How to Find a Quality B2B SaaS Copywriter for Your Tech Business
Writers are everywhere: Fiverr, content farms, graduating English majors, Chatgpt. But SaaS businesses need more than just “a writer.” The right writer must understand marketing practices like content strategy, how to target potential customers, and writing conversion-oriented copy.
But they must also understand the SaaS industry and how B2B businesses operate. Then they need a decent grasp of technology (especially if your SaaS business markets to software developers) and also be a good writer. The trifecta of technical literacy, honed marketing instincts, and being a good writer can seem elusive. But those writers (or agencies) are out there.
Here’s how to find a quality SaaS B2B content writer and how you should assess them before making the hire.
The top things YOU should know before hiring a B2B writer
With any hire, you have to know what to look for. Here’s what to know before you make that copywriter hire.
1. The difference between good content and bad content
“Good” and “bad” are only subjective up to a point. It’s much easier to avoid a bad writing hire when you know what to avoid. Here’s what makes SaaS content bad:
Unclear, jargon-filled copy. The words may sound impressive; think, “Driven by innovation. Powered by technology.” Who can parse what that even means?
Boring content, no matter the type. It could be a landing page, a case study, or even the home page. But if the content reads like the college lectures you slept through, it’s not engaging.
Not aware of SEO. Even SaaS companies should target SEO. If a writer creates content without any keyword research or attempts to target a keyword or two, it’s no good. Even if it’s written by a budding Jane Austen, if no one sees it, it does your business no good.
Overly promotional. Most people don’t like being sold, and as companies become more cognizant of the costs of their tech stack, they want to know that they’re getting something they really need that will materially improve their work outcomes.
Here’s what makes SaaS content good:
Engaging. It makes the reader want to keep reading, and then DO something when they’re done. That something could be visiting another page, subscribing to a newsletter, or booking a demo.
Speaks to the audience clearly and accurately. This is especially important when copywriting for SaaS. If there’s one thing tech-focused people hate, it’s inaccurate or glossed-over technical information.
Honors search intent. If a developer is searching for how to harden a Docker container, they want to land on an informational page, not a marketing page.
Helpful and informative. High-quality content gives information freely and generously. When content is dedicated to the success of its reader, it is powerful, memorable, and more persuasive than sales-y copy could ever be.
There’s plenty more that makes content “good” or “bad,” but these are the highlights that will help you assess the quality and knowledge of a SaaS copywriting company or freelance copywriter.
2. The purpose of content marketing
It’s easy to fall into the mindset of, “I just need some blog posts about this.” SaaS marketing goes way beyond a couple of blog posts and some social activity.
The point of content is to:
Attract an audience interested in your content
Engage that audience with content that educates and/or entertains them
Retain and hopefully convert that audience with content tailored to different points in their journey with your company
3. Different types of content do different things
Content encompasses blogs, case studies, landing pages, emails, videos, white papers, ebooks, and more. Different types of content perform better depending on where your audience is in your marketing funnel. If they’ve stumbled upon your site for the first time, they probably don’t want to see a sales page with CTA buttons for a demo. Instead, they are probably curious to either learn about a specific topic or to see if you can really solve their problem.
Just as someone who enters a restaurant for happy hour drinks doesn’t want to be sold a tasting menu, they just want to see your drinks list. The types of content you offer can influence who comes to your site and what they do once their there.
Top SaaS copywriter skills
1. Understands SaaS and tech
Unsurprisingly, the best indication of SaaS/tech knowledge is prior experience in tech/SaaS. Check out where they’ve worked or what they’ve written to see if they have the knowledge you need. We’ve met many writers with SaaS and tech writing experience, but they still don’t understand the industry firsthand. It’s more difficult to find writers with direct industry experience. Trust us on this one!
2. Has a basic grasp of SEO
Any good SaaS SEO copywriter should be able to tell you how they do keyword research. It usually involves them using some kind of free or paid SEO tool to assess you and your competitors, then writing content around the most relevant keywords. If you really want to assess their knowledge, ask about how they determine content length or optimize for snippets.
SEO is its own type of writing with its own learning curve. Word count, structure, keyword usage, HTML heading tags, alt text, image filenames, and more all affect a piece’s search engine performance.
3. Has a customer-centric approach
Content is not about you. It is about how you help solve your customers’ problems. Any blog or website copywriter you hire should be able to turn information about what makes you stand out into a customer-focused piece that provides the education they need.
B2B SaaS copywriting must address your customers, not people like you. The chasm between what you know and what your customer knows is wide. A good writer will see the gaps and fill them in. When you leave and breathe your SaaS every day, it’s easy to write past your audience’s understanding. You must write for them.
4. Can define content goals
It’s one thing to just write copy; it’s another to write SaaS copy that converts. If you ever propose a specific content idea, their first question to you should be, “What’s your goal with that piece?” Then they can help you either refine your goals or refine the type of content so that whatever they’re writing will perform.
Founders and marketers constantly fall prey to featuritis. Instead of writing copy to accomplish a goal, it rattles off features and facts. When was the last time you bought anything based on specs alone?
5. Can turn your thoughts into a story
Even content writing for SaaS needs to connect to the audience with a story. So while you or your product documentation may provide long lists of capabilities, a good B2B SaaS writer will ask the right questions to turn that into a compelling, reader-focused story.
Look at Slack as an example. Their site could have said, “We get you and all your co-workers talking in our online app.” Instead, it says:
Made for people. Built for productivity. Connect the right people, find anything you need, and automate the rest. That’s work in Slack, your productivity platform
Bring your team together
Choose how you want to work
Move faster with your tools in one place
Slack is telling a story, painting a picture of what it’s like to use their tool—no mention of technical features.
Where to find a SaaS copywriter
Freelancers or content agencies that specialize in technical SaaS marketing are out there (hey, we’re one of them!). Aside from the obvious Google search, consider asking peers in your industry who they have worked with or recommend. Find people talking about SaaS and writing on social media.
We have some more information on how to find the right content strategist for your tech company, and some questions to ask them once you start your chat.
And if you’d like to ask us the same questions, we’d be happy to answer them in a free 30-minute call.
