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Before we look at some of the best SaaS ad examples, let’s have a quick overview of what’s important when advertising SaaS.
SaaS (Software as a Service) advertising promotes cloud-based software solutions. The ads are designed to attract users and convert them into subscribers.
Since there is no physical product that can be easily demonstrated with photos and scenarios, you need to be creative in your ad design to capture attention while demonstrating your software. It’s also worth noting that the SaaS business relies on recurring revenue, so retention is key. Your ads should not only acquire customers but also highlight the ongoing value that the product provides.
What Makes a SaaS Ad Stand Out?
Looking at high-performing SaaS ad examples, we can identify some recurring strategies that contribute to their success:
- Clear Objectives: The primary goal is often to get users to sign up for a free trial, book a demo, or dive into a product tour.
- Product Demonstrations: Many top-performing SaaS ads include visuals, videos, or animations showcasing the software in action. This helps potential users envision how the product works and how it could solve their problems.
- Targeted Messaging: Successful SaaS ads speak directly to specific user personas—whether they are marketers, developers, or business owners—and tailor the messaging to resonate with their unique needs.
- Retention Focus: Some SaaS ads aren’t just for attracting new customers. They also serve to upsell new features to existing users or encourage them to stay engaged with the product over time.
Do’s and Dont’s for SaaS Ad Design
Dos:
- Highlight benefits: Focus on how your product solves pain points or improves the user's life.
- Use clear CTA: What action do you want people to take? Provide a strong, actionable call-to-action such as “Get started free" or "Book a demo."
- Show product in action: Use visuals, screenshots, or even videos to demonstrate how the product works, helping people to imagine the user experience.
- Feature social proof: Include customer reviews, case studies, or trust badges to build credibility.
- A/B test regularly: Test different visuals, copy, and CTAs to optimize for conversions.
Don’ts:
- Avoid overly technical language: The goal is to spark curiosity. Keep the message simple and avoid jargon that may overwhelm the audience.
- Don’t focus too much on features: Customers care more about how your features benefit them.
- Don’t neglect mobile optimization: Ensure your ads are optimized for mobile, as a large portion of users interact with ads on mobile devices.
Now, let’s dive into the best Saas ad examples we found in 2024.
1. Webflow
- Ad Type: Feature-Focused Ad
- Visual: The ad showcases a dark-themed Webflow interface, emphasizing the HubSpot integration feature. It uses product screenshots to illustrate how the integration works in real-time, making it visually clear and product-focused.
- CTA: “Learn more”
- What’s good about this ad: It highlights the benefit of integrating two powerful platforms, Webflow and HubSpot, for CRM automation. It builds trust by showcasing HubSpot as a certified app, encouraging users to explore the feature further.
2. ClickUp
- Ad Type: Comparison Ad
- Visual: The ad uses a ranking comparison with a clean, colorful bar chart that highlights ClickUp’s leading position comparing well-known software companies. The logos help the readers to quickly identify the competitors. The bold red of ClickUp’s ranking stands out, emphasizing its top score.
- What’s good about this ad: It grabs attention by positioning ClickUp as the #1 tool through third-party validation from G2. The visual comparison with competitors reinforces the product’s superiority, making it easy for viewers to see ClickUp’s advantage.
3. Zapier
- Ad Type: Testimonial Ad
- Visual: The ad combines a customer review (5 stars+ a short but strong quote) with a G2 badge for credibility. It uses a minimal design on a dark background that makes the key elements stand out. The reviewer’s profile picture and verified status add authenticity, while the bold orange CTA button draws attention.
- CTA: "Sign up for free"
- What’s good about this ad: The testimonial quote itself is strong and memorable. The creative metaphor of a "Swiss Army Knife" communicates the product's versatility and grabs attention. Visual elements like the star rating, reviewer profile, and G2 recognition reinforce the message, building trust and credibility, while the clear CTA encourages action.
4. monday.com
- Ad Type: Social Proof Ad
- Visual: The ad uses bold text and contrasting colors to emphasize the message, making the key statistic of "4,000+ HSBC employees" stand out. The simple design attracts attention and provides a direct path for users to take action.
- CTA: “Join them” and "Get started"
- What’s good about this ad: Sometimes, less is more. With social proof from a well-known (HSBC), the ad builds trust and credibility. “4000+ employees…work in sync” shows the software capacity they want to highlight. The strong call to action ("Join them") encourages users to follow the major company, increasing the ad's persuasive power.
5. NordPass
- Ad Type: Social Proof Ad
- Visual: The ad features bold numbers of the statistic "5,450+ businesses." The certifications at the bottom (G2 Leader, SOC 2, ISO 27001) reinforce trustworthiness and security, which is crucial for a password manager service.
- CTA: "Secure your business, too"
- What’s good about this ad: The use of social proof (numbers of businesses using the service) and certifications builds strong trust with potential customers. The CTA "Secure your business, too" personalizes the message with inclusive language, making the ad highly persuasive.
6. Leapwork
- Ad Type: Question Ad
- Visual: It features a simple, clean design with an illustration relating to the catchphrase question “How much time could you save?” The bright green CTA button contrasts sharply with the beige background and draws attention.
- CTA: "Get a quote"
- What’s good about this ad: A minimal, yet clear and strong message. The ad effectively communicates a key benefit with a simple question— time savings through automation. The clear, compelling CTA encourages users to take action immediately by requesting a quote.
7. Glean.ai
- Ad Type: Social Proof Ad
- Visual: The ad displays the G2 "Best ROI" badge alongside product screenshots, using a mix of elements to reinforce credibility and features. The clean layout with bold stats ("Save 20 hours/month" and "Save 5% on spend") makes the benefits of the platform clear.
- CTA: "Learn more"
- What’s good about this ad: It combines benefits, social proof, and product visuals in one ad without feeling overwhelming. This mix offers a well-rounded overview, making it easy for potential customers to understand both the value and the credibility of the product.
8. Grammarly
- Ad Type: Question (Pain Point Addressing) Ad
- Visual: The ad uses a minimal, bright design with a clear text input box showing a practical use case (writing an email to ask for a raise) that grabs attention. The vibrant background contrasts well with the black CTA button and company logo.
- CTA: "Get Grammarly"
- What’s good about this ad: It effectively addresses a common pain point—finding the right words when making a difficult request—by showing how Grammarly can help in a specific, relatable scenario. It combines a clean design with a straightforward message and a CTA.
9. Mailchimp
- Ad Type: Benefit-Focused Ad
- Visual: The simple and clear layout with bright colors grabs attention. The customer journey builder is displayed on a laptop screen, creating a usage scenario that demonstrates how Mailchimp’s automation works. The bold text "7x more orders" highlights the benefit, emphasizing the outcome.
- CTA: "Click to learn more"
- What’s good about this ad: It combines a strong benefit (7x more orders) with a visual demonstration of the product’s core feature. The ad stands out with its bright colors and clear messaging, quickly conveying the potential impact of using the software to improve your work.
10. Jasper
- Ad Type: Comparison Ad
- Visual: The ad uses a side-by-side comparison table to highlight Jasper AI’s advantages over ChatGPT, making the differences immediately clear. Bright purple and green elements contrast with the dark background, drawing attention to Jasper's strengths and the "Read the Report" CTA.
- CTA: "Read the report"
- What’s good about this ad: It uses a direct comparison to highlight Jasper AI’s features and makes it clear that it is a better alternative for a specific group: marketing teams. This creates a clear differentiation from its competitor, ChatGPT. The visual layout simplifies complex information, making it easy for users to see the strengths of Jasper at a glance.
Lessons from the Best SaaS Ad Examples
A closer look at high-performing SaaS ad examples reveals several best practices that consistently drive results:
- Strong Value Propositions: The best ads make it immediately clear how the software will solve a particular problem or make the user’s life easier.
- Compelling CTAs: Successful ads include clear calls to action, such as “Start your free trial” or “See how it works.” The action is simple and relevant to the user's journey.
- Visual Appeal: Whether it’s screenshots, videos, or animations, great SaaS ads show the product in use, helping users visualize how the tool fits into their workflow.
- Targeted User Personas: The most effective ads speak directly to a specific audience, using language and pain points that resonate with the particular group they aim to convert.
Conclusion
These SaaS ad examples demonstrate smart strategies to engage their audiences by using comparisons, testimonials, social proof, and clear product benefits. Each ad uses a simple, yet eye-catching design—like bold brand colors, star ratings, and screenshots—to highlight key features and set the product apart. They tackle common pain points, build credibility with awards or customer reviews, and include clear CTAs that encourage action.
Whether promoting free trials or time-saving features, they show how combining engaging visuals with trust-building elements can communicate the values of their products.
FAQs
Why is it important to run ads for SaaS?
It helps attract potential customers, drive trial sign-ups, and generate leads in a highly competitive market. Since SaaS products are often subscription-based, ads focus on building awareness, converting new users, and highlighting long-term value. By running ad campaigns and targeting specific audiences based on industry, role, or business size, you can identify the most relevant prospects for your business.
Where can I run my SaaS ad campaign?
You can run your ad campaigns on various platforms depending on your audience. Common platforms include Google Ads (search and display), social media like LinkedIn (great for B2B targeting), Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Paid social media is ideal for brand awareness and engagement, while search engines like Google target users actively searching for solutions.
Where is the best place for SaaS to advertise?
It depends on your target audience and goals. For B2B SaaS, LinkedIn is highly effective due to its professional user base, allowing precise targeting by job role, industry, and company size. Google Ads is great for capturing users searching for solutions for specific questions. For B2C SaaS, Facebook and Instagram are great for building awareness and engaging users visually. YouTube works well for video demonstrations or tutorials.
What types of ads work best for SaaS?
The most effective ad types for SaaS include comparison ads that show how your product outperforms competitors, announcement ads that promote new features or updates, and testimonial ads that build trust through customer success stories. Free trial and demo ads are also highly effective in driving conversions by offering users hands-on experience. Video ads that showcase product usage or tutorials can demonstrate ease of use, while retargeting ads help convert users who previously engaged with your content but haven’t yet taken action.
How to find inspiration for my ad campaign?
The Meta Ad Library provides a collection of ads running across Facebook and Instagram, allowing you to search by industry or company. LinkedIn Ad Library is another great tool, particularly for B2B SaaS companies, as it showcases ads targeting professional audiences. Lastly, MagicLibrary is a curated collection of high-performing ad examples from various platforms, helping you find creative and effective ad ideas. These platforms offer a broad range of inspiration to help you craft compelling ads.
How to conduct A/B testing for my SaaS ad?
Create two variations of a single ad element, such as the headline, image, CTA, or offer (e.g., free trial vs. demo). Launch both versions simultaneously to a similar audience segment, and monitor performance metrics like CTR, conversions, or cost per acquisition. Use the ad platform’s built-in A/B testing tools (e.g., Facebook Ads Manager, Google Ads). See which version performs better and iteratively refine your campaigns to optimize performance.
