Updated November 2020: As a SaaS marketer, you need ebooks in your toolkit to attract prospects in both the awareness and consideration stages of the B2B buyer’s journey. Over 60% of people are willing to give a company their email address to download an ebook, which makes this type of content a solid lead generation play. Before you get started, though, you need to understand how to write a SaaS ebook so you can make the most of your efforts.
How to write a SaaS ebook that gets noticed
SaaS ebooks take a lot of time and effort to create. In this post, we outline the process you should follow to stay organized, and ensure that your energy and resources are well spent:
- Review other B2B SaaS ebook examples to get inspiration
- Plan the project and brainstorm SaaS ebook ideas
- Dig into the process of writing an ebook
- Understand what visual elements create a strong SaaS ebook design
- Find out how to promote your ebook online to attract leads
1. Review other B2B SaaS ebook examples to get inspiration
It’s helpful to research a few B2B SaaS ebook examples to get some pointers (and learn what not to do) before you create your own. For example, you should always pair your ebook with a landing page that persuades readers to download the content. You should also ensure your ebook offers actionable insights that readers can try out in their own business right away.
Reviewing B2B SaaS ebook examples is a great way to put yourself in your readers’ shoes and discover what tactics resonate best.
Read our critique of 3 B2B SaaS ebooks
2. Plan your project and brainstorm SaaS ebook ideas
It’s important to give the planning phase your full attention. This will help you stay organized as you create your SaaS ebook.
Brainstorming ebook ideas is an essential part of the planning process. Give yourself and your teammates time to get creative, and have fun with this step. Before you start researching ebook ideas, narrow down the audience for your ebook and identify what you want to achieve with the content. This will help you generate ideas that move you toward your goals.
3. Dig into the process of writing an ebook
Now that you’ve done the prep work, you’re ready to dig into the most crucial part—the actual writing phase! Always begin writing your B2B SaaS ebook by creating an outline to capture each topic you want to cover in your ebook and establish a solid flow for the content.
We recommend writing the whole ebook before you edit the text to help the process move faster. The introduction is critical—this is your chance to pull your reader in and let them know what they’ll get out of reading the content.
Explore more expert tips for writing your ebook
4. Understand what visual elements create a strong SaaS ebook design
When writing an ebook, design is crucial to consider. Without strong design, your copy could fall flat. Powerful design ensures the content in your SaaS ebook flows in an engaging, digestible way.
Focus on your ebook cover to draw readers in, and the style throughout to break up text and present information in a compelling manner. Using your brand colours and sticking to a consistent format is important.
Learn 7 design elements that will make your ebook shine
5. Find out how to promote your ebook online to attract leads
eBooks make great B2B SaaS lead magnets—but only if you promote them widely and consistently. Sharing your ebook with the world is one of the often-overlooked steps to writing an ebook, so make sure you don’t skip this stage.
First, you need to create a landing page so that you have a place to send people to download your ebook. Once your landing page is ready, promote your ebook across multiple marketing channels to reach as many prospects in your target audience as possible.
Uncover 6 tips for promoting your SaaS ebook online
Next step?
Now that you’re clear on the steps involved in writing an ebook, it’s time to review other B2B SaaS ebook examples to get inspiration for your ebook.
This is the first post in a 6-part series on how to write B2B SaaS ebooks.
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