible as possible.
Number 2: Build awareness for your product or service
People can’t buy your product if they don’t know it exists. As a consumer, I can’t articulate how vital brand awareness is to SaaS. I can’t tell you how often I stumble upon an app or tool that completely changes my workflow—but it was by accident or word of mouth.
When you develop great content marketing, you make it easier for people who would love your product to find you. Why? Because your content automatically ANSWERS their questions and helps them solve PROBLEMS they, sometimes, don’t even realize they have.
Number 3: Establishes authority and expertise that sets you apart from competitors
This sort of falls under the umbrella of brand awareness, but I classify it more as brand reputation. Great B2B SaaS content marketing establishes your knowledge and authority in your industry.
People learn that they can trust you, and that means they trust that your product can help solve their problems. The better your content is, and the more consistently you publish it, the better chance you have of standing out from your competitors.
The value of content marketing can’t be underestimated. Its conversion power often has little to do with making an immediate sale—and everything to do with creating rich relationships that keep you top of mind. This prioritization of nurturing relationships can translate to easy buying decisions for your prospects when the time comes that they’re ready to invest.
Number 4: Increases retention by nurturing relationships with users beyond the monetary transaction
Your relationship with customers doesn’t end when they hit “Buy now.” If anything, it’s only the beginning. Content marketing helps you stay top of mind, nurture relationships with current users, and primes them for future product launches or promotions.
Number 5: Identifies, resonates, and converts the right users
The most crucial marketing element is focusing on WHO you’re marketing to. Every single word is written specifically with a specific person in mind. Not to stroke your ego, and not to make someone else (your competitors) look bad.
Content marketing falls flat when it doesn’t focus on the person reading it. However, you want to ensure it’s written for the RIGHT PERSON. Not everyone will benefit from your product, and content marketing helps the ones who WILL discover your solution.
Through keywords, pain point identification, and empathy-driven content that directly benefits the unique characteristics of your target demographic, well-executed content marketing is like weaving a magic spell that attracts those most likely to invest in your product.
Which Formats work best for SaaS Content Marketing?
Let’s talk formats now that we know the what and the why. Some believe you gotta be everywhere simultaneously, but that’s not necessarily true. While it’s perfectly fine if you want to present yourself on all channels and formats, they aren’t all created equal—or even equally effective.
Below I’ve compiled some formats that work best for creating SaaS content. Best of all, every format can be repurposed into content for additional channels and platforms. Create content for one platform, and you can easily transform it into another. This means each asset can generate leads from multiple platforms—and becomes more accessible to a broader audience.
Blogs
People have said that blogging is a dead art. If TV killed the radio star, then video marketing did that to the humble blog. But that isn’t the case. Blogs are still incredible marketing assets that do much more than discuss a specific topic.
They help generate consistent organic traffic.
You can repurpose them into video and social media content.
They can help you build backlinks through guest blogging.
Consistent, strategic, and targeted blogging is integral to building your B2B SaaS content marketing strategy. From helpful guides about using your product to sharing your unique perspective on topics in your industry, there’s so much you can achieve with this asset.
Video Marketing
While video hasn’t killed the blog, it is a highly-effective marketing channel for SaaS. Since the industry can get complex, and not everyone learns precisely the same, video marketing makes your content more accessible and digestible.
According to a study by HubSpot, 92% of those surveyed say video yields a positive ROI. Some examples of SaaS brands doing great video marketing are:
Every video is packed full of valuable and actionable information. In addition, HubSpot’s visual, tone, and style consistency shows they care about their customers’ experience.
The productivity platform focuses on helping viewers get the most out of their project management. Videos are quick and straightforward, but the production quality doesn’t suffer. Beautiful animation and easy-to-follow screen capture make it effortless for users of every skill level to optimize their productivity.
The graphic design platform focuses entirely on empowering viewers with information that helps them reach their marketing goals. While the product mainly focuses on making graphic design accessible and easy, its video content covers all things marketing.
Email Marketing
SaaS email copywriting can be easy to overlook when building your SaaS content marketing strategy. But I cannot emphasize how important investing in high-quality email marketing is to your conversion.
In fact, all of your hard work publishing great blogs and videos will suffer if you don’t draw prospects into a nurture campaign. A well-engaged email list helps you:
Stay top of mind by visiting their inbox each week instead of hoping they’ll remember to return to your site to read more blog posts.
Develop more effective campaigns based on tags and the types of CTAs each subscriber clicks—allowing you to better your chances of making a sale because your marketing pinpoints their unique pain points.
Drive traffic to your marketing channels by sending them alerts when you publish new blogs and videos.
Keep users informed about patches, updates, and future product launches.
In other words, creating a B2B SAAS content marketing strategy is practically meaningless without email marketing. However, just as with all forms of content, it requires particular skill and strategy. Make sure you work with the right SaaS copywriter to help your campaigns have the best chance to convert.
Influencer Marketing (AKA Sponsorships)
Let someone else do the hard work for you. Social proof plays a significant role in someone’s buying decision because people will listen to someone they trust over just your word as a company.
Influencer marketing is a fantastic way to use the trust factor to your benefit and reach an audience of people already in your sector. For example, HubSpot’s State Of Consumer 2023 Report showed that 33% of Gen Z consumers purchased a product recommended by an influencer.
Stages of Awareness and why they’re CRUCIAL to Effective B2B SaaS content marketing
When developing your content, awareness is a big player. Depending on how familiar someone is with your product/brand will dictate how you curate and deliver content to them. It changes the questions you answer, the level of information they need, and much more.
For convenience, I’ve provided a cute little graphic below that describes each awareness stage and how it shapes your content strategy.
The Elephant In The Room (AKA: AI And Content Marketing)
We can’t discuss content marketing without addressing the AI elephant in the room. Artificial Intelligence is causing quite a stir in the marketing industry, and it’s (understandably) earned some polarizing attention.
As technology improves, brands are trying to find the most effective and ethical way of taking advantage of AI without jeopardizing the quality of their content. I won’t sit here and ask silly questions about AI being able to replace designers and writers.
At this point, it just can’t. One day it may be able to achieve half-decent work… but that’s way down the road.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I actually do think AI is super cool. I’m excited about the benefits it offers our society. However, I’m not a fan as an artist, writer, or marketer for a few reasons. I’ll try to be as unbiased as possible (since this is about helping your B2B SaaS content marketing be the best it can be), but I will take a stand and say:
You do not want AI writing your content yet—and probably never, to be honest.
The Problems (How NOT to use AI and why)
Improving AI can only happen if HUMANS produce up-to-date information and content to learn from. If everyone tries replacing human content writers with AI algorithms, everything we read will exist in a sort of echo chamber. Thus, leading to stale, redundant, and outdated content. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning are only as good as the information they can pull from.
You spend as much time fact-checking as you would just writing it in the first place. No doubt you’ve heard some of the many copyright infringement horror stories. Art being repurposed (stolen) without credit. Content accidentally plagiarizing other sources. Nothing kills your reputation faster than plagiarism in your copy.
Letting AI write your content leads to dull, rigid, and forgettable copy. While AI is getting better at detecting and infusing tone (with much effort from you), it’s nothing compared to a regular human copywriter. It loses personality and the strategic wordflow that keeps people reading.
Humans are better at speaking to humans—especially when dealing with complicated technology like SaaS. A human touch is crucial in bridging the gap.
The Benefits (AKA How I’d Use AI Ethically)
Now that we’ve grappled with the cons, let’s talk about my favorite ways of incorporating AI into content marketing. I don’t think AI is “evil” or the death of copywriters… it’s just going to change the writing “process.” It will likely optimize our research and outlining strategies—which is awesome for everyone—including us!
I love AI because it’s fantastic for eliminating blank page syndrome. I can punch in a relevant prompt and get some direction on where I want to go, or specific talking points that help me develop an outline.
It’s also a fun and fast way of expanding on an idea. Using the previous pro as a jumping point, if I’m researching a new topic, sometimes AI helps me figure out additional questions to ask about the subject. (FYI: This is just stuff I’m playing around with—and not applying to my work yet.)
I’ve seen some really savvy folks create cool lead magnets, tools, and code using AI. Some of my favorite examples are:
A video by ahrefs that talks about how to generate email contacts automatically into a Google Sheet.
A video about how GotchSEO created a free script reader tool that tells you how long it takes to read the script aloud.
Disclaimer: I know many people mention using AI for SEO, but I’ve also heard many smart folks say it’s ineffective. I’m not an expert on this (and this post is about B2B SaaS content marketing and not SEO), so I won’t comment any further. However, the ahref’s video linked above goes over several reasons why it’s used incorrectly regarding SEO.
What not to do in your SaaS content marketing
Great content marketing isn’t complicated, but it’s not easy. A big mistake is thinking you can make it up as you go along. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want you to paralyze yourself trying to be a perfectionist, but there are some content traps I’d like to point out so you don’t have to struggle unnecessarily.
Writing like a computer—not a person (AKA: using too much jargon)
Software as a service is technologically complex; sometimes, that complexity can spill into the content. For example, when a post or video is filled with industry jargon or overly-complicated language, people bounce faster than a bunny on caffeine.
Every word you write must serve the greater purpose of providing value. Simple is always better in copywriting. Don’t talk down to your audience, but keep content as conversational and easy to understand as possible. The better someone understands what you’re saying, the more likely they’ll resonate with it.
Pro Tip: Use tools like Grammarly and Hemmingway Editor to make your writing clearer and more engaging. A good rule is to keep most of your content at a 5th-7th grade reading level. This isn’t a “do this every single time or else” rule, but it’s a great guideline for most B2B SaaS content marketing you create for end-users.
Over-generalizing your content to reach the most possible people
This may sound counterintuitive, but the last thing you want to do when publishing content is trying to reach the widest audience possible. Trying to create content that everyone will like won’t work.
You need to create content for the person most likely to buy your product. Overgeneralized content is like throwing spaghetti at the wall, and that’s… well… messy and unproductive (unless you’re an installation spaghetti artist, I guess.)
Not ACTUALLY having (and following) a data-backed strategy
While most think Marketing is a free and creative field, it’s more like 90% research and strategic planning. Every image, word, and format should have data-backed intent. Before a single blog gets written, or a TikTok recorded, you need to have a clear plan for why and how to execute it.
According to research by the Content Marketing Institute, nearly 30% of B2B marketers don’t have any content marketing strategy at all.
Aside from ensuring all of your assets are cohesive, a strategy also ensures everyone involved in the creative process understands the goal of each marketing piece and their role in achieving it. While it ain’t brain surgery, marketing is a bit scientific. Trying to toss blog posts and YouTube videos out without strategy will lead to frustration, discouragement, and lower-quality content.
Wasting time, effort, and money on the wrong platforms
If you want to be present and active on every social media and marketing platform, feel free to do so. However, I (and many fellow marketers) think it’s way more important to post consistently great content on a few platforms instead of creating lower-quality content because you’re trying to be “everywhere” all at once.
Which platforms are most effective for you will vary because your target audience will have specific traits and habits that impact the platforms they frequent—as well as the types of content they prefer. You don’t have to be on every platform to execute successful B2B SaaS content marketing. Quality and consistency over quantity every time.
8 tips for creating effective SaaS content marketing (AKA what to do)
The first and easiest way to maximize the efficacy of your content marketing is by downloading my FREE Beginner B2B SaaS Content Marketing Kit that comes with a big ole’ list of B2B SaaS topics and a template to eliminate a lot of headaches! But that’s not a magic pill (there’s no such thing.) Marketing is a science, but not an exact one.
Experimentation is important—but it’s even more important to practice resilience. Content marketing takes time to grow, but it sure bores fruit. To help make your content the best it can be, here are four strategies I use as a professional SaaS Copywriter whenever I start a new project.
Number 1: Speaking specifically about your customers’ problems
Empathy is what resonates most with your customers. When they feel understood, and you make it easy to see how they can reach their goals… trust and confidence grow. Harvard Professor Gerald Zaltman says that 95% of buying decisions are subconscious!
Number 2: Develop a Keyword Strategy
When discussing content marketing, you can’t forget about Search Engine Optimization (SEO.) Unfortunately, SEO is a complex subject in itself. Most well-meaning folks hurt their chances of better rankings by keyword stuffing, or failing to understand that Google’s algorithm is smart, and cares about how OTHER people feel about the value(relevance) of your content.
SEO should be part of your B2B SaaS content marketing strategy, but it takes more than just popping in a few keywords and calling it done. Conducting in-depth keyword research is crucial to your SEO efforts being successful.
It’s pretty helpful to start keyword research as soon as you’re done creating customer profiles. Best of all, some of your keyword research may even provide you with more information for your customer profiles.
To help you get started, here are some of my favorite SEO tools and resources!
Some FREE SEO educational resources I like and use
Free SEO Tools To Practice With
Number 3: Track Performance
Hitting publish doesn’t mean your content marketing efforts are over for that particular asset, far from it. But, in reality, that’s when the work, in some ways, really begins. You don’t have a content marketing strategy if you’re not measuring performance.
In a 2023 study by Semrush covering content marketing statistics, 70% of those who reported excellent ROI in their content marketing actively tracked their performance metrics.
Even if a piece of content isn’t performing as well as you wanted, that’s nothing to feel discouraged about. The great news is that it allows you to learn and adjust.
Analyze what posts are performing well versus those that aren’t. Look for commonalities in both that may contribute to these results. You can even update posts that may not be performing well by tweaking headlines, word count, images, etc., to see if that has an impact.
Number 4: Update old posts to increase relevance and improve SEO
It’s a good idea to review older blog posts to find areas where you can update them to be more relevant. Maybe there’s new data recently released on the subject, or data currently in the post that’s outdated and needs to be removed. Doing some content hygiene is a great way to give posts a second chance to do a ton of work for your organic lead generation.
Number 5: Ensure every asset serves a greater purpose
Before writing a bunch of posts and scripts, ask yourself what your ultimate goal is. Of course, businesses want to generate revenue at the end of the day. So, how does your content marketing fit into that formula? Ensure each piece of content is helping you work toward your bigger goals and not just hitting a weekly quota.
Number 6: Make accessibility a priority
Make sure all of your content observes accessibility best practices. Everyone has a unique way of engaging with online content. therefore, valuing and accommodating everyone who interacts with you is essential. Here are a few (but not all) accessibility practices that your content marketing should observe. I recommend consulting with an expert.
Provide alt text on all images.
Provide written transcripts of content with audio.
Provide closed captions on video content.
Make sure your visual elements have enough color contrast (you can check your web pages for color contrast on TPGI.com)
Make sure all anchors and hyperlinks use descriptive text.
Review your overall site accessibility with tools like AccessiBe.
Number 7: Check out competitors to learn what’s currently working
While you want to stand out, you should also study, and learn from, what content types already perform well (and why.)
Analyze top-performing pieces of content from your competitors to understand which topics and formats resonate most with your audience.
Also, take the opportunity to look for gaps in your competitors’ content that you can capitalize on.
Maybe their content isn’t as comprehensive as it could be.
Maybe their formatting is clunky and overwhelming because they aren’t using enough (or any) images or videos.
Maybe they aren’t observing accessibility best practices.
Maybe you can introduce a unique perspective on a popular topic.
Collect data from wherever you can. There’s no such thing as too much information in marketing. There’s always something to learn. Use what’s been done before as a foundation for innovation.
Number 8: Create User-Friendly Systems
You know the old phrase about falling to our systems? Well, the same is true for marketing. Content marketing is an exercise in endurance, cohesion, and consistency.
If you’ve got more than one person on your marketing team—or have multiple departments involved in your campaign development process (like sales or product development)—it’s important to set everyone up for success.
I’ll write a more in-depth post about how to create your own marketing ecosystem in the future, but here’s a high-level overview of how I usually design them for my clients.
Step 1: Choose a project management platform that aligns with your team’s unique workflow (my favorites are Notion, Asana, and Trello.) Unfortunately, a study by Monday.com showed PM (Project Management) software isn’t used as widely as it should be—and the repercussions are staggering.
Pro PM software tip: do not just choose one at random. Test a few tools to see which adapts best to your team’s workflow. A PMS (lol) should eliminate frustration, not create it.
Step 2: Choose a central hub where all content marketing assets get stored. I love using a mix of Notion and Google Drive for this. Both are free, easy to share access with, and offer lots of organizational flexibility.
Step 3: Create comprehensive tone guides, customer profiles, and product information in an easily accessible location (I use Notion because it’s easy to navigate, organize and update.) Ensure everyone who participates in creating marketing assets has access to these resources. That way, everyone is on the same page, and workflow doesn’t stagnate because people have to wait for someone else to answer common questions.
Pro resource library tip: Audit and update these assets frequently as new questions, trends, and customer objections evolve. They should be ever-evolving and grow with your business.
Step 4: Fill out a creative brief for every single project. They are invaluable and significantly impact the project’s overall success. Creative briefs solve many issues and help mitigate time delays. I have a free creative brief template you can download and customize. If you take nothing else away from this post, please commit to making creative briefs a standard procedure for every marketing project.
10 B2B SaaS Content Marketing Tools (Free + Paid)
There are tons of free and paid content marketing tools available, but the ten I’ve included are staples and widely beloved by professional content marketers in every industry. As a SaaS copywriter, I use these tools for practically every piece of content I write.
Grammarly
An excellent tool for intuitive spelling, grammar, sentence structure, and plagiarism proofing. It has a free and paid version (I paid because I like the plagiarism checker), and it’s a massive help in spotting sentence structure issues and offering improvements with a click of a button.
Hemingway Editor
This is a text editor that helps you make your writing more clear and more concise. It comes as both a browser-based app(free) and a desktop app($19.99.) I prefer the desktop version because I can save my work without worrying about losing my progress if my internet goes down. In addition, it’s hugely helpful with readability; and gives you a “score grade” to let you know how difficult your content is to read.
Quetext
This website checks for plagiarism on web pages. It offers free and paid subscription tiers, and uses a simple copy-and-paste UI. Full disclosure: I haven’t played around MUCH in it, but it comes highly recommended by several professional peers I trust.
CoSchedule Headline Analyzer
This one analyzes and scores the strength/efficacy of headlines. Copy and paste your post title or email subject line, and the analyzer returns a headline score and SEO score indicating its effectiveness. Below your score, it offers suggestions on how to improve both scores. It provides a free and premium subscription, but the free one has served me very well.
Word Hippo
A good ole’ fashioned thesaurus. I swear I have this webpage open almost the entire time I write anything. Whenever I feel lost for words or want to find a synonym with more oomph, I visit Word Hippo and find TONS of brilliantly delicious synonyms. It’s free, too. I love that cute hippo.
BlogAbout
Generates blog topic ideas based on the keywords entered. I love BlogAbout because you can punch in a keyword or two, and it’ll start generating topic ideas. Of course, not all of them will be winners, but what’s nice is you can “favorite” one, and it gets added to a bullet list below the search bar—saving time and finger strain from copy-and-pasting.
Canva
Great content isn’t just about words. Images are essential for breaking up text, increasing readability, and providing a generally better experience for the reader. Canva is a phenomenal graphic design platform I use for every post (including this one!) It’s got a free and “pro” version that gives you access to assets and some additional features. Honestly, the free version is so comprehensive you really don’t need the pro—mainly because it lets you purchase “pro” assets individually.
It’s easy to use and elevates the quality of your content marketing. It recently released many new features, including a word processor, website builder, and even an AI tool.
Pixabay
Free stock photo and video website. I also use this site for blog or webpage images. I like it because they make it super easy to credit the photographers with a quick-copy link (you aren’t legally obligated to, but it helps the artist generate more attention to their work in exchange for the royalty-free content they provide.)
Pexels
Free stock image and video website. Very similar to Pixabay, but also used by many content marketers I know, so I included it. I don’t use it that often, but if Pixabay doesn’t have what I need, Pexels usually comes through.
LoseTheVery.com
This strengthens your copy by helping you eliminate the word “very” from your sentences. Just type in a word, and the site generates more impactful words that mean the same thing. It’s a new (and free) platform, so its language base is still growing, but this is a great tool that I use a lot when my brain feels like mush.
(Oh God, there’s another elephant?) Should you hire a B2B SaaS Content Marketing specialist?
Short (and totally biased but educated) answer: yeah. If you want your B2B SaaS content to be effective (i.e., enjoyable, user-friendly, and insatiably compelling to read), hiring a specialist is always the best bet. It’s not that you can’t learn these skills, but it does take time, practice, and lots of mistakes (lol) to get things right.
If you’re interested in mastering the craft of SaaS copywriting, by all means, fly high! And don’t forget to check out the free SaaS topic checklist to get you started on the right foot!
But…
If you’ve already got a full plate leading a team of passionate geniuses hellbent on building the best SaaS product the world’s ever seen… folks like me are here to help with the marketing part.
If it helps, here are some pros and cons of hiring a dedicated SaaS copywriter or content writer (check out this article to learn the differences between a content writer and a copywriter.)
The Pros of Hiring a Professional SaaS Copywriter
A partner who takes ownership of your content creation and takes extra work off your plate so you can focus on other high-priority tasks and projects.
Extensive expertise blending psychology, marketing, and creativity without you having to lift a finger.
An understanding of not just how to write, but how to strategize, execute, and iterate content marketing campaigns.
Someone who is 100% committed to putting your brand in the best light, and makes the most of every. Single. Word.
Straight-up better quality marketing because we’ve studied, practiced, and made mistakes in our craft that teach us what works and what doesn’t—so you don’t have to.
Not only a copy and content marketing expert—but a subject matter expert. A professional who knows how to write great copy specifically for your industry. ;)
Someone who communicates effectively with other specialists on your team (sales, design, PR)—which means consistent messaging that lets people know that you know what you’re doing.
Someone who helps you write more than just customer-facing content (PR pitches, company newsletters, pitch decks, reports—etc.)
The Cons of Hiring a Professional SaaS Copywriter
It can be expensive. However, with some research, you can find a writer who fits neatly into your budget and offers exceptional quality. But, no matter what, as long as you are thorough in checking out portfolios, it’s well worth the investment.
You lose some control when you enlist a specialist, which can be difficult for some people—especially those honed for leadership and used to wearing many hats. However, the right SaaS copywriter will always be a partner, and your trust will blossom into a wonderful and lucrative relationship.
It’s hard to find the perfect freelancer or in-house hire. SaaS is a unique animal with many nuances. Couple that with your team’s unique personalities and workflows, and it can feel overwhelming to find the right writer. HOWEVER, there are a wide variety of exceptional writers, and they usually have portfolios reflecting their credentials.
The good news is none of these cons are set in stone, and you can circumvent most of them with some preplanning.
You can find great writers in your budget.
You can have an effective partnership that feels balanced.
You have options when it comes to hiring SaaS copywriters and content writers.
You will always do what’s best for your team. You know them—and your product—better
than anyone. Even if you’re not ready to hire outside help, a day will come when you are. With that in mind, we’ll wrap this behemoth up with a short “how-to” to make hiring a copywriter easier and more effective.
How To Hire A B2B SaaS Content Marketer
Let’s cut to the chase. The fastest and easiest way to hire a SaaS copywriter is by clicking this link to my contact page. But even if I’m not right for you, here are some easy tips that can help you find someone who is!
Tip 1: Keep an eye on your inbox
Many times, freelancers will come to you! Keep your eye out for pitches from copy and content writers in your inbox! I know getting pitched can be annoying, but it’s worth peaking at their cold emails. Key elements you want to look for when vetting cold emails:
The email should feel personalized and relevant to you.
They should provide a portfolio (this shouldn’t be a hard and fast rule because some writers are just starting out and may not have samples yet—but that doesn’t mean they aren’t skilled) It may still be worth talking with them, especially if their subject line compelled you to open their email!
It should focus mainly on how their skill set enables you to reach your goals (AKA: what they can do for you.)
Tip 2: Ask around your network
Tell your network you’re looking for a SaaS copywriter. They may have a terrific candidate they can refer to you! As we said earlier, social proof is compelling. This is an excellent way to vet potential freelancers before you even talk to them. If someone offers a referral, ask them questions about the following:
What's it like working with the freelancer they recommended?
How are they about meeting deadlines—if they have missed a deadline, how did they handle it?
Do they take and apply feedback well?
Are they friendly and pleasant?
The good news is if someone is willing to refer them in the first place, their responses to these questions will be positive. However, every copywriter is different—just like every company is different—getting some idea of how they work will help you determine if your workflows will blend nicely or cause friction.
Tip 3: Have realistic expectations
A copywriter is a copywriter. A Content writer is a content writer. An SEO specialist is an SEO specialist. A social media manager is a social media manager. While these skill sets sometimes overlap, don’t expect a single person to be proficient at all of these at once.
If you do find someone willing to wear all of these hats at once, be ready to pay good money for it. Honestly, I’d still say it’s unreasonable to ask for all of that in the first place. Marketing is a department, not a solo mission. Teamwork is essential for innovation and growth.
We made it to the end! Holy cow, we talked about so much SaaS content marketing. That’s crazy...err… now what?
Phew! This is the longest and more comprehensive piece of content I’ve ever created for my brand. I hope it gives you a lot of helpful info and gives you more confidence in your content marketing endeavors.
This is only the beginning, and if you’re looking for an experienced SaaS copywriter to help bring your content to life, click here to contact me!
With over 10 years as a professional content and copywriter—and a borderline unhealthy obsession with tech—I’ll help you connect with the people who’ll love your product most. Together, we can build an engaged and loyal community that can’t wait to invest in your offers and dig into your content.
Sounds like fun?