What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about PR? If you’re like most business owners, chances are you’re already busy listing all the news publications where you want your brand to get featured.

But in today’s internet-savvy world, getting media coverage from traditional outlets isn’t enough. You need to define a rock-solid PR strategy that utilizes modern digital marketing channels, such as search engines and social media platforms.

It’s all the more crucial when you’re running a B2B SaaS company. Unlike a B2C business, you can’t attract potential buyers simply by promoting your products. Instead, you need to establish brand awareness, credibility, and reputation. Also, you have to earn the trust of target buyers before they’re ready to make a purchase decision.

That’s where PR services step into the picture. They help you build an omnichannel PR strategy that takes your brand to your target audience at the right time.

In this blog, we’ll outline a few useful PR tactics for your B2B SaaS business. Let’s dive right in.

1. Establish Thought Leadership

Here’s the thing – whether you’re building the next big CRM platform or project management tool, the internet is already flooded with similar SaaS applications. Pitching your product or brand to a journalist won’t be enough to get the media coverage you want.

A wiser alternative is to publish thought leadership content and position your brand as an industry authority. The idea is to reinforce your reputation in such a way that it automatically attracts journalists and media outlets to your brand.

But how do you accomplish that?

Start by creating original content that’s packed with data and insights that are relevant to your industry. For instance, if you’re launching a new applicant tracking system, you could publish a well-researched report on how the recruitment landscape will change post-COVID.

Make sure the report includes accurate and up-to-date statistics sourced from employers and recruitment firms across the globe. Also, you can cater to a larger audience by including data from different industries.

Apart from industry analysis, you can also publish case studies, whitepapers, and market research reports that’ll provide value to your target audience. As you continue to publish such insightful content, journalists will start perceiving your brand as a thought leader.

That’ll make it easier for you to grab their attention with a pitch. If you’re lucky, a journalist might even cite one of your reports or case studies in their articles.

2. Harness Newsjacking

Newsjacking is the practice of capitalizing on current or trending news to bring your brand to the limelight. In other words, it’s about identifying trending events or news related to your industry and putting your spin on it.

If you’re already working with a PR services firm, they’ll help you identify the latest viral news that could be relevant to your brand. Also, they’ll help you weave your product/brand into the established narrative.

Additionally, you should keep an eye on different social media platforms, particularly Twitter and LinkedIn, to identify any major breakthroughs in your industry. 

One of the recent examples of newsjacking is Google’s Year in Search 2020 recap video.

Instead of simply highlighting the year’s search trends, Google used artistic contributions to create a narrative about how the pandemic has influenced our interactions with the internet.

3. Sign Up on HARO

HARO or Help a Reporter Out is an online platform that journalists use to find credible and genuine sources. You can use that to your advantage by signing up as a source on HARO. Once you register, you’ll be prompted to select the categories you’re interested in. Make sure you choose categories that are relevant to your industry.

Next, you’ll start receiving daily emails that contain queries from different journalists. Keep an eye out for queries that your company has already addressed through thought leadership content. Make sure you include the link to relevant content assets whenever you’re reaching out to a journalist with any information.

4. Focus on Long-Standing Relationships

One of the biggest mistakes that SaaS businesses make is to reach out to a journalist out of the blue. Cold emails are a thing of the past. Even the most compelling pitch will fail to grab eyeballs if the recipient isn’t familiar with your brand.

A more effective approach is to build a rapport with your target journalists before sending your pitch. Engage with their content by sharing and commenting on their articles. Also, follow them on social media, and actively engage with their posts. It’s a great way to initiate a conversation before connecting with them via email.

Closing Thoughts

A well-defined PR strategy will go a long way to amplify brand awareness and help you win the trust of potential buyers. Leverage new-age platforms, such as HARO, Twitter, and LinkedIn, to connect with the right journalists. Also, create and publish original thought leadership content to build credibility.