I’m curious about something from people actually building SaaS.

A lot of the conversation focuses on building the product features, UX, bugs, infrastructure, etc.

But once the product actually works, what becomes the hardest part?

For example:

• Getting the first real users
• Explaining the product clearly
• Getting people to understand the value quickly
• Creating a good product demo
• Getting users through onboarding
• Converting visitors into signups
• Turning signups into paying users
• Getting people to come back
• Creating content / building an audience
• Differentiating from competitors
• Something completely different

What has been the biggest headache for you?

And I'm especially interested in this:

What have you tried to fix it, and what didn't work?

I'm researching this from the builder's perspective because I don't want to assume I know what SaaS developers actually struggle with.

Would love to hear the brutally honest version.

I've been talking to SaaS founders and researching how teams actually handle marketing once the product is built.

One thing I've noticed is that the bottleneck isn't always "marketing" itself sometimes it's distribution, positioning, explaining the product, creating content, converting traffic, or simply knowing what to focus on.

For those of you actually building/running a SaaS:

What's the marketing problem you're still struggling to solve?

And I'm especially interested in the less obvious problems:

• What takes way more time than it should?
• What have you tried that didn't work?
• What part of marketing do you keep postponing?
• If you could fix ONE marketing problem tomorrow, what would it be?

I'm researching this because I want to understand the problems from the founder's side rather than assuming I already know the answers.

Curious to hear the brutally honest version.

I’m researching the SaaS/AI SaaS market and want answers from people actually building and selling SaaS not generic marketing advice.

What is currently the biggest bottleneck for you?

A. Getting qualified leads
B. Turning traffic into demos/trials
C. Explaining what the product does clearly
D. Differentiating from competitors
E. Creating content consistently
F. Getting founders/team members on content
G. Converting demos/trials into customers
H. Onboarding / activation
I. Retention / churn
J. Something else

And if you have 30 seconds, I'd love to know:

1. What have you tried to solve it?
2. What didn't work?
3. If you could make ONE part of your marketing easier tomorrow, what would it be?

No sales pitch I'm trying to understand the actual problems SaaS companies are dealing with before building around them.

SaaS founders, what are you struggling with most right now?

I'm trying to figure out the best way for a small agency to handle fulfillment as client volume grows.

One model I'm considering is partnering with another specialist agency: one side focuses on client acquisition and strategy, while the other handles production such as video editing, motion graphics, SaaS/product animation and design.

The potential advantage seems pretty straightforward: the client gets a broader service offering without either agency having to immediately build a large internal team.

For those running agencies, has anyone successfully used a model like this?

What worked, what went wrong, and how did you structure the commercial side fairly?

Remote | Freelance / Performance-Based

We’re looking for a B2B lead generation/sales professional who can help us connect with businesses that need creative production.

What we provide:
• Video editing short & long form
• Motion graphics
• SaaS/product animation
• Graphic design
• Creative content

Your role:
• Identify and qualify relevant B2B prospects
• Start conversations and generate qualified opportunities
• Introduce interested prospects to our team

Our role:
We handle the creative strategy, production, communication and delivery after the opportunity is qualified.

Compensation: Performance-based, with an agreed percentage for successfully generated business. Exact structure will be discussed based on the role and scope.

Ideal fit: Someone already experienced in B2B outreach, lead generation, appointment setting, or sales.

To apply: Send your relevant experience, niche(s) you work with, and your preferred outreach method.

If you're already generating clients for businesses, let's partner.

You: bring the client.

Us: handle the creative delivery.

Updraft Media provides video editing, motion graphics, SaaS/product animation, graphic design and other creative production.

You don't need to hire editors or manage production—we handle it.

You earn 30–40% on the business you bring in.

If you're already doing lead generation and want to add creative services to your offer, DM “PARTNER”.

I'll send our portfolio and explain how we can structure it.

Most businesses don’t need more content.

They need content that holds attention, explains the offer clearly, and turns interest into action.

That’s what we help with at Updraft Media.

We handle the creative side end-to-end:

• Short & long-form video editing
• Motion graphics & animation
• Graphic & social media design
• Copywriting & content
• SaaS/product visuals & explainer content

The goal isn't to simply “make content.”

It’s to help you look more credible, communicate faster, keep viewers engaged, and give your marketing team more content to work with.

If you're already generating leads but your content isn't converting attention into action, DM me “UPDRAFT” and I’ll show you what we can improve.

Hey everyone I’m Tatsat, a freelance graphic designer focused on creating visuals that make a brand look clear, credible, and worth paying attention to.

I can help with:

• Social media & campaign creatives
• Ad designs
• Brand/marketing collateral
• Product & promotional visuals
• Clean, consistent visual systems

My approach isn't just “make it look pretty.” I focus on what the design needs to communicate and what action it should drive.

If you have a project that needs a designer who can understand the brief, execute quickly, and keep the visuals consistent, I'd be happy to discuss it.

Portfolio: DM

If you have a project in mind, drop me the brief or DM me and I'll tell you how I'd approach it.

I work in design, and I’ve been thinking about this lately:

A lot of brands invest heavily in making their social media look professional, but I’m not convinced that better-looking content automatically means better results.

For example, a post can have:

• Great typography
• Strong branding
• Good animation
• Beautiful product visuals

…and still fail to make someone stop, understand the offer, and take action.

I’ve started looking at social design less as “making content attractive” and more as reducing the gap between attention → understanding → action.

Curious what marketers here have actually seen:

What changed your conversion rate more better design, better messaging, or the combination of both?

And if you’ve tested this, what specifically changed?

I work in graphic design, and something I keep noticing with ecommerce brands:

A product can be great, but the visual presentation can make it feel average.

Not because the design is “ugly” but because it doesn't answer the buyer's questions quickly enough.

For example:

• The product isn't the visual focus
• Benefits get buried under too much information
• Product images don't communicate quality
• Ads look different from the website
• Social content doesn't feel like the same brand
• The offer isn't visually obvious within the first few seconds

The interesting part is that redesigning the entire website isn't always the answer.

Sometimes improving the product visuals, hierarchy, ad creatives, or consistency across touchpoints can make a much bigger difference.

I'm curious about ecommerce owners here:

What's one design/visual problem you've noticed that you believe is actually hurting your sales?

I’m a freelance graphic designer, and I help small businesses, creators, and agencies turn rough ideas into clean, professional visuals that are ready to publish.

I can help with:

• Social media posts & carousels
• Ad creatives
• Promotional graphics
• Thumbnails
• Flyers & marketing materials
• Simple brand visuals

The goal isn't just “make it look good.”
You should walk away with a design that makes your offer clearer, looks trustworthy, and is actually usable for your business.

Pricing

Simple designs: $10–15
More detailed designs: $20–30+

Price depends on the complexity and revisions.

If you have a design you need done, send me the brief + what you're working with, and I'll tell you what I can do and the price before we start.

Portfolio available on request.

I’m a freelance graphic designer focused on turning rough ideas, briefs, and brand assets into polished visuals that are actually ready to publish.

What you get:

• Social & campaign creatives
• Ad designs
• Brand/marketing collateral
• Clean, consistent visual systems
• Fast turnaround without sacrificing quality

My goal isn't to give you “a nice-looking design.”

It's to give you something you can publish, present to a client, or put in front of customers with confidence.

If you have a project where the idea is already there but the execution needs to be sharper, send me the brief and I’ll tell you how I’d approach it.

Portfolio: DM.

Rate: $20+/hr depending on scope.

mall business owners curious about your experience here.

When someone discovers your business for the first time, how much does your visual presentation actually affect whether they trust you?

I’m especially thinking about things like:

• Social media posts that look inconsistent
• Ads that feel too generic
• Poor typography or cluttered layouts
• An outdated logo/brand identity
• Product/service graphics that don't clearly communicate the offer

I work in graphic design, and one thing I've noticed is that “professional-looking” isn't necessarily the same as “effective.” A beautiful design can still fail if the customer doesn't immediately understand what you're selling.

For those running small businesses:
What visual/design problem have you noticed actually affecting your marketing or conversions?

I'm interested in the business owner's perspective rather than the designer's.

One thing I've noticed while working around agencies and creative projects:

The problem isn't always finding clients.

Sometimes it's simply having enough creative capacity to deliver everything you've already sold.

An agency might have:

• A strong strategist
• A good account manager
• Great client relationships
• A solid content strategy

…but then 30–50 social creatives, ad variations, presentations and campaign assets suddenly land on the production team.

And now the bottleneck isn't strategy.

It's execution.

That's where I think having reliable freelance design capacity can make a huge difference.

Not necessarily replacing the in-house designer but giving the team additional bandwidth when workload spikes.

The important part, though, is that an external designer needs to understand more than Photoshop.

They need to understand:

brief → brand → communication → design → revision → final delivery.

Otherwise you've just created another person for the agency to manage.

Curious to hear from agency owners:

What's currently the biggest creative bottleneck in your agency — getting ideas, executing them, revisions, or simply capacity?

One thing I’ve been thinking about lately:

Good work gets you the first project. Being easy to work with gets you the second.

As freelancers, we tend to obsess over improving the actual skill better design, better editing, better writing, better code.

But from the client's side, they're also judging:

• Did you understand the brief?
• Did you communicate clearly?
• Did you hit the deadline?
• Did you handle revisions without making it complicated?
• Did you make their job easier?

I’ve started treating the client experience as part of the deliverable itself.

A great final product is important.

But if getting there was painful for the client, they're probably not coming back.

For those with long-term clients: what do you think is the biggest reason they keep coming back?

Hey everyone I’m at the early stage of building Updraft Media, and honestly, the hardest part right now isn't delivering the work. It’s figuring out who we should be delivering it to.

We currently offer:

• Short & long-form video editing • Motion graphics • SaaS/product animation • Copywriting

We’re a small India-based team, but we're open to working globally.

The problem is that these services can fit a LOT of businesses SaaS, agencies, founders, creators, B2B companies, real estate, brands, etc.

And I’m starting to realize that “we can help everyone” probably means we’re not positioned strongly enough for anyone.

So I’d genuinely love some advice from people who have already built an agency:

1. If you were starting from zero today, which niche would you choose and why?

2. What makes a niche worth committing to? Budget? Urgency? Recurring need? Easy access to decision-makers?

3. How did you find your first 5–10 clients? Cold calls, email, LinkedIn, Reddit, referrals, communities, partnerships, content?

4. What would you NOT waste time doing if you were starting again?

And specifically for our services, who do you think has the strongest reason to pay for them?

I'm not looking to sell anything here. I'm genuinely trying to avoid spending the next 6 months targeting the wrong people.

If you've built an agency before, I'd really appreciate your perspective even if it's blunt.

And if you're also building an agency from the ground up, feel free to introduce yourself below. I'd love to connect, compare notes, and see what we're both figuring out. 🤝