Growth idea action plan
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.
Ian's take
From scaling consumer platforms across MENA and Southeast Asia, my default is to distrust growth work that only looks good in a slide. For SEO and AI search, I care less about clever keyword tricks and more about clarity. A buyer, crawler, or answer engine should quickly understand who this is for, why it works, what proof backs it, and what page deserves to be cited. I would run it small enough to learn quickly, then only scale the parts that real users repeat, save, reply to, or buy from. For this tactic, I would watch one clear growth signal before putting more time or budget behind it.
Action plan
- Define one narrow startup segment where saas original research report before outreach sprint can create a measurable lift.
- Turn the tactic into one offer, page, campaign, or workflow for the Digital PR and SEO channel.
- Use the evidence from backlinkgrid.com to set the first version of the message, format, and audience.
- Launch a small test for 7 to 14 days with one success metric: one measurable growth signal.
- Review the result, keep the winning message, remove weak variants, and turn the learning into a repeatable growth playbook.
Source-backed 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: BacklinkGrid: SaaS link building case study (backlinkgrid.com)
GrowthDex source hub: BacklinkGrid: SaaS link building case study
Last checked: 2026-06-07T06:53:34.000Z
Adjacent tactics in the same lane
If this page is close to your problem, these tactic pages usually belong in the same working set.
- BrandClickX linkable asset before HARO sprint 2 shared channels · 1 shared stage
- Stratabeat custom graphics before statistics outreach 3 shared channels
- Import Slack threads into a crawlable knowledge base 2 shared channels
- Unique data anchor before programmatic build 2 shared channels
Related GrowthDex essays
- The page that earns links has to give something away link earning, SEO, research content
Read GrowthDex essays
The Blog turns real growth tactics into plain-English case studies by niche, channel, and buying situation.
Why this is worth your time
GrowthDex starts with tactics that founders, marketers, and product teams have actually tried. Each essay turns the evidence into a practical move you can test without pretending one case study is a guarantee.
Ian Goh has helped grow consumer platforms across Southeast Asia, India, and MENA. His work includes scaling Tiki to 100M+ users, doubling BIGO's MENA revenue in 7 months, and increasing OYO's direct booking share across 6 Southeast Asian markets.
- Helped scale Tiki to 100M+ users.
- Doubled BIGO's MENA revenue in 7 months.
- Raised OYO's direct booking share by 50% across 6 Southeast Asian markets.
Want help turning this into a growth system?
If you want someone to pressure-test this against your real market, Ian works with founders on growth, market entry, and operator-led distribution.
Work with Ian on growth advisory