Top Five Most Downloaded Episodes of SaaS Half Full 2023

This year, SaaS Half Full host Lindsey Groepper sat down for a drink with more than 20 marketers, discussing topics like pricing and packaging to inclusive marketing. 

Whether you listened to every episode of 2023 or grabbed a couple here and there, we’re breaking down our top five most downloaded episodes of the year below. Feel free to grab a drink as we dive in.

#5. Investment Vibe Check: Two VCs Discuss 

In this special edition of SaaS Half Full, Lindsey held a fireside chat with Sara Omohundro, Principal at Elevate Ventures, and David Kerr, Managing Director of Allos Ventures, to discuss the technologies they’re bullish about and the importance of burn efficiency in defining financial health.

#4. The Art & Science Behind Pricing & Packaging with Dan Balcauski

Who is in charge of pricing decisions at your SaaS org? For nearly 60% of companies, it’s the CEO or an opinionated decision-maker in the C-suite. But who should own it? Hear from Product Tranquility Founder Dan Balcauski, who breaks down the art and science of SaaS product pricing and packaging.

#3. What You Can Learn From a B2B Mystery Shopper with Gracey Cantalupo

A B2B mystery shopper? In this episode, Gracey Cantalupo, CMO at MentorcliQ, talks to Lindsey about how hiring someone to walk your virtual storefront and actually being on a software buying committee can be worth its weight in gold.

#2. What Marketers Can Learn from Netflix with Jennifer Griffin Smith

Coming in the second spot is Jennifer Griffin Smith, CMO of Brightcove. She sat down with Lindsey at the start of the year to talk about how marketers can think and act more like a media company. Ready to think more like Netflix? Press play on this episode.

#1. The Subjectivity of SaaS M&A with Thomas Smale

In our top spot, we have Thomas Smale, CEO and Founder of FE International, talking about the benefits and drawbacks of a strong founder brand and the common mistakes he sees companies make when positioning for an exit.

Well, there you have it! Thank you to all our guests and listeners. If you’re interested in any of our guests’ drinks throughout the year, visit Cocktail Couriers

Interested in being on the show? Drop us a line here. If you want to keep up with the latest and greatest for SaaS Half Full, subscribe to our newsletter. Otherwise, watch for the new season of SaaS Half Full, which will drop next month. 

Modern PR: All About Business Value

The PR industry has traditionally been a fan of big numbers. Hitting the 100+ pieces of coverage mark is exciting. Watching the likes and comments flow in on social media provides a dopamine rush. Metrics like advertising value equivalency (look, we’re in the millions!) or total potential reach (we’re in the billions!) can look great on a slide deck.

But, friends, the hard truth is that all of these KPIs or KRs — sheesh, we’re a fan of alternatives to “goals,” too — may not provide any real business value. 

Is this the end of the industry? No, not at all. Do we have to evolve? Absolutely. Modern PR professionals must take a data-driven approach, tying their efforts to broader marketing objectives and demonstrating contribution to real business impact.

This post shows how traditional PR measurement limits PR and marketing teams and how the industry must shift to metrics that matter.

The Drawbacks of Traditional PR Measurement

Most PR teams report to marketing leadership, and according to MuckRack’s State of Marketing and PR Leadership, lead generation, the number of stories placed, sales, web traffic and conversion rates are the biggest priorities. 

A simple, quick takeaway? Vanity metrics don’t cut it. Stakeholders want to see the measurable impact of PR, not just feel-good clips. Efforts need to sync with broader business goals to raise PR’s value. That requires moving beyond shallow reporting to prove links between PR programs and tangible marketing outcomes.

Using ABM to Demonstrate PR Impact

Let’s explore a concrete example of reorienting PR to business goals. A recent Terminus report reveals most marketers have an Account-based marketing (ABM) strategy, which relies on aligned cross-functional efforts across the most relevant and highest-value target accounts and contacts.

PR teams can support ABM by reviewing your target account list and decision-maker details to understand the businesses, roles and industry demands. 

It can support sales penetration by spotlighting those accounts through earned media and relevant thought leadership. This captures decision-makers’ attention while associating the brand with strategic interests. It also provides valuable touchpoints for account reps to reference, facilitating meaningful engagement.

How does this look in action? A three-pronged effort could focus on:

Cornerstone content supporting lead generation 

  • Dynamic short-form video puts the company and experts front and center in our digital “town square.” 
  • Educational blog series provides content worth sharing 

Customer elevation, supporting referral traffic 

  • Fresh and timely case studies give your best ambassadors the spotlight. This can be tough, but we outlined the customer PR process here!
  • Strategic award nominations provide additional validation.

Sales support, supporting conversations 

  • Use our ABM list to incorporate key names in contributed content or podcast interviews, catching key targets’ attention. 
  • Drafting sales enablement emails to better equip your front line with the latest and greatest wins

The Bottom Line? PR Needs to Be Part of the Bottom Line.

The future of PR is integrating with broader marketing frameworks and goals to demonstrate real business contribution. Whether supporting an account-based sales pipeline or overall brand lift, PR must quantify impact through goal-aligned metrics rather than isolated vanity metrics. 

By keeping measurement tied to targets the C-suite cares about, data-savvy PR teams make the function indispensable. Ready to modernize your PR program? Let’s chat.

B2B Tech PR Trends to Dominate 2024

As 2023 wraps up, our team reflected on the significant events of this past year to forecast the top trends shaping tech PR strategies in 2024. From big moments like Silicon Valley Bank to Hamas attacking Israel to Open AI firing Sam Altman, the need for communicators in the decision room is clear. Here are our top predictions for tech brands gearing up for an unpredictable 2024 environment.

Non-traditional media outlets like Reddit, YouTube and podcasts will gain prominence for targeting developer and technical audiences rather than broader trade publications. Also, while AI may have dazzled as a buzzword, it will take more substantive narratives around problem-solving use cases rather than generic “innovation” to drive ongoing coverage. – Kate Johnson, VP of PR

Large analyst firms will face more hesitation from tech brands due to high costs and rigid frameworks that don’t always fit. Attention will shift to more specialized firms that provide flexibility, custom insights and impactful recommendations in a tight funding climate. – Jake Doll, VP of PR

With tightened funding, B2B SaaS PR strategy will pivot from product marketing to executive thought leadership. Owned assets will highlight innovations, while earning external media coverage builds credibility for company leaders to court crucial investor and employee audiences. – Kim Jefferson, EVP of PR

Per recent surveys, buyers rely more on LinkedIn to research vendors. Hence, B2B SaaS brands should invest more in ghostwritten, bylined content for executives to extend their industry voice and drive qualified traffic. – Zach Weismiller, VP of PR

And my own prediction…Industry watchers will shift from established analyst firms seen as “pay-to-play” to more impartial emerging influencers. For a transparent software selection process, customer review platforms like G2 that provide objective validation will only grow in value.

While the forecast for 2024 is more uncertain for PR pros, it also offers ample potential for brands willing to navigate this changing environment. As new influencers, platforms, and priorities emerge, the principles of conveying compelling and trustworthy narratives through engaged human connections remain.

For more 2024 predictions, check out 2024 SaaS PR Predictions: Navigating Data and Brand Trust.

2024 SaaS PR Predictions: Navigating Data and Brand Trust

From guiding communication around the war in Ukraine and the Silicon Valley Bank collapse to navigating the launch of Threads, 2023 was a big year for the PR industry. Throughout it all, our leadership team was involved in countless conversations to help guide our clients and team as we watched the industry — and world — evolve.

Here’s what several of our leaders predict for the industry in 2024 based on what they saw this year, from changes in how PR pros approach media relations to our tools taking new form.

PR will focus on the message over everything.

In 2024, PR professionals will shift their focus from the medium to the message. While securing media coverage for our clients remains a core responsibility, we must expand our horizons beyond traditional editorial publications. By crafting compelling narratives and aligning them with both owned and earned mediums — company blogs, LinkedIn posts, contributor profiles, and so on — we can orchestrate more impactful campaigns. This strategic approach will not only enhance the reach and resonance of our messaging but also establish our clients as industry thought leaders with the audiences that matter. Kim Jefferson, EVP

Data pitching will need to evolve.

In the current data-saturated landscape, data alone no longer holds the power to captivate attention or establish industry authority. Data is now table stakes, and we must act like it when pitching it to the media. To ensure your data report escapes the cacophony of information overload and truly resonates with journalists, you must now look to data released in partnership with other brands, vendor-neutral reports and larger sample sizes to set your data apart. Kelsey Sowder, VP of PR

Communications will move beyond awareness generation.

The role of communications has evolved beyond mere awareness generation. While securing prominent media placements remains valuable, the true power of communications lies in fostering brand trust. In a world brimming with skepticism, buyers are increasingly discerning, preferring to conduct their own research and rely on trusted sources for recommendations. Their decisions are guided by data, gut instincts, and the opinions of those they respect.

Amidst this shift, communications can serve as a bridge, enabling brands to establish themselves as credible sources of reliable information, insights and best practices. By consistently delivering valuable content, brands can cultivate affinity and loyalty among their target audience, ultimately translating into increased customer acquisition. Communications will take its rightful place as a strategic instrument for building trust and driving business growth in the year ahead. Grace Williams, SVP of PR

X looks at an untimely demise.

The mass exodus of media and brands from X, once known as Twitter, is a troubling sign for the platform’s future. Companies are hesitant to invest in advertising on X because of concerns about reputational damage. The risk of impersonators tarnishing their brand image is simply too high. Moreover, a HubSpot report recently indicated that Twitter offers one of the lowest ROIs among social media platforms. Taken together, these factors suggest that X’s time may be drawing to a close as brands seek more secure and effective avenues for reaching their target audience. Jake Doll, VP of PR

BLASTmedia Honored Within PRNEWS’ Agency Elite Top 100 for Second Consecutive Year

B2B SaaS PR agency spotlighted as one of the most innovative PR and communication firms in the world

INDIANAPOLIS — November 28, 2023 — BLASTmedia, the only PR agency dedicated to B2B SaaS, has been named to the Agency Elite Top 100 list by PRNEWS for the second consecutive year. The Agency Elite Top 100 is the most comprehensive guide of the top 100 most innovative PR, marketing and communications firms in the business.

“We not only want BLASTmedia to set the standard for SaaS PR, but for the PR and communications industry as a whole,” said BLASTmedia President Lindsey Groepper. “Being named to the Agency Elite Top 100 for the second consecutive year validates our team’s innovative thinking and tenacity to tackle the evolving communications landscape. We aren’t afraid to experiment or evolve a best practice — we embrace growing through change.”

According to PRNEWS, the list is designed to demonstrate the wide range of industry specializations and core capabilities that PR, marketing, and communications encompass, recognizing the top agencies across multiple segments and channels.

On top of the PRNEWS Agency Elite 100, BLASTmedia has been acknowledged as a leader in the industry through multiple recognitions over the last year, including being named a Leader on the first G2 grid for PR firms and receiving PR Daily’s Top Agencies award. The agency has also received recognition for its exceptional culture and employee experience, including being named one of Inc. Magazine’s Fastest Growing Private Companies for the second consecutive year, Inc. Magazine’s Best Workplaces for 2023, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce Best Places to Work list for the 8th consecutive year and nominated for the Mira Awards Exceptional Employer Award by TechPoint.

For more information about BLASTmedia and its services, please visit www.blastmedia.com/our-services.

About BLASTmedia

Established in 2005, BLASTmedia is the only PR agency in the US dedicated to B2B SaaS, representing companies from growth-stage to publicly traded. BLASTmedia understands the unique challenges associated with scaling a SaaS business and uses media coverage and thought leadership campaigns to impact four primary pillars: investors, employees, partners, and customers.

When To Set a PR Strategy Announcing the Acquisition of a Company

After hitting a low in 2022, software mergers and acquisitions are bouncing back. This year, we’ve seen several clients announce acquisitions, including 1WorldSync’s acquisition of atrify GmbH and ArisGlobal’s acquisition of SPORIFY

We know acquisitions take a lot of work, from courting potential prospects to deliberating with your team to, ultimately, making the final decision to make the acquisition! 

However, while there are a lot of moving parts to an acquisition, it’s essential to form a SaaS PR strategy that will help your company amplify the news of the acquisition to all of your stakeholders — from securing coverage in industry-focused publications that speak to your customers and prospects, to grabbing mentions in M&A-focused outlets that potential investors might read.

To ensure this announcement goes off without a hitch, here’s when — and why — to tell your PR firm about the companies you’re acquiring.

When and why should I tell my PR team about a potential acquisition?

The short answer is “as soon as you know.” After all, there’s no such thing as too much prep time. The good news is that you likely have an NDA with your PR firm, so giving them an early heads up — sometimes even when you just hear whispers of a potential deal — will set them up for success.

The acquisition process can move quickly after the deal is solidified, and you don’t want your PR team left in the dust. Even before you have all the details, your PR team can begin devising an announcement strategy, drafting a press release outline, and identifying potential media targets — all things they’ll build upon once the details are finalized. If you wait too long to tell them, you risk rushing the strategy and outreach process. And there’s nothing worse than losing out on coverage because you didn’t give the media enough time to care — or your PR team enough time to think about why reporters should care.

For example, our team was flagged for a potential acquisition at the end of May. Immediately, we jumped on calls with the company executives to talk about the “why” behind the acquisition and gain some insight into what it meant for the market. Armed with this information, we prepared a press release outline and FAQ document and discussed an announcement strategy. 

Nearly a month and a half later, we were ready for the big day in July. Because we had time to prepare a strategy, assets and talk tracks, we could focus entirely on pitching the big news to the right reporters — with enough time for them to write a story. It resulted in 20+ hits during announcement week on target industry and financial trade outlets, alongside a feature in the Wall Street Journal.

Plan your SaaS PR strategy early

When a company acquires another company, it’s something people should know about! As your acquisition approaches, remember your PR strategy to ensure your big news gets to the right people with the right message.

Have an acquisition announcement coming up and need help forming your SaaS PR strategy? To learn more, contact BLASTmedia President Lindsey Groepper.

Why SaaS Brands Should Seek Less Category Competition, More Category Collaboration

Teaming up with your competitors seems counterintuitive, both amid economic uncertainty and as part of your marketing strategy. But seeking out category collaboration can fuel powerful results when used strategically to educate your audience, build brand awareness and garner high-level media coverage.

Category collaboration: A contradiction in terms?

The idea of working cooperatively with your competition — termed “co-opetition” in Adam Brandenburger and Barry Nalebuff’s 1996 book on the subject — has often included partnerships formed specifically to foster innovation, fund research and development and share needed supplies. Look at Samsung and Apple, for instance: Samsung supplies Apple’s iPhone screens while still selling its own smartphones. Pharmaceutical rivals Pfizer and BioNTech collaborated on a COVID-19 vaccine. 

But beyond supply chain or research concerns, this cooperative approach can apply to SaaS brands’ marketing endeavors, too. 

Even amid concerns of a global economic downturn, Gartner predicts SaaS spend will rise to $195 Billion in 2023, up 17% from 2022. Businesses are still investing in SaaS, even in these tumultuous times — and SaaS companies need to keep their foot on the gas. Partnering with other savvy competitors ensures you’re building your category the smart way.

Category reinforcement through collaboration

You might be picturing collaboration as trading sales sheets and working together on battle cards — that’s not what I’m advocating. Back up a few steps to the top of the marketing funnel. In the early stages of category creation, you’re advocating for your solution and, more broadly, trying to maximize a prospective customer’s knowledge of the problem you solve. When you’re evangelizing for your category, you’re working to promote awareness, educate your audience and gain their trust.

Acknowledging and working with your competition on these educational campaigns provides prospects with further proof that the problem you’re solving is an important one. Competition validates your category as a legitimate space and your offering as a potential solution to a real problem.

Take the layups

In his book “Founder Brand,” marketing consultant Dave Gerhardt frames marketing as a momentum game: You take the small wins to build to bigger wins. During a basketball game, the teams can’t worry over every 2-pointer. When your opponent shoots a layup, you don’t panic about losing the game. They’re moving the game forward, and your team will score soon, too.

In the marketing realm, sometimes you’ll have to take the layups. Remember that as much as you like to win, your competitors do, too. Those minor wins offer some opportunities for lower-stakes collaboration, especially in areas where you and a competitor agree. Every win contributes to a developing storyline around your company and adds to your authority in the space.

From a thought leadership perspective, your competitor’s efforts can — and probably are — helping propel your deals forward. A prospect might read a competitor’s article that also speaks to all of your marketing talking points and builds a case for a solution. During a prospect’s research phase to find a solution, they may reach out to your company, rather than (or in addition to!) the competitor, to solve their problem.

In my own experience, I’ve seen clients share a “great piece on the industry” that came directly from a competitor’s thought leader — another opportunity for collaboration to move the game forward.

Release the scarcity mindset

Here’s the biggest hurdle preventing competitors from collaborating on informative, category-strengthening opportunities: a misguided notion of scarcity. Just as one layup for a rival team doesn’t spell disaster, press coverage for a competitor doesn’t mean your company loses a chance at its moment in the spotlight.

Opportunities to amplify your brand abound, but when every vendor in a given industry contradicts the next, journalists struggle to offer their audience a clear picture of what’s happening in the space. Collaborating with competitors to offer impactful, vendor-neutral insight amplifies your message and provides something substantial to the media (and then, your prospects). This collaboration can be as simple as agreeing on a particular market trend you’ve both identified.

Meet the demands of increasingly complex B2B sales cycles

The B2B customer journey has become even more complex. Forrester’s latest “B2B Buying Study” found that 63% of purchases involve more than four people, and the average number of touchpoints jumped from 17 to 27 in just two years. Buyers seek information from myriad sources during their customer journey — from case studies and peers to industry experts and vendors.

The makeup of SaaS buying committees is changing, too: 73% of the people participating in B2B research and decision-making are millennials, who dive into research well before reaching out to a sales rep. And 80% of B2B purchasing decisions come from “direct or indirect customer experience,” with buyers scouring others’ reviews and recommendations while ignoring paid ads and cold calls.

Today’s buyers want to connect with something beyond a vendor. They’re looking for answers — and you can help them by teaming up with your competitors to tell your category’s broader story, and choosing intentionally to focus less on selling and more on educating. This approach offers prospective buyers more value and equips them to make buying decisions that meet their needs.

Is your main competitor really the villain in your story?

A final obstacle to embracing competitor collaboration is, of course, whether or not your main competitor plays the villain role in your brand’s story. After nine years of working with hundreds of SaaS clients, I can confidently say this scenario is rarely the case.

Most companies working with a PR agency, for example, do so for several reasons:

  • They’re chasing a mindset shift among their desired prospects toward their solution category.
  • They’re trying to raise awareness about the problem their products solve.
  • They’re attempting to elevate a conversation to the board level to gain executive support (and budget approval) for their solutions. 

Your competition’s not out to affect or diminish these efforts, and in fact, collaborating with those in the same space could give these endeavors a boost.

How to get started with category collaboration

Diving into competitor collaboration may feel daunting, but the process starts with a mind shift that includes thinking of your competitors as your peers, not your enemy.

Leverage your existing network. Who do you know, and do you think they’d invite a conversation? Connect with competitors on LinkedIn, and interact with their posts. If their company does something cool — give them props! If their CEO makes a bold statement, and your CEO agrees with it, help them continue the conversation. 

Ask a peer to join you for a virtual coffee (not to exchange trade secrets, but to get to know each other). Connect at trade shows, and use the time to find common points of interest or concern in your industry. Have a story no one’s talking about, but you agree is pivotal? Talk about it jointly on your blogs or in the media, and see what happens. 

Finally, invite a competitor thought leader to co-host a webinar with you or join an episode of your podcast. You’ll have an opportunity to flesh out points of view and garner more significant interest in your category. Each of these connections offers an opportunity to grow your own reach and your category’s visibility when you work proactively to create a cohesive choir of voices in your field. When evangelizing for your category, a rising tide can really lift all ships.

BLASTmedia: 2022 Top SaaS PR Blogs

From Spotify to Peloton to PlayStation, there’s no avoiding the year-end recaps/wraps, and we’re coming ‘atcha with our own. As we nearly approach 2023, we’re wrapping up our top SaaS PR blogs from 2022. This year, our team wrote over thirty posts focused on SaaS PR topics, such as how to be featured in software blogs and tips on executing PR in a downturn. 

Whether you read them all or only caught a few, you want to take advantage of the SaaS trends and learnings in the blogs below. Here is a countdown of our most-read blog posts of 2022:

#5 Why PR Works for SaaS

Skyscrapers with BLASTmedia branding

Longer sales cycles and fierce competition have led SaaS companies to focus more on their brand. Building awareness through clear messaging is vital for SaaS companies to withstand competitors. This blog shares three reasons why PR works for SaaS brands.

#4 What Is Non-traditional PR?

What is non-traditional PR? By Kate Johnson

As a SaaS PR agency, we leverage various channels to secure our clients meaningful coverage. In this piece, we break down non-traditional PR, including podcasts, software company blogs and video coverage, to show how capitalizing on non-traditional PR tacts is critical to successful campaigns.

#3 4 Pillars of B2B SaaS PR

4 Pillars of B2B SaaS PR by Kim Jefferson

For SaaS companies, PR doesn’t only help with building your thought leadership; it impacts an entire SaaS business, from recruiting to fundraising. This post covers the ‘Four Pillars’ of B2B SaaS PR: investors, employees, partners and customers.

#2 We Canceled All Meetings for 1 Week, Here’s How It Went

We Canceled All Meetings for 1 Week, Here's How it Went by Grace Williams.

We’ve all been in meetings where we thought, “Couldn’t this just be an email?” This year, we canceled all internal and external meetings for one week to see how it would go. Find out our results in this blog.

#1 How to Set and Measure PR OKRs: Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)

How to Set and Measure PR OKRs: Objectives and Key Results by Grace Williams

Drum roll, please. Coming in at number one is our blog on setting and measuring PR OKRs. The debate continues on how to measure PR. We followed suit with many of our clients and shifted our focus to an OKR framework. Not familiar with OKRs? This piece explains what they are and how we use them to measure our SaaS PR efforts.

Have a topic you’d like to see our SaaS PR team cover in 2023? Tweet us, mention us on LinkedIn or drop us a note to let us know.

How Vendor-Neutral Coverage Can Still Make a Positive Impact

Article in magazine with coffee mug and BLASTmedia branding

The B2B SaaS industry is as mindbogglingly large as it is competitive. But how big is it? ChiefMartec recently shared that there are at least 103,000 marketing technology companies alone. That’s a conservative estimate — and just one vertical!

All of these companies are battling for visibility, but simultaneously, newsrooms nationwide are shrinking.

While every company has a story it can tell, not every angle will fit for media outreach or publication. And, often, businesses aren’t fully considering that brands need a vendor-neutral topic. 

What does that mean, and how can vendor-neutral coverage still positively impact your company?

“This reads like an advertisement.”

First, the easy stuff: vendor-neutral content or coverage means that your byline, quote or interview can’t directly point back to a service or product you offer. 

While both are important, your PR team is not your advertising team. Your PR efforts are toward “earned” coverage to (for example) provide a unique perspective on a timely topic or “how to” tactics on a technical subject. If the publication’s editor says, “This reads like an advertisement,” we’ve missed the mark. Your PR team will help refine your message to ensure we’re adding something new, valuable, bold and maybe even contrarian or divisive to the conversation.

If I can’t talk about my product, what’s the point?

Writing vendor-neutral content doesn’t mean you can’t talk about important challenges or opportunities in your industry, but you can’t be the only solution to the problem. 

Your PR team can help you keep a finger on the industry’s pulse to ensure you’re still in front of your targeted audience and key buyer personas. But they should also help you think bigger: as a SaaS leader, you’ve got plenty of experiences to pull from. What lessons from your entrepreneurial journey stand out? What was your first experience with a boardroom? Are you building a hybrid workplace environment or offering nontraditional employee benefits? These aspects of running a company can be source material for a great story.

By publishing these types of perspectives, you are:

  • Improving your ability to rank in search as both a thought leader and company. Those “about the author” sections often include the prized backlink! 
  • Creating valuable material for social media where the conversation can continue. Pubs love to see their pages get more views and clicks — sharing your work on social can help extend the reach and impact. 
  • Fostering a relationship with editors who may reach out for more commentary opportunities.
  • Building affinity — people want to buy from people! You’re not a walking advertisement; you have years of insights and perspectives to tap into.

Where do we begin?

Getting started on your own can be challenging, especially without a team to help brainstorm ideas. Story-mining sessions are a great way to build out a list of vendor-neutral opportunities: your PR team can help uncover angles that resonate with target audiences and publications. 

Turn to your PR team to uncover these powerful thought leadership angles for impactful media coverage.