Resource Topics: pr strategy

Top 3 Questions a SaaS Company Should Answer Before an Acquisition Announcement

Announcing the acquisition of another company is an exciting moment for any SaaS brand. You have an opportunity to share the news with the world and celebrate the milestone for both companies. 

A successful announcement requires a well-built-out PR strategy. Your PR firm will have several questions when building out the strategy. Ideally, you’ve told your PR team as early as possible so they have time to ask these questions and get the answers they need. 

There are many questions to consider when announcing the acquisition of another company. But we’ve boiled it down to a few of the key types of questions your PR team should be asking. 

What are the details of the acquisition? 

It all starts with the basics. Who are you acquiring? Where are they located? When will the acquisition be finalized? An important detail to share is whether you will be disclosing the terms of the acquisition. How many employees does the acquired company have? Are they all remaining on board? That’s an important detail to note, especially for local media. 

Additionally, you want to know whether the leadership team of the acquired company is staying on and, if so, what their new titles and roles will be. These are some of the key details needed to build out a press release and prepare for potential interviews with media. 

What’s the “why” of the acquisition?  

You and your PR team will want to figure out the ideal headline for coverage of your acquisition announcement. The best way to determine that is to talk through the “why” with your PR team. What drove the acquisition? Are you expanding into a new market? Adding new product capabilities? Unpacking the “why” should help shape the story your PR team tells through the announcement. 

What are the implications of this acquisition announcement? 

Announcing the acquisition of another company impacts several stakeholders such as prospective employees, customers and potential investors. It’s important to consider the implications for these audiences as you develop your PR strategy.

What does the acquisition mean for your customers and the customers of the acquired company? Is the acquired company’s brand going to be rolled into yours, or will the two companies continue to act independently? How will this acquisition augment your business? Consider the implications for the market. Does this acquisition change the competitive landscape? Are you planning additional acquisitions? These questions can help your PR team understand the goals for the announcement. 

Finalizing the PR Strategy for the Acquisition

As you flesh out the plan with your PR team, other questions will likely come up. You can address several questions by sharing any existing internal communication plans you have. 

Another detail to nail down is who will be the spokesperson for both companies. If the acquired company works with a PR agency, it would be good to get your PR team connected with them. An acquisition announcement has a lot of moving pieces, but by asking the right questions and putting a solid PR strategy in place, a successful announcement is possible. 

Do you have an acquisition on the horizon? Check out our guide to announcing your acquisition of another company to make sure you’re set up for success.  

The Content Analysis Process in PR Research

Building a successful PR strategy and plan consists of various components like research, brainstorming and a consistent cadence of communication. But one of the most critical aspects of the initial research stage is content analysis. According to the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), content analysis is “objective, systematic and quantitative,” and includes a description and evaluation of the content of documents for both the brand and its competitors, including media coverage. 

Analyzing media coverage, blogs, ebooks and other materials from a client and competitors provides insight into reactive, newsjacking and other industry opportunities and sets up a successful strategy from the start. However, content analysis is also a tedious, time-consuming process. Here’s a closer look at what content analysis is and the challenges and benefits accompanying the process:

The content analysis process

Everything starts with research, and analyzing all existing materials and coverage is a good starting point. At BLASTmedia, we conduct a comprehensive media landscape analysis during our initial onboarding period with clients. This process starts by evaluating every single piece of coverage and company news a client and their competitors received and produced over the previous six months. 

We tag each piece with a descriptor, such as “press release posting,” “mention,” “feature” or “contributed content.” From there, we go a step further by identifying spokespeople, noting the domain authority and readership of each publication and outlining what type of company news is being published, such as data, product or general.

After compiling this information, we build an initial competitive landscape snapshot and denote what to prioritize in our own plan. This process also helps us build a foundational understanding of the industry and our client’s technology, a key strategic advantage for our team. 

Challenges of content analysis 

That said, content analysis, when done correctly, can be a tedious process. Tagging each piece of coverage is labor-intensive and requires critical oversight to identify key learnings. 

For example, while evaluating coverage, sentiment must be considered. Maybe a competitor has 300 pieces of coverage over the past six months and is dominating the landscape in terms of coverage. But what if this coverage is centered on a data breach and is mostly negative? The old saying “all press is good press” is simply not true, especially in the world of B2B SaaS. 

Or maybe a competitor has scaled over time and spread services, and our client is only competing on one area of their business. Any existing materials offered by a customer on other verticals or sectors of their business are likely not useful in our efforts and shouldn’t be wrapped into the initial PR planning process. 

Benefits of content analysis for B2B SaaS brands

Content analysis is part of the initial research phase for a reason: an effective analysis leads to a more strategic and informed PR plan. Evaluating individual coverage pieces and all existing materials provides insight into what competitors are talking about, who their primary spokespeople are, what keywords they’re looking to capture and movement happening in the industry through company news. 

Capturing this information early on in the research phase of plan construction helps clients identify what topics they want to be a part of and sets them up for greater success when competing against others in the space. Content also helps our team learn about an executive’s unique voice and build an initial knowledge of the industry in total, our client’s technology and the unique value they offer customers. 

An effective PR plan is critical in standing out in a B2B SaaS landscape, and it all starts with comprehensive research and thorough content analysis. Contact Lindsey Groepper and ask about our media landscape analysis process.