The Elements of SAAS Copy

Below is a guide to the 14 elements of copy that the TouchPoints newsletter highlights in the annotated SAAS marketing examples.

Outcome

Outcome statements make claims about business metrics that will improve or change once the product is adopted.

Outcome Statement Examples

• ”Boost Sales”

• “Save Time & Money”

• “Bring in More Leads”

Feature

Feature statements make claims about specific use cases of the product. They differ from capabilities in that features are often unique to the solution being promoted, and capabilities can be found elsewhere within a solution’s competitive category.

Feature Examples

• “Hubspot Integration”

• “Use merge fields in our custom workflow builder”

• “Choose a customizable template from our template library”

Capability

Capabilities are easy to mix up with feature statements. They are usually broader and more abstract. If a feature tells us what how we can achieve something using a solution, a capability describes what we can achieve with that feature.

Capability Examples

• “Send SMS messages in minutes”

• “Leverage omnichannel data”

• “Build internal tools”

Social Proof

Social proof is any element of copy or design that makes an authoritative claim based on a 3rd party. This may be a review aggregator’s “best in category” badge, a testimonial, or a selection of company logos to show who uses your product.

Social Proof Examples

• “trusted by 20k+ agencies”

• “See how (company) used out product to double revenue year over year”

• “ From a customer: ‘(product) helped us improve lead quality’”

CTA

A call to action. Informs the reader what they need to do for next steps. Often calls back to another element of SAAS Promotion.

CTA Examples

• “Get Started”

• “Build Your App Today”

• “Discover the Benefits”

Incentive

Incentives come in many forms. This is the extra nudge that often follows a feature/outcome/capability statement, and usually precedes or is combine with a CTA.

Incentive Examples

• “Get started for free”

• “Receive a free template when you sign up”

• “Get your custom plan today”

Category

Category statements contextualize what your product or service does in a general sense, and gives the reader a concise look at where your service falls within the industry.

Category statements are often related to Differentiators and niche statements, in the following way:

(Product) is a (category) but it’s the only one with (differentiator), which makes it perfect for (niche).

Category Examples

• “Amazon advertising software”

• “No-code app builder”

• “Multichannel messaging platform”

Differentiator

Differentiators are qualitative or quantitative claims about what sets your product apart within its category. Often, this is used to prove that your product is best for a certain business or use case niche.

Differentiator Examples

• “The most powerful no-code platform for building digital products”

• “Cards, expenses, bills, and accounting, beautifully reimagined by experts”

• “Presentation tool powered by AI”

Niche

Of our base 9 elements, niche is likely the least commonly seen. This is a statement that claims or qualifies a claim that the product is for a certain type of business. Sometimes, Niche statements include multiple niches. As long as the copy is trying to say “we’re right for you” to a certain business group, it’s a niche statement.

Niche Examples

• “CRM for Builders”

• “For one person startups to fortune 500 enterprises”

• “Video Creation for Content Marketers

Fluff

Usually maligned, fluff is anything that carries little meaning. Fluff can sound good, and have an effect in that way. It doesn’t add information or humor.

Fluff Examples

• “Enter with a dream. Exit with the next big thing.”

• “Say Hello to the Future of Work”

• “One Platform. Unlimited Possibilities.”

Industry Data

Industry data is very closely related to Social Proof. Where social proof is a testimonial, or a discrete list of companies, Industry data is usually shown as percentages or more statistical information, speaking to a social proof lens.

Industry Data Examples

• “Over 50% of Companies Adopted AI in 2022”

• “80% of Businesses Prioritize Scalability”

• “SaaS Enables 213% 3-Year ROI (Nucleus)”

Emotion

Emotion is not seen as much in B2B SAAS products as say, consumer goods When used properly, emotion can be one of the best angles to hit on.

Emotion Examples

• “They keep telling you to make more video. This will show them”

  • As scene in TouchPoints 9, on Descript’s “For Marketers” page.

• “Don't Let Your Software Hold Your Business Back”

• “Give Yourself the Advantage You Deserve”

Pain Point

Pain points are used to build the need for a product. They are the first part of the well-known “Pain-Agitate-Solution” (PAS) copywriting framework. Pain points are obstacles, annoyances, or other negative issues that your prospect may be dealing with, in absence of your product.

• “The Trick to Attracting New Customers?”

• “Data Trapped in Silos, Insights Out of Reach?”

• “Security Gaps Exposing You to Risk?”

Partnership

Partnerships occupy a strange middle ground. I don’t see them showing up often, because usually we are talking about integrations, which I would label “features” or “capabilities”, but some marketing collateral highlights partnerships in a more overt way.

Partnership Example

Further Elements

Our periodic table is incomplete! We’re always on the lookout for new elements and tactics to highlight.

Moving forward, some elements will be formally added, though, like “features” they will utilize dotted lines to allow each element to have it’s own forever color.

Some elements are less abstract, and less common, and will be highlighted in the observation section.

Highlighted Tactics to Look Out For

• Before & After