SaaS Founders -- Search Demand Follows Category Creation

Most SaaS founders are told to start with keyword research. But what if that’s the wrong place to start? In this video, I break down why search demand actually follows category creation—and what you should be doing before SEO ever becomes useful. If you’ve built something new, there may not be keywords yet. That doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong—it means you’re early. I’ll walk you through how to: Explain your product clearly Turn objections into marketing Educate your audience Build demand before search volume exists Plus, we’ll use the air fryer as a real-world example of how categories are created—and why naming and positioning matter more than keyword tools. Timestamps 00:00 – Should SaaS founders start with keyword research? 00:11 – You built something new—now what? 00:36 – Why keyword research comes later than you think 01:01 – Step 1: You built the product (now the real work starts) 01:13 – Step 2: Explain the problem your product solves 01:19 – Step 3: Answer objections in your marketing 01:31 – Step 4: Educate your audience 01:39 – Why traditional SEO advice can mislead founders 02:29 – The air fryer example (how categories are created) 02:58 – Before “air fryer” was a term 03:16 – What an air fryer actually is (and why that doesn’t matter) 04:13 – What SEO would have called it (and why that fails) 04:51 – Naming based on the problem, not the product 05:32 – The 8 stages of category creation and demand 05:56 – What I do with SaaS founders 06:43 – Example: AI thumbnails & real search intent 06:59 – Example: FlowChat and sales enablement positioning 07:26 – Why founders struggle to explain their product 07:39 – How to work with me 08:07 – Outro: “Scale or die, I’m your ride or die” Call to Action If you’re a SaaS founder struggling to explain your product or generate demand, I can help. Visit: https://bridgetwillard.com Follow me on X: https://x.com/BridgetMWillard