SaaS original research report before outreach sprint
Publish one original research report before scaling outreach, so every pitch has something worth linking to.
Why this can grow a startup
Cold outreach becomes much easier when the ask is not “please link to our product page.” Original research gives journalists, bloggers, partners, and newsletter writers a reason to care. The BacklinkGrid case is useful because the research report was expensive and slow, but it outperformed cheaper tactics and kept earning links after the initial campaign. For founders, the move is to turn proprietary data, customer patterns, survey results, or workflow benchmarks into one serious asset before running the outreach machine. The asset should be useful even to people who never buy.
Company example
BacklinkGrid’s SaaS link-building case study named an original research report as the highest-ROI activity, ahead of many faster outreach tactics, because it earned links and brand mentions over time.
Source and metric
Source: BacklinkGrid: SaaS link building case study
BacklinkGrid reports that the original research report earned 143 links and continued earning links passively, at about $59 cost per link.
When to use it
Use this when Digital PR, SEO, Content is relevant to original research, linkable asset, digital PR and you can run a bounded test with a medium budget.
When not to use it
Do not use it as a substitute for customer evidence, a clear owner, or a measurable stop condition. Local platform rules and market behavior still need checking.
Founder checklist
- Read BacklinkGrid: SaaS link building case study and identify what is directly supported.
- Choose one channel context: Digital PR, SEO, Content.
- Define the test around BacklinkGrid reports that the original research report earned 143 links and continued earning links passively, at about $59 cost per link..
- Set an owner, evidence window, and stop condition before launch.
Explore the context
Apply this with an operator
Turn isolated search tactics into a crawlable visibility system tied to demand and proof.