Start-ups, hear up!: Content can't save a bad product

But if used right, it can help real growth. A short guide for SaaS start-ups.

By Chenuli Jayasinghe | chenuli.codedoodles.xyz

I have been writing for software developers for over 4 years, and I have seen that many SaaS start-ups follow one of these approaches:1) Overlook the effect of human-to-human content and just use AI for content. 20 articles per month, but no visible engagement or growth.
2) Thinks that content is the sole key to grow their product and overspend on blog articles and other content, ignoring the possible improvements to their product itself.Little do they know that one approach is as bad as the other. First and foremost, it's 2025; even ML engineers are tired of content generated by LLMs. If you use AI in a single article, believe me, I can smell it miles away. So will your customers and readers.Talking about overspending on blog content, inviting guest writers is a common approach. It might help a bit in convincing the readers that these words are not from an LLM (not to mention that a lot of freelance writers use LLMs regardless of the policies), but in my view, it's a waste of money and resources. These guest writers often write what I call "generic content", which means that those articles do not integrate with your company's brand voice and identity, nor do they care a lot about SEO. In short, it will not make your product or company stand-out in the crowd— now that's like the whole point of content marketing, if you ask me.

Hiring the perfect writer

Does this mean start-ups should rush to hire a bunch of full-time technical writers? Not necessarily— unless your team exceeds 100 team members or boasts $50 million in ARR. For early-stage companies with fewer than 50 employees (whether it's B2B or B2C matters; this is just a rough idea), all you need is 1 technical writer^[1] supported by enthusiastic team members willing to contribute occasionally by writing a piece or two.If I were to hire the best technical writer for a SaaS start-up, I'd look out for someone like below:1. Is (overly) excited: It really takes an enthusiastic person to run a blog.
2. Cooperate with team members well: The best way to find out is to run a paid super-day like PostHog.
3. Experienced in different areas: SEO, branding, basic web design, and preferably is an ex-developer.(I would have helped you all, but as my brother says, I'm a "picky" employee)When you hire that technical writer, don't expect your customer base to multiply by 2x. Content marketing can't fix or improve your product. It can only make it visible and stand out among the competitors and alternatives. That's also a reason why you should not overspend resources on content; use them to fix the actual thing that sells.

Tip 01:
Emphasize Authenticity

Great content isn’t always about driving traffic; it’s about creating a conversation.Share real customer success stories, detailed case studies, or even the missteps that taught your team valuable lessons. This kind of transparency resonates more than polished PR pieces ever will. Remember, it's the era of LLMs; people aren’t just looking for answers in your blog— they’re looking for a connection.Simply put, be human.

Tip 02:
Quality Over Quantity, Every Time

I once read a job requirement of a start-up saying "deliver 20 articles per month".Seriously, who are they kidding? There are only about 20-23 working days a month, and they want this writer to deliver, not just write, a so-called "high-quality" article a day. That's clearly impossible unless the writer is either an LLM or works 20 hours a day.A high-quality article takes time. Do you know what else it takes? Attention and engagement.

Tip: 03
Integrate SEO well, but not using generic tips from Gurus

Did you know that in January 2025, Google was visited for over 139 billion times, and ChatGPT was visited only about 4.5 billion times^[2]? Let that sink in— SEO still matters.There's a lot of SEO gurus on platforms like LinkedIn, sharing tips on "your SEO sucks, do this instead". In reality, there is much more than those Alt keywords and schema markups. And don't even think about keyword stuffing; that's the worst way to make your content visible.It would take me another article to share SEO tips for start-ups here, but if you are a small start-up and are really interested in improving your SEO, maybe send me an email or a message on LinkedIn. (I won't be able to reply instantly but I'll try my best to help you).

Wrapping up

That's probably the shortest guide you'd fine on content marketing for start-ups but I believe it covered the fundamentals.In summary, content can make your product pop and stand out from the crowd, but it’s nothing sort of magic to boost your growth. Quit the AI spam, stop overspending on generic fluff, and lean into authenticity. Quality beats quantity, and real SEO beats guru hacks.If you need inspiration or examples, here are two best start-up blogs with great content:
- Mintlify (YC W22): mintlify.com/blog
- PostHog (YC W20): posthog.com/blog

^[1]Be practical in this; if your technical writer can't handle all the content and is at the risk of burning out, hire another.
^[2]Based on Semrush's overview on Google and ChatGPT.