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The Big Misconception: Why B2B SaaS Companies Aren’t Media Companies

The Big Misconception: Why B2B SaaS Companies Aren’t Media Companies

Progress, Wins, and What’s Next for My Healthcare-Focused Media Venture

Vivek Nanda
August 18, 2024

Hello and welcome to the 132nd edition of Fresh Salmon, your go-to B2B marketing newsletter that lands in your inbox every week—for free.

Let’s get right into it.

The Big Misconception: Why B2B SaaS Companies Aren’t Media Companies

It seems like every other day, I stumble upon a post on LinkedIn or Twitter claiming that B2B SaaS companies should act like media companies.

This idea has been floating around a lot over the past year, and while it might sound catchy, it's a misguided concept.

Let’s break it down.

Here’s the truth: anyone telling you that a SaaS company should behave like a B2B media company is simply wrong.

There’s a fundamental difference between what a SaaS business model is and what a media business model is.

Just because a SaaS company produces video or audio content doesn’t make it a media company. The core of a media company is selling or licensing content to generate revenue—that’s the business model.

For media companies, content is the product.

B2B SaaS companies, on the other hand, are not in the business of content for revenue. They’re in the business of solving problems with their software.

Yes, they’re creating content—but let’s call it what it is: content marketing.

I’ve said it countless times here—what SaaS companies are doing is adopting a media-first content strategy.

Ten years ago, content marketing in B2B was about writing blog posts and driving organic traffic through SEO.

But today, the game has changed. It starts with distribution, and the primary driver of that distribution is video.

Video content is king, followed by audio, and then text. The content marketing funnel has flipped in the past decade.

What does that mean for B2B companies?

It means they need to shift from a text-first, SEO-focused approach to a media-first content strategy. They start with video, follow it up with audio, and finally support it with written content.

But let’s be clear: they’re not selling or licensing this content. They’re not generating direct revenue from it. To call them “media companies” is just plain wrong.

Anyone who has worked in media knows how difficult it is to make money from content alone.

So, let’s drop the notion that B2B SaaS companies are suddenly media companies. They’re not. They’re just evolving with the times—using content strategically to drive growth.

Progress, Wins, and What’s Next for My Healthcare-Focused Media Venture

Now, let’s shift gears and talk about the exciting updates in my healthcare-focused media company, TopHealth.

As you know, my vision for TopHealth is to build an exclusive thought leadership network covering the technology, business, innovation, and trends shaping the future of healthcare. And this week, I’m happy to share some wins that show we’re making solid progress.

First up, I’ve closed and onboarded our very first media client! 🥳

This is a significant milestone as we begin monetizing our revenue primarily through media content. It’s both exciting and validating to see the vision starting to take shape in a tangible way.

Our flagship podcast, The Uprising Show, is also gaining serious traction. The podcast has already garnered thousands of views and downloads, which is a great sign of the interest and value we’re providing. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with great reviews and ratings coming in on both Spotify and Apple.

But that’s not all—we’re also seeing growth on YouTube. Our channel has now surpassed 3,500 subscribers and racked up over 60,000 views!

Since launching on July 1st, we’ve posted over 50 videos, including shorts. The strategy on YouTube has been to drive eyeballs primarily through these shorts, while also posting full episodes. So far, we’ve uploaded around 10 full-length videos, but the majority of our content is in short form, which is driving engagement and visibility.

Each video podcast we create is about 45 minutes long after editing. From there, we’re generating audio files for podcast networks and creating clips for LinkedIn and YouTube Shorts.

In fact, each episode produces around 10 clips, which we distribute across platforms, with LinkedIn being our primary promotional tool. We’re also keeping TikTok in mind, considering the potential to tap into that format soon, though for now, we’re focused on LinkedIn and YouTube.

So where do we stand today?

It’s been 45 days since our official launch, and The Uprising Show is already 10 episodes deep. Looking ahead, I’m planning to launch additional shows in the near future. The goal is to create a network of content that continues to grow and solidify TopHealth as the leading healthcare-focused thought leadership platform.

That’s the update for now—keeping myself accountable and staying focused on the path forward. More to come soon!