How to Write Converting BOFU Articles in SaaS – Lessons from 5 Content Marketing Agencies

Here’s how I created BOFU articles a few years ago. 

• Get a topic from the client.
• Open ten tabs.
• Read every article on the topic.
• Regurgitate ideas with new wordings.
• Finish the first 3000-word draft in six hours.
• Pass it through Grammarly and send it to the client.
• Rinse and repeat.

The result?

I won’t lie; those were heart-wrenching feedbacks.

But they pushed me to want to learn more about writing BOFU content. 

Luckily after spending enough time learning and practicing, I managed to land writing roles at coveted content marketing agencies like Content Growth, Content Horse, and Media Berry, among others. 

I’ve also written converting BOFU pieces for top SaaS brands like Rightinbox, Myphoner, and Voila Norbert.

Apart from getting exciting reviews like these:

Image source

My BOFU content successfully fulfilled its purpose by drawing in traffic and transforming them into paying customers.

Writing this post took me quite a while because I want to teach you everything I’ve learned from these content marketing agencies.

The guide is a perfect steal if you are a:

• • Writer looking to improve your BOFU content.
  • SaaS company aiming to get sign-ups and conversions from your content.
  • Content marketing agency and want to peep into what your “competitors” do to craft result-oriented content.

Ready? Let’s jump into it. 

(Looking for a B2B SaaS writer that knows his craft? Send me a message, and let’s make your product explode). 

Product Research

At one of the content marketing agencies, I wrote content for a pharmaceutical technology company selling healthcare professionals (HCPs) an engagement platform. 

This field was new as I’ve only worked with MarTech brands in the SaaS niche. 

However, the agency ensured I got all the resources to learn about the product. 

They gave me access to a customer course.

Got ICP research resources.

Video guides on how the software works. 

This made my writing a breeze because I’d internalized everything about the company. I knew the product in and out and the solution they offered to pharma companies.

Here’s the thing – as a writer, even if you’ve focused on one niche, every new client comes with a new product that you must learn from scratch. 

Product research is vital because it allows you to see the product from the founder’s perspective and create content that accurately reflects their vision. 

Check this infographic to note what you should remember when doing product research.

The following section tackles six ways to make your product research effective.

• Start With the Website’s Home Page

Here’s what you’ll see from a SaaS product’s home page.

A headline that describes what the tool does.

The product’s key features and benefits.

Customers they’ve served.

Let’s analyze RightInbox’s homepage as an example.

Any visitor who gets on the landing page will right off the bat know that Rightinbox is an email tracking or productivity software. 

As you scroll down, the landing page gives you an overview of the tool’s features and benefits. 

Lastly, you get to note customers who’ve used Right Inbox, providing you with insights into your content’s target audience.

For example, since companies like Salesforce and Hubspot have used Right Inbox, we already know that the audience is professional.

It also gives you an idea of the tone to use, which would be an engaging and informative formal tone in this example.

• • Interview Someone in The Company

You can read every page on the website but still lack critical information. Engaging in a conversation with a representative from the company sheds more light on the product. 

Consider someone who knows the tool exceptionally well. It can be a sales team agent, a marketing manager, or the founder. 

These people possess the knowledge and expertise in the product and the ideas you can include in your articles.

This has three benefits.

You’ll get deep insights into the product that isn’t available anywhere on the company’s website.

The approach allows you to create authentic thought-leadership content that adds genuine expertise to your BOFU pieces.

You’ll understand the nuance of how the product differs from competitors and why features were designed in specific ways. 

• • Read Customer Reviews

Selling a product doesn’t mean you only tell your audience the good parts. They deserve to know the challenges past customers have experienced and suggestions for improving the product. That’s how you build trust with your content.

SaaS products have review pages on reviewing sites like G2, Capterra, or Trustradius.

These are the perfect spots to harvest genuine customer reviews. Capture screenshots of the reviews. They’re much better as they display honest user opinions.

• • Take the Tool for Free Spin

If it’s feasible, ask the team for a free trial. By feasible, I mean some SaaS tools are technical to grasp and require months of training. 

For instance, mastering full-suite accounting software like Intuit Quickbooks could take months. Plus, it requires basic accounting knowledge to navigate the software. 

But for MarTech software like email trackers, landing page builders, email marketing software, funnel builders, and more, you can request the team for a free trial. 

This gives you first-hand experience of how the customer will feel when using the software. You learn the flaws, what makes the tool unique, and the features that enhance the experience.

Customer Research

Consider running an email marketing company and preparing a Bottom of the Funnel (BOFU) blog post to promote premium email automation services.

Without customer research, you might create a generic post focusing on technical features.

However, with research, you uncover that your audience values customizable workflows, detailed analytics, and seamless integrations.

Armed with this knowledge, your BOFU post can now spotlight these specific aspects, addressing the precise needs of your audience, and increasing the chances of conversions.

Joe Zappa, the founder of Sharp pen media, posted something on LinkedIn that caught my eye.

Image source

Before thinking about the content to write, get to know the end user first. Conducting customer research gives you an idea of:

• • The buyer persona
  • Target customer pain points
  • The product they currently use and its flaws.
  • How your product is going to make their life easy.

But it’s more than that.

Since you’re writing a BOFU piece intending to drive sign-ups, your million-dollar question should be this: Do they need your tool, or do they have to shift to an alternative?

Here’s an example.

I once worked for two SaaS clients with different views on their wants. 

Client A didn’t want me to promote his products in any of the articles. For some reason, mentioning the product would make the writing sound too salesy, which would “scare away” readers.

Client B was the complete opposite. He’d ask me to put CTAs anywhere it deemed fit on the article. 

Interestingly, despite the clients’ distinct approaches, all the pieces I wrote for them resulted in conversions. 

Why?

Simple. I spent so much time learning about their customers that I knew the type of content they wanted.

Client A was in a relatively new industry and needed lots of educational content before pulling the CTA trigger. Nevertheless, this approach brought him clients.

Conversely, client B was in a competitive niche and targeted audiences ready to pull out their wallets.

What did the customer research process look like for two clients?

• • Interview With the Sales Team 

The sales team is the first contact point with a customer. 

They know what the customer wants and how the product can solve the customer’s solution. Furthermore, they’ve probably done research to determine the buyer persona and the ICP.

So instead of going straight to talk to the customer, request a video interview with the sales team, preferably the sales heads or account manager.

• • ICP Research Resources

The Idea Customer Profile (ICP) is a detailed outline of your customer. An excellent ICP will help you understand the people most likely to consume your content. With this knowledge, you can fine-tune your messaging and tone to fit them.

For example, you wouldn’t give your stern father the exact rundown of Captain Philips movie as you would your best friend. 

Here’s how you’d explain it to your friend. 

Ahoy there! “Captain Phillips” is a thrilling oceanic adventure that will have you gripping the edge of your popcorn tub. Tom Hanks shines as the titular captain, sailing through the high seas with bravery and vulnerability. When a band of pesky pirates sets their sights on his ship, it’s a battle of wits and nerves that will leave you gasping for breath. Prepare for a rollercoaster of tension, suspense, and Hanks’ stellar performance that will make you want to hug your local grocery store manager because you suddenly appreciate the bravery it takes to navigate those treacherous coupon codes. Anchors aweigh!

But to your stern father, you’d probably give a general recap (while avoiding eye contact). 

Tom Hanks is the main actor in the movie. He’s the captain of a tanker that pirates have hijacked. Luckily, the US Navy comes to their rescue. ()

The latter is dead boring but it fits the ICP.

Luckily, most SaaS companies conduct ICP research in advance to help future users. 

After joining the team, ask for the ICP resources. Carefully go through until you’ve grasped the target customer well. Store the resource for future reference.

• • Video Recordings With Company Customers

SaaS brands often record video interviews when onboarding a new client. You need those recordings to get real-life conversations with the target customer you’ll create content for.

This helps you note customers’ tone and style when describing their problems, allowing you to shape your articles with appropriate wording that addresses their pain points.

Content marketing agencies also do the same when onboarding new clients. They then have the writers watch these videos to capture the product’s unique details and nuances.

For example, I did a test article for Grow and Convert agency, and the process involved watching a video where Devesh and Benji, the co-founders, interviewed one of their new clients.

Content Briefs

Now that you understand the product and have a basic idea of your target audience, it’s time to act.

But not so fast.

Remember, the goal is to write content that will yield conversion results. I don’t mean traffic but actual money.

Creating such types of articles need a lot of wheels to move. It’s not the writer’s job only. That’s where content briefs come in. Preferably, you should work with an editor or content specialist who can create winning content briefs.

It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t create one and send it to the client for approval. You can do a content outline, which is a skeleton of the article, like the H2s and H3s. However, a content brief is more detailed, as we’ll discuss in a moment. 

As Rosanna Campbell puts it, “If you’re a content marketing lead, the more time you spend on your briefs, the less time you’ll spend in edits.”

Here’s a brief breakdown of what the content brief should entail.

I. SEO details

The content brief should clearly define the SEO data so you can create content that meets Google EEAT standards.  

These include:

• • Primary keyword
  • Secondary keywords.
  • Target internal links
  • Average word count
  • Focus competitors

II. Content Details

These are non-SEO details that you should keep in mind. 

• • Target customer description.

You already have a detailed idea of your customer. However, each article targets a different segment of the same audience.

The piece should also align with the user intent to ensure your content rhymes with the SEO details.

Below is an example of what a target audience descriptions look like.

Post summary/objective

Provide the absolute best comparison shopping guide for people looking at “Leadpages vs. Clickfunnels,” complete with clear information about who each product is best for, pros and cons, and any experience or anecdotes, or reviews using the tools.

• • Important points to cover

This is similar to the content outline. Your editor or content manager should advise on important aspects, such as discussing the pros and cons, pricing details, customer quotes, and reviews. Sometimes, they provide you with a structured framework to follow.

• • Title options

As the name hints, these are a variety of headlines on the same topic. You’ll pick one that best fits the article. 

• • Expected images 

You want to use the right images for your piece. The content brief should give you an idea of the visuals to add. These might include screenshots, Gifs, and videos where possible. I love using Gyazo for creating customized Gifs. 

Writing The Article

This is where the magic happens.

Remember, the goal is to sell a product. So you want to ensure that your article is the best for that keyword.

But how do you do that?

I know you’ve heard generic advice like checking on grammar, editing ruthlessly, having a good content structure, and using the latest stats. 

All these are good, but only one thing makes a BOFU article stand out and yield conversions. This is a trick I learned from Devesh Kharnal from Grow and Convert. 

The best articles add lots of details on all the claims they make. 

And by detail, I don’t mean linking to the latest stat in 2023. You want to go deeper to:

• • Explain why and show how
  • Add case studies
  • Show that the claim is unique
  • Add anecdotal experiences 

Source

For example, assume you have a client who sells an email marketing product. You’re given an article titled “Best email marketing software.”

You’ve researched and got six other tools to add to the piece. But since the goal is to sell your client’s product, you want to talk more about it than competitors.

To make the article unique, refrain from stating features and their uses. Instead, you go deeper to provide case studies and add anecdotes to show the tool in action.

Adding more data shows the reader that this isn’t another surface-level piece. They get excited when you hit them with accurate, unique, original ideas that go deeper into the topic.

Things to Keep in Mind When Writing a BOFU Article

A BOFU piece isn’t the same as a regular blog post. Therefore, the structure should be different too.

• • Put the Client’s Product as the First Option

The debate has existed for a while.

Should you put your product in the first spot or not? Marketers have different viewpoints. Some will say that putting your product on that first spot will make your piece appear salesy and “cocky.”

Conversely, some say giving your product that coveted spot doesn’t harm your trust with your audience.

I agree with the latter for one reason. Your target audience knows that a BOFU piece is meant to sell. They know you’ll introduce the product first. No need to beat about the bush. 

• • Avoid Being Salesy

While a BOFU piece is meant to convert, don’t show it. Why? 96% of consumers don’t like ads. They’ll whisk away when they notice anything salesy that rings like an ad in their minds.

Make the piece natural. Let it flow so you can naturally add CTAs. Don’t use texts like “click here.” 

Here’s an example of what a natural CTA looks like. 

• • Avoid Trashing Competitors

Your tool is incredible. We get it. 

But don’t be too cocky by trashing competitors. You’re not trying to win an argument. You’re trying to win their trust so they see the value of working with you. 

You don’t win trust by being competitive but by being honest and showing how your product will solve their needs.

• • Don’t Tell; Show them What You’ve Got

We’ve all heard this phrase.

But it’s easier said than done when it comes to BOFU content.

Your target readers already have a picture of what they want. Don’t tell them what your product does. They want to see it in action.

For instance, if you say software is easy to use, walk them through the onboarding process and let them decide if it’s easy.

Again, if you say the tool has an outdated interface, attach a screenshot proving your claim.

Request for Content Analytics

It’s critical for writers to check how their work performs in attracting traffic and conversions.

Clients aren’t always open to this for obvious reasons, but you can inquire. Some will gladly do it. If they don’t, the only metric you can check is how the article ranks on Google.

Type your keyword on Google and check if the article appears anywhere on the first page. You can also use SEO tools like SEMrush or Ubbersuggest to get insights on how much traffic the article is bringing.

Getting the metrics allows you to learn from your mistakes and what you did wrong. 

Go Ye and Create Converting BOFU Pieces

Writing converting BOFU blog posts is a copywriting skill that needs a lot of practice. Not all your articles will be winners. Most will flop, but you must learn from it and move on. 

The steps above are first-hand experience. They worked for me; they should work for you too.

If you’re seeking a conversion-focused BOFU content writer, feel free to message me.