Align Product and Marketing Objectives in SaaS Briefs using Get Who To By
Look, we’ve all seen it: Product builds a shiny new widget no one asked for, and Marketing tries to sell it as a 'revolutionary paradigm shift.' Result? A brief that reads like a ransom note written by a committee and a launch that fizzes out because nobody actually knows who it's for. The Get Who To By framework is the intervention your SaaS brief needs. It forces both teams to stop sniffing their own glue and agree on who actually matters and why, before you waste another six-figure dev sprint on a feature that ends up in the graveyard.
The TL;DR
Stop the siloed madness. Use Get Who To By to force Product and Marketing into a room until they agree on the specific target (GET), the psychological barrier (WHO), the singular message (TO), and the actual mechanism of action (BY). It’s the only way to ensure your brief doesn't end up as a glorified paperweight.
Why This Framework Prevents Your SaaS Brief from Being a Total Disaster
Because most SaaS briefs are just lists of features dressed up in marketing buzzwords. This framework actually forces you to have a strategy.
The Four Steps
GET
Who is the specific human being with the credit card?
Don't give me 'Enterprise CTOs.' Give me 'CTOs at Series B startups who are currently losing three hours a week to manual security audits.' If your target is too broad, your brief is already dead.
WHO
What is the messy, human habit keeping them from your product?
What’s their current 'good enough' solution? Maybe it’s a bloated spreadsheet, or maybe they’re just terrified of the migration process. Find the friction point they’re too embarrassed to admit in a survey.
TO
What’s the one thing they need to hear to snap out of it?
This isn't your 'Value Proposition.' It's the 'Aha!' moment. Make the action so painfully obvious that a sleep-deprived dev could understand it at 3 AM.
BY
How are you actually going to force the action?
What’s the mechanism? An interactive ROI calculator? A 14-day 'no-migration-needed' trial? A direct integration that fixes their biggest headache in two clicks? No fluff allowed.
How to Trash Your SaaS Brief
(Try not to do these, for everyone's sake)
- ×Defining the GET as 'anyone with a browser'
- ×Assuming the WHO is 'they just don't know we exist yet'
- ×Writing a TO that uses the word 'synergy' or 'empower'
- ×Making the BY a 45-minute sales demo with no skip option
- ×Product and Marketing filling this out in separate buildings
- ×Confusing a feature list with a strategy
- ×Ignoring the fact that your target is probably overworked and cynical
- ×Setting 15 different 'primary' objectives
If your brief looks like a wishlist instead of a battle plan, start over.
Real Examples
New Feature Launch
Launching an automated reporting tool for overstretched Agency Account Managers.
GET
Agency AMs managing 10+ clients who spend their Sundays in Google Sheets.
WHO
They hate manual reporting but are terrified that automation will miss a critical data error and make them look stupid to the client.
TO
Reclaim your weekends with error-proof reports that look better than your manual ones.
BY
A 'Sunday-to-Monday' migration concierge that audits their first automated report against their old manual one.
Churn Prevention
Retaining 'Zombie' users who have seats but haven't logged in for 3 weeks.
GET
Mid-level managers at companies that just finished their annual budget review.
WHO
They keep the subscription because they 'might' need it, but they're worried about the CFO seeing the zero-utilization report.
TO
Show your boss the value you're sitting on before they ask you to cut the budget.
BY
An automated 'Efficiency Summary' email they can forward to their boss with one click.
Freemium to Pro Conversion
Moving power users from the free tier to the paid 'Team' plan.
GET
Solo 'power users' in large companies who are secretly using the tool for team projects.
WHO
They love the tool but are scared that 'going official' means getting IT involved and losing their workflow control.
TO
Get the credit for your team's productivity without the IT headache.
BY
A 'Shadow IT-Friendly' billing portal that allows for team expansion without needing a master service agreement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if Product and Marketing can't agree on the GET?
Then you don't have a product-market fit, you have a product-marketing fight. Flip a coin or look at the churn data. Just don't try to target both.
Is the TO just a headline?
No. It’s the core realization. If the headline is 'Save Time,' the TO is 'Stop doing the work of a robot so you can go home at 5 PM.'
Can we have two 'WHOs'?
Only if you have two separate campaigns and twice the budget. Otherwise, pick the one that’s actually costing you money right now.
What if our BY is just 'Sign up for a trial'?
That’s lazy. Everyone has a trial. Why should they sign up for *yours*? The BY needs to be the specific 'how' that makes the 'TO' feel possible.
How often should we update this framework for a SaaS brief?
Every time you ship a major update or every time your CAC starts looking like a phone number. Markets change; don't be the last one to notice.
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