Why the old SaaS growth playbook is broken

The first SaaS product I advised, never even made it to launch. Not because the product was bad. But because the GTM was broken from day one. Here’s what I learned the hard way about the mistakes that silently kill SaaS before they ever see traction: 📍 No real audience clarity We were “selling to SMBs.” Translation? We were selling to nobody. One sharp user persona > 10 vague segments. 🔹 Skipping market research We assumed gut feeling = strategy. Then we lost to tools we didn’t even know our customers were already using. ⭕ Overcomplicating everything Our pricing looked like a tax form. Our demo looked like a product tour. Complexity killed conversions. Simple always wins. 📌 Weak onboarding Week 1 confusion = Week 2 churn. Retention wasn’t about the product. It was about clarity from the very first login. ▪️ Underestimating marketing We thought “a great product sells itself.” Spoiler: it doesn’t. GTM = marketing muscle + sales precision. 🟢 Forgetting the human No one buys a “platform.” They buy momentum. Certainty. Ease. Our story never told them that. I’ve since seen these same mistakes across multiple SaaS journeys. Different products. Same GTM cracks. 👉 What would you add to this list? #SaaSFounders #GTMStrategy #StartupGrowth #ProductMarketing #SalesAndMarketing #KasturiDas

Most SaaS founders spend endless budgets on ads… But almost none build the one asset that compounds for YEARS: YouTube. Think about it 👇 A demo video today could drive signups 12 months from now. A founder story builds trust before you even get on a call. A case study on YouTube positions you as the only logical choice. I see the difference every day: Some founders rely only on short-term clicks. Others build video assets that keep working while they sleep. And here’s the kicker: those videos don’t just sell products… They build the founder’s personal brand, the strongest moat in SaaS. If you’re a SaaS founder not yet leveraging YouTube… The best time to start was yesterday. The next best time? Today. #SaaS #SaaSMarketing #FounderBrand #YouTubeStrategy #ContentMarketing #EvergreenGrowth #BusinessGrowth

📈 Localzz Vision – Strategic The Localzz Execution Plan: From Local to National Localzz wants to be more. Localzz wants to be more than just another marketplace or SaaS tool. It’s an execution plan at scale: 750+ domains owned with expansion up to 2000 (national, regional, local) 100 marketplaces live (goal: 1,000+) 6M+ listings already indexed A planned vision for a SaaS suite (LocalzzListingsPro, LocalzzAdPro, LocalzzReviewPro, LocalzzContentPro) 95%+ gross margin potential Revenue projections: Phase 1: X? Phase 2: X? Phase 3: X? Valuation potential: incredible with the right strategic partner. 👉 We’re building a digital information empire that no one else can easily replicate.

Notion scaled to millions of users with zero ad budget. Instead of pouring $$$ into ads… they built a community engine that worked harder, faster, and cheaper. Most SaaS companies follow the same playbook: Run ads → chase clicks → burn budget. But Notion flipped the script. They didn’t just build a tool. They built a movement. Templates created by users (not marketers). Ambassadors hosting meetups worldwide. Fans ranking higher on Google than their own website. Ads stop when the budget ends. Community compounds forever. Save this post if you want to revisit later. #CommunityLedGrowth #ContentStrategy #GrowthMarketing #ContentCaseStudy #B2BMarketing

When was the last time you paid for a product without trying the free version first? Many SaaS founders think: “As long as premium features are polished, the free plan can be ignored.” But that’s where churn begins. For many users, the free plan is the product. It’s their first experience, the one they explore and share. If that experience feels weak or frustrating, they’ll never bother exploring the paid version. Here’s what works better: 2) Even in free plans, add small touches of personalization to make the product feel designed “for them.” 2) Give enough free features to build trust and interest. 3) Give users a peek into premium features. Awareness builds curiosity. I came across this while reading "How to grow your SaaS using your SaaS" by Shajee Aijazi. It shifted how I think about free plans. #SaaSDesign #ProductDesign #ProductLedGrowth

Sometimes the easiest GTM fixes don’t require a big budget. They just require noticing... and a quick fix. Here are some I keep spotting with early-stage SaaS teams: ❌ Homepage hero sections that sound clever, but don’t actually say what the product does ❌ Signup flows with five steps when two would do ❌ Copy written in company jargon instead of customer language ❌ Pricing pages that list features, but never explain the value ❌ Demo CTAs hidden in the footer instead of upfront and obvious ❌ Blog posts that educate… but attract the wrong audience entirely None of these look like “huge” problems. But they quietly block growth until someone fixes them. Clarity creates conversion. And often, clarity just means reordering priorities. That’s exactly why I run 𝗚𝗧𝗠 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝗮𝗦 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀. It’s a 60-minute working session where we: 💡 Focus on one specific challenge (ICP, messaging, funnel, website, pricing) 💡 Or step back and look from a fresh perspective 💡 Find quick wins you can apply right away 💡 Create a clear starting point so you know what to prioritize next If you’ve been stuck wondering “where do we even start?” — this might be it. 𝙇𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡: https://lnkd.in/dwNaXCWn

Bootstrapping a SaaS? Keep it small, keep it profitable! MVP → Ship the simplest thing that proves demand. Marketing → Build distribution before features. Support → Design for self-serve from day one. When to lean in vs. let go: 🌎 Lean in → Clear demand, simple ops Pro ✅ Predictable revenue with low overhead ✅ Easier to automate and document ❌ Let go → Weak pull, heavy lift Cons 🚫 Feature creep from a loud minority 🚫 Growth stalls if you chase every request Founder Playbook ↳ Validate with a landing page + paid traffic ↳ Automate onboarding, education, and support ↳ Use AI + short videos Profit Pillars ↳ Price for value × tiers + annual ↳ Reuse templates, code, and funnels across products

Your Go-To-Market (GTM) plan means nothing if the product isn’t ready. You might have the best GTM strategy you’ve ever built—spot-on messaging, crystal-clear timelines, roles mapped out, launch materials locked and loaded. But if the product isn’t ready for prime time? That plan belongs on the shelf. As product marketers, we’re wired to drive momentum. We want to launch, promote, celebrate. But launching a half-baked product doesn’t just stall adoption—it erodes trust. I’ve been there. I once prepped a full GTM for a new SaaS module—videos filmed, assets designed, messaging dialed in. But the product just wasn’t working. Despite all the effort from the dev team, it wasn’t ready. So I hit pause. Shelved the launch. Parked the campaign. Waited until the product was truly viable. It eventually got fixed—but the launch was months behind schedule. And that was okay. Because no amount of marketing magic can make up for a product that doesn’t deliver. So here’s my take: Don’t launch until it’s ready. Your GTM deserves a product that can live up to the promise. #gtm #gotomarket #marketing #saasmarketing

💡 Ever wondered why some product launches skyrocket while others fizzle? The secret isn’t just the product- it’s how you go to market. I’ve studied countless Go-to-Market (GTM) frameworks, but few cover the entire journey from Pre-Launch → Launch → Post-Launch like the GTM Alliance Framework. It’s not just a diagram- it’s a practical, actionable checklist. From Airbnb focusing on budget travelers, Slack aligning cross-functional teams, Canva simplifying design for non-designers, Zoom using a freemium hook, Dropbox driving viral referrals, Salesforce hosting Dreamforce events, to Netflix and Spotify mastering retention this framework shows how top brands execute GTM successfully. I break down each stage with real-world examples, showing how alignment, measurement, and customer focus create repeatable growth. 👉 Curious how Airbnb, HubSpot, Zoom, LinkedIn, Notion, Spotify, and Uber executed GTM differently yet effectively? Read the full breakdown: https://lnkd.in/gD7BBjj5 #GoToMarket #ProductLaunch #GrowthStrategy #Marketing #SaaS #GTM #ProductMarketing

Most SaaS teams think positioning is a one-time project. Launch the site, polish the copy, tick the box. Done. But the truth is: positioning is a living system. Markets shift. Competitors change their pitch. Your best customers evolve, and so do their expectations. That’s why flat pipelines often trace back to stale messaging. The strongest SaaS brands revisit positioning regularly: → They refine how they describe problems as those problems evolve → They keep a running log of customer language that makes the message sharper → They adjust their “why us” the moment the competition starts sounding the same That’s what keeps them relevant. And relevance is what makes a buyer stop scrolling and start engaging. If your pipeline feels stuck, you don’t always need more traffic or new channels. Often, you just need a clearer, sharper story. Because if your message hasn’t changed with the market, you’re not just behind—you’re invisible.