SAAS MARKETING GUIDE BY: JUSTIN TALERICO Written/Short-Format/Announcements Another short-format, higher-frequency, written asset is the announcement, most commonly a press release. While the value of press releases has diminished with the rise of social media, they continue to have a place in SaaS marketing. Releases can take two different paths — for internal use as fresh, keyword-rich content on the marketing website; and for external use on “the wire.” The former costs nothing, while the latter has distribution cost associated with it. Institutional capital and tech news outlets continue to monitor the newswire to discover startups. Written/Short-Format/Case Studies Case studies are strong assets for several reasons. First are the organic search, keyword, and backlink benefits that often come from using customer names and logos in online, HTML case studies. Next are the realistic, relatable stories that frame shared pains and needs. And third is the credibility that comes from a notable customer investing the time and energy into allowing their logo to be used and their story told. Case studies are strong social proof assets that can be complemented with video (see below). Written/Short-Format/Emails Emails are content assets for the email distribution channel (discussed separately). Email content is very hierarchical — conforming closely to the progression of copy found in good advertising. The subject line and lead are critical to open rates, while the body of the email is crucial to click-through rates. Strong, single-minded emails tend to outperform multi-message or deeper dive versions. Testing is critical to iterating high-performance emails. Written/Long-Format/White Papers White papers are the most common long-format educational content type. Although their lead-gen effectiveness isn’t all it used to be, quality PDF white papers continue to show enough value for an equal exchange for lead data. In their most modern form, white papers are highly designed and include visual as well as rich content — they may also be 12 Execute Better. Grow Faster.