What can make or break your B2B SaaS copywriting above all else? Clarity. If your copy’s not clear people don’t know what you’re offering and how it can help them.
Your confusing and turning away customers when you overuse unclear technical jargon in your B2B SaaS product copy.
The nature of the tech industry makes it difficult to completely avoid using jargon in SaaS copywriting. Many companies have websites that look similar offering complex products with complicated features.
These sites are often chock-full of “techspeak” that people can’t fully understand and skim over (or simply don’t read).
Here are some effective ways to introduce more clarity into your B2B SaaS copywriting (much of which I learned from being a student of Copyhackers’ Copy School).
By being clear, you give your ideal customer the chance to benefit from how your B2B SaaS product helps make their life or biz better.
Why it’s crucial to make clarity your ultimate mission
As a business selling to other businesses, B2B SaaS companies can get away with using a bit more complicated language and commonly known industry jargon.
This can increase a sense of solidarity and authority as an industry leader. But since you’re still selling to humans, you need to talk like a human to form an emotional connection with people.
One of the biggest problems with not being clear in your B2B SaaS copywriting is that it undermines trust.
To some, it may sound like you don’t understand what you’re talking about, but want to sound like you do. People also don’t understand how your B2B SaaS product helps them, so it stops them from subscribing or buying.
Even if your competition is overusing common jargon words in your industry that doesn’t always mean you should too.
For example, words like “cutting edge” and “start-of-the-art” are often tossed around in the software industry, but they’re so overused that they don’t add any meaning.
This can make your copy full of adverbs (such as “like if”, “just”, “that”, “there is”) and filler words that make your writing wordy. As a result, your reader won’t be able to feel what you’re describing.
This is how a lack of clarity can become disastrous for the bottom line of B2B SaaS companies with highly technical products and features.
B2B SaaS copy: 7 methods for improving clarity
As a conversion copywriter, my writing process begins with research. User tests can allow you to see what language your visitors are getting hung up on.
This way you can know who you’re writing to, which words you can use, and which words are too formal or complicated.
For instance, a huge part of writing a website is talking about the product and its features. This can get highly technical and go over the heads of people, even if they’re C-Suite decision-makers who are working in your industry.
So make it your first priority to be clear above all else. Identify the single goal of the page or other piece you’re writing to help you keep in mind what you want the reader to do.
You can then use these 7 methods to improve the overall clarity of your B2B SaaS copywriting:
1. Switch out nouns and adverbs for verbs
A simple way to make your writing more clear and direct is to switch out nouns and adverbs for verbs. It’s much easier to create a powerful picture in your customer’s mind when you include strong action verbs.
It’s like you’re telling your audience a story. And stories are a powerful way to connect with your audience. You can keep an eye on which nouns need to be verbs by reading your writing aloud or having a friend read it to you.
You also need to remain consistent on verb tenses. When your audience can’t follow your writing’s logic, they’ll perceive you and your brand as unreasonable.
People feel more comfortable buying from someone they feel is rational.
2. Avoid using the passive voice
The active voice sounds more confident than the passive voice. So, avoid using the passive voice in your B2B SaaS copywriting as much as possible.
When you convey clarity and confidence in your writing, it’ll rub off on your customers, making them trust you more.
3. Put one thought in each sentence
Another rule I learned from Copyhackers is to put one thought in each sentence.
This is a rule especially relevant for writing for the web. It helps people read and understand what you’re saying.
Allow people to process information one idea at a time instead of overwhelming them with a mass of ideas coming at them all at once.
When your copy is easily digestible, people won’t struggle to understand the value of your B2B SaaS product.
4. Make your copywriting take up space
When you allow your copy to take up space on the page, it catches the reader’s eye. Some copywriters even make one-sentence paragraphs.
This can especially help attract spontaneous decision-makers who tend to scan the page when it looks effortless to read.
Of course, you need to know what type of decision-maker you’re wanting to focus on. Someone more methodical may be willing to read more densely packed copy.
But generally the more white space there is around the copy, the easier it is on the eyes.
5. Stagger your sentence lengths
You can make your B2B SaaS copywriting sound better by purposefully staggering sentence lengths.
For example, you can have a long sentence and then a short one. Or two long sentences and then two short sentences.
You can also break up bigger sentences into individual, shorter sentences. You can even use choppy sentences that actually aren’t full sentences to capture people’s attention.
Copyhackers taught me that clear writing is physically easy to read as well as persuasive.
6. “Sweep” for clarity after writing your final draft
To start, read through your draft for clarity. Run down the page and highlight anything that feels wrong.
Cut and rewrite what doesn’t seem clear to you. Remove any summarized stuff. You can also edit for voice and tone and do what Copyhackers calls the “so what”, “prove it” and “specificity” sweeps.
When you read through your copy, put yourself in your reader’s shoes and ask yourself, “so what?” and “prove it”.
This way, you can make sure your argument is clear, and that you’ve made the points you needed to make.
Joanna Wiebe has also recommended highlighting out “and, or, but”. Then you can question if the conjunction works, or if it’s only adding more things for your readers to think about.
The reader’s brain can focus on one thing best, so it’s essential not to throw everything at them at once.
7. The “You” Rule
This is my all-time favorite secret weapon to improve clarity. When you visit a website, you’re looking to solve a problem you have. Joanna Wiebe calls it “The You Rule”.
People see themselves reflected on the page when each sentence begins with the thing people care most about. Themselves.
When you make “you” the subject of every sentence, people more clearly see how your B2B SaaS product solves their problems and makes their lives and businesses better.
Conclusion
To finish up, review any changes one last time to make sure you haven’t compromised the most important thing. Clarity.
Congrats! Now you don’t have to worry that your B2B SaaS copywriting sounds like a robot (or a lawyer, sorry sis) ever again.
I hope these copywriting tips on clarity help your B2B SaaS product get the attention and customers it deserves. 
You can reach out to a B2B SaaS copywriter if you find yourself completely overwhelmed by buzzwords, jargon, and techspeak.
You can also sign up on my website to get tips, updates, and advice on conversion copywriting for B2B SaaS sent directly to your inbox.
What do you think about the importance of clarity in copywriting? Do you use any methods that I may have missed? Feel free to share your thoughts 