The goal in PR is simple: to make your brand well known. Public relations involves creating an accurate, yet positive, perception of your brand.
It gives your brand an edge over the competition, opens up new business opportunities, and helps in building a stronger reputation.
In this article, you’ll discover how to leverage the limelight and gain exposure for your SaaS brand.
1. Be a guest post contributor
Thought leadership content is useful for sharing actionable insights and impactful advice. After someone reads one of your guest articles, you want them to acquire knowledge they can put into practice and solve an issue.
For instance, a CEO can offer perspective on the direction of their industry, or a professional might highlight important technology advances impacting their sector.
A great example is Buffer’s co-founder Leo Widrich, who gained 100,000 users within the first 9 months of launching the app by writing about 150 guest posts.
By guest posting on reputable websites in your niche, you have the chance to build authority, amplify brand awareness, and grow relevant traffic.
Do not hold back when sharing your expertise. If you feel like you’re sharing all your business secrets, you’re most likely doing just fine.
2. Maximize user review sites
Word-of-mouth is the oldest form of marketing. People naturally trust the judgment of a product or service via the experiences of fellow colleagues, friends, or family members.
Potential users of SaaS products visit review sites to see what their fellow peers have to say about a product before purchasing it.
Joe Kevens, Founder of B2B SaaS Reviews says:
“One of the most important awards a vendor can win in SaaS is on user review sites like G2, TrustRadius, and others. Many SaaS buyers rely on these review sites to help discover, evaluate, and select SaaS products. If you can win awards on these sites, you can leverage them as compelling social proof.”
Here are some ways to get user reviews:
- Send email campaigns: Request this based on customer activities on your app or if they have used your product for a period of time, such as 30 to 90 days.
- During virtual events and webinars: Your most active customers are in one location during live events. Ask attendees to provide feedback at the conclusion of the event.
- Utilize forums or user communities: Platforms, where people can seek support, express their thoughts, or have conversations about your product, are great for collecting reviews.
- Through your app or product: This is possible via in-app messages and notifications, here you can direct them to the app store or review site.
3. Apply for awards
Adding award logos to your website, mentioning accolades in proposals, or sharing success stories on social media can have a big impact on how potential users view your brand.
Which awards are worth your time? Here’s how to know:
- Select useful awards: Be crystal clear on your “why” and only pursue awards that will help you accomplish your goals.
- Identify the audience for the awards: Is their audience a fit with yours? Are they a match for your business objectives? Your investment will be fruitful if you know an award will put you in front of a fresh market or get better leads.
- Verify submission guidelines: What documents do they require? Is it a video presentation? How many essays? Submissions can be dismissed if they don’t follow the rules established by the host organization.
- Tell a captivating story: Think about how you can differentiate yourself from other applicants and stand out by providing an exceptional narrative.
4. Search for speaking opportunities
By collaborating with hosts in your industry, you can build your reputation and connect with listeners who are curious about your field.
When preparing your list of speaking opportunities, develop unique perspectives. Generic points of view will not make you stand out. To improve your chances, you must provide something different from other contenders.
You can also conduct a quick Google search to gather a comprehensive list of conferences in your field. For instance, you can Google “SaaS+conferences” to find a list of SaaS conferences.
For the SaaS industry, the 2023 SaaStr Annual is a must-attend event. HubSpot, Gusto, Atlassian, and Cloudflare are typically among the top SaaS CEOs in attendance at this event. Saas founders, VCs, and business executives can connect and share ideas in these settings.
5. Take advantage of media pitching
A media pitch involves presenting information to a journalist or media outlet in a bid to get their attention and convince them to write about your company. This information about your brand must be relevant to their audience.
Jered Martin, co-founder at OnePitch, says:
“Identifying journalists to pitch can be extremely difficult. It takes hours to research and figure out why they’re a good fit. Once a journalist has been identified as a good fit, then comes the actual pitch. I highly recommend starting with an introduction that shares WHO, WHAT, and WHY instead of sending a random pitch.”
Here are a few tips to pitch a PR idea:
- Do your homework: Research and find out who you’re pitching to and what narrative they could be interested in.
- Keep it short and simple: Journalists are busy people, so don’t ramble on. Get to the point.
- Ensure it’s newsworthy: Your goal is to pique the journalist’s attention.
- Follow up: If you don’t hear back from the journalist right away, send a polite follow-up email.
6. Use newsjacking
Newsjacking involves monitoring the news for any upcoming story that can be relevant to promoting your brand. An example of newsjacking in a SaaS product was done by Nebojsa Savicic, Co-founder of Plainly, he says:
“We used it for the first time when AI made a boom in the news, especially ChatGPT as a free tool. So it made sense for us to create a series of different AI-focused articles and answer burning questions our target audience had.”
A popular American strategist known as David Meerman Scott shared some noteworthy tips about this strategy in his book, Newsjacking, here are some do’s and don’ts shared in his book:
Do: Use a variety of news sources to stay informed.
Scott says, “Don’t limit it to business news. Stay up to date with news in fashion, sports, and others. You never know what you’re going to find.”
Don’t: Simply repeat the news.
Add relevant, interesting, and insightful content to the news; don’t just regurgitate it.
Do: Be adaptable and ready to publish quickly.
Make sure you have the know-how to publish at a moment’s notice.
Don’t: Attempt to newsjack tragic stories.
Avoid newsjacking tragic stories that involve hurricanes, bombings, killings, and death.
7. Be active on media visibility platforms
You can increase brand exposure by being active on platforms that connect subject-matter experts with renowned publishers. HARO or Help a Reporter Out is an example of such platforms.
When you sign up on HARO to be a source, you will be presented with topics and email queries. Answer any query that fits your expertise. For instance, the image below has numerous opportunities to earn you media mentions as an industry specialist, including one B2B topic.
Terkel (now known as Featured) and Qwoted are online platforms with similar functions.
Level Up Your Public Relations Game
PR is a powerful way to take your SaaS brand to a new level. By executing these PR strategies and adapting them to fit your unique brand identity, you can amplify awareness, attract customers, and drive the growth of your SaaS business.
About the Author
Victory Umurhurhu is the writer and content strategist at Contenticore, she is focused on helping SaaS and Tech brands build authority and dominate search engines. Discover how to get expert-vetted content marketing strategies streamlined to your brand niche by connecting with her on LinkedIn.
