Is Your SaaS Copywriting a Turn-Off to Prospects & Leads?

As a SaaS freelance writer who’s been working with companies like yours for a decade, I know you have invested a ton of resources to stay neck-in-neck with competitors. As a decision-maker at a Software as a Service (SaaS) company, you spend a lot of time and energy growing your brand. Unfortunately, all of your efforts are in vain if your website copy is a killjoy. 

Copywriting for SaaS is an art. And, if you get it wrong, you funnel your prospects into a bucket with a hole in it. With what shall you fix it? This article should help you:

• Find out if your SaaS copywriting might be turning away prospects and leads. 
• Learn how to solve copy problems to create content that converts. 

However, it won’t help you with topics like why listicles get attention, how to write a CTA, or the right way to use keywords in your page content (But, I may cover some of this in the future). 

Find out if you’re making any of these copywriting mistakes and learn how to fill the hole… Better yet, refurbish your bucket for SaaS platform success.  

First, stop writing about your platform. 

Conversion copywriters, especially B2B SaaS copywriters, know that you can’t constantly write about your platform and expect anyone to care. 

‘Wait…. Isn’t this counter-productive?’ 

At first glance, not mentioning the product you’re selling does seem like a bad idea. So, let’s take a closer look at what it means to stop writing about your platform and why this is important. 

First, you’ll see an example of promotion-heavy Saas writing word-use (that I don’t recommend). Then, look at an example of a communication style that is more engaging to readers. After that, you can decide for yourself which type of writing best. 

Here is a real headline from a data intelligence platform: “Machine Data Intelligence for the most demanding use cases.” 

After reading this heading, I now know that the platform can provide data insights. And, if my “case” is extra demanding, the software may be strong enough to handle it. Hmm… Honestly, I’m sort of scratching my head. 

The above example leaves me with questions. 

• First, what type of data intelligence can I get and for what? 
• Then, is my “case” complex enough to warrant such a seemingly-robust solution? 

So, let’s look at another headline from a competing data intelligence platform: “The quickest, easiest, and most secure way to drive your business with data.” 

Whoa. The sentence pulls me into a gust of wind that swiftly lifts my business a step up the success ladder. When I step out of my imagination, I want to keep reading and learn more about the offer (I just hope the brand can back up claims like, “quickest” and “most secure”). 

The latter headline is actionable and personal. It speaks to me about my business. And, the first headline seems to be an attempted brag on the platform — it just doesn’t work as well. But, each headline still leaves something to be desired. 

Instead of creating overly-promotional SaaS copy, follow an outcome-centered approach. 

Your copy won’t have maximum impact if you talk about your platform the entire time. Instead, highlight the outcomes your software can deliver. Only a fraction of your copy should promote your platform. 

The 80/20 rule is often applied to diets, dating, business, and training; this rule states that 80% of your results come from 20% of your work. In copywriting, I like to apply the logic a bit differently. 

Rather than talk about your SaaS product 100%, 80%, or even 50% of the time, minimize the promotional copy to around 20%. Use other 80% to engage the reader by educating, entertaining, or describing something useful.  

For web pages, you can apply the rule by talking about outcomes then sprinkling your platform features into the text. For articles, let most of your word count be completely helpful to the reader and add a short section at the end with a call to action that moves readers through your subscriber funnel. You get the idea. 

And, instead of dry and promotional descriptions like, “A Whatever Management Platform for Businesses,” use outcome-centered language like, “Drive Higher Conversions With Data Insights Fueled by Your Customers.” 

Next, quit speaking to everyone and start getting through to someone. 

By now, you’ve started thinking about how you can rewrite some of your copy to focus more on outcomes. Before you get ahead of yourself, there’s something else you need to think about: targeting. 

Many writers preach about personalization such as using the word “you” in your copy. They’re not wrong, but this type of personalized language falls more under the ‘focus on benefits and outcomes’ umbrella. In addition to this, you need to target a specific user. 

Look at a couple of headlines from a SaaS platform home page. 

First, here’s the main headline: “Put imagination to work.” 

Now, here’s the subheading below: “Solve important problems.” 

Technically, this copywriting is personal (+1) and outcome-centered (+1). Plus, both headlines are actionable (+1). So, to the untrained eye, it might seem okay. 

But, what are they even talking about (-1)? What type of platform am I looking at (-1)? How should I put imagination to work (-1)? What important problems will I solve (-1)?  What’s going on here (-1)? Bounce (-3)!

(TOTAL SCORE: -5) 

Frankly, the above headline and subheading are far too vague — they speak to everyone about anything. 

Instead of writing general copy that anyone can relate to, target your approach. 

Your copywriting won’t have high conversion potential if you don’t hyper-target your text. Before copy is written, you need to answer these three questions: 

1. Who is my target website visitor? 
2. What are their greatest problems? 
3. How does my platform (and/or the topic at hand) provide solutions? 

You can write a value proposition and delve deeply into buyer personas. These tasks can be helpful. But, in a nutshell, you want to answer the above questions. 

When you know who you’re speaking to and precisely how your SaaS platform or content topic can help them in a valuable way, you can write impactful copy.

When you write web page copy, ensure that there is clarity in exactly which solution will be provided and to which problem for a specific audience.

Rather than filling your page with fluff, no matter how actionable it may be, get specific. “Grow and Scale Your Property Management Company by Freeing Up Time,” will engage while, “Impress Your Tenants,” will leave people scratching their heads. 

Finally, the best SaaS copywriting tips don’t come from writers or SEOs. 

Naturally, when you seek out website copywriting advice, you turn to a seasoned tech copywriter or an SEO… Don’t you? 

I know what you’re thinking: ‘Ashley, you’re a writer with SEO experience. I’ve already made it this far. Did you wait this long to tell me that I can’t trust you?’

No. That’s not the case. You can trust me. I’ve probably written 1,000 case studies, articles, landing pages, and emails collectively. There is merit to what I’ve said here. But, the ultimate copywriting knowledge base is your platform subscribers.  

‘What the heck do my subscribers know about copywriting?’

I’m glad you asked. The answer is, ‘nothing.’ 99% of your website visitors and users probably don’t know about the practical application of a single copywriting tactic. But, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t turn to your users for guidance.

In any aspect of a business, a customer-centric strategy is a key to success. Copywriting is no different. There are two ways that your leads and subscribers can contribute to your copy. 

1. Through interviews and surveys, subscribers can provide you with surprising quotes, impressive data, and fresh insights to use in your copy. 
2. Via digital behavior analytics, you can discover real data about the pages, sections, and CTAs that convert.  

Yes, writers can share their expertise, which is extremely helpful. And, SEOs have their own crucial place in attraction-stage content. But, only when you understand what makes your actual subscribers convert, can you truly optimize your web copy.

So, how can you acquire copywriting cues from your subscribers?

A couple of weeks ago, I interviewed a customer service rep for a company that uses my client’s SaaS platform. We were talking about a specific customer service tactic used at her company. My goals were to better understand the tactic they use and to collect data and numbers that highlighted how my client’s platform helped their team achieve success. 

In the middle of the conversation, she started talking about a specific platform integration that she couldn’t live without. The words she used when she told her before and after story (“time-suck,” “streamlined,” “nuggets of wisdom”) opened a new door to informed copywriting.

In addition to the case study and article I was assigned, the conversation gave me insights to improve landing pages, create better future articles and interviews, and to share with the marketing team. 

Furthermore, this result isn’t uncommon. In fact, it’s the norm for user interviews. When you interview your users after they’ve had a chance to see how your SaaS platform has helped them, you become familiarized with the view of your product from the other side of the tracks. 

If you don’t yet have users, you can still optimize your copy by analyzing your website visitor behavior. If a page has a high bounce rate, it probably needs improvements. If it’s not a technical problem and it’s not design that causes users to leave your page before giving it a chance, the problem rests with your copywriting. 

Furthermore, you can take cues about what to write from the pages that have the highest conversion rates. If website visitors are doing what you want them to on a page, then you must be doing something right. 

So, interview your users and watch your analytics to fuel your website copy. 

Conclusion

So, do you think your current website copy might be a turn-off for your prospects and leads? 

If so, go do this immediately: In a new tab, head over to your website. Look at the main headline on the homepage and ask yourself the following questions: 

• Is it outcome-centered? 
• Is it targeted? 
• Is it backed by feedback/data from users? 

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, there’s a high chance your SaaS product copy could use some work. So, use what you’ve learned here to turn that around. And, if you need help filling the hole in your SaaS copywriting bucket, find a copywriter or reach out to me.