What GTM Strategies Worked Up to 2024 But Won’t Work in 2025 for B2B SaaS

The B2B SaaS landscape is evolving at breakneck speed. What drove pipeline and revenue in 2024 won’t necessarily deliver results in 2025. The market is more saturated, buyers are more skeptical, and traditional go-to-market (GTM) strategies are losing their edge.

Here’s a breakdown of the once-effective GTM tactics that are rapidly becoming obsolete—and what to do instead.

1. What Worked in 2024: High-Volume, Template-Based Cold Outreach

In 2024, many SaaS companies relied on mass email sequences and LinkedIn automation to reach prospects. The playbook was simple: send hundreds of cold emails daily, use generic templates, and hope for responses.

Why It Won’t Work in 2025

• Buyers are overloaded with generic outreach and are tuning out.

• AI-driven spam detection is getting more aggressive.

• Response rates for cold emails without deep personalization are dropping fast.

What to Do Instead

• Use hyper-personalized, research-driven outreach with clear value propositions.

• Leverage warm introductions via partners, customers, and industry communities.

• Implement a multi-touch approach combining email, LinkedIn, and video messages.

2. What Worked in 2024: Gated Content to Capture Leads

B2B SaaS companies have long used whitepapers, webinars, and ebooks as lead magnets, requiring users to fill out forms before accessing content.

Why It Won’t Work in 2025

• Buyers now expect instant value—they don’t want to fill out a form just to get basic insights.

• Google’s algorithm updates favour ungated content that provides immediate value.

• High-intent buyers are self-educating through open content rather than waiting for a follow-up email.

What to Do Instead

• Shift to a give-first strategy: make key insights freely available.

• Offer interactive, ungated content like assessments, ROI calculators, or live demos.

• Use LinkedIn and dark social channels to distribute insights and drive conversations organically.

3. What Worked in 2024: Traditional SDR-to-Sales Handoff

Many SaaS companies ran their GTM motion as a linear sales process: SDRs generate leads, AEs pitch demos, and deals close. The process worked when buyers relied on sales reps for information.

Why It Won’t Work in 2025

• Buyers prefer peer recommendations and community insights over sales pitches.

• Decision-makers trust independent reviews more than vendor content.

• The highest-value customers are now engaging in private Slack groups, LinkedIn communities, and industry forums.

What to Do Instead

• Invest in community-led growth by engaging in niche industry groups.

• Position executives and team members as thought leaders in their space.

• Leverage user-generated content and customer evangelists to drive awareness.

4. What Worked in 2024: Broad, One-Size-Fits-All Partner Programs

Many SaaS companies created standardized partner programs, focusing on resellers and referral partners with generic benefits.

Why It Won’t Work in 2025

• Partners are looking for direct revenue opportunities, not just certification badges.

• The best partners are co-selling and co-marketing, not just referring deals.

• SaaS buyers expect integrated solutions, not disconnected products.

What to Do Instead

• Focus on co-sell and co-market partnerships that generate pipeline together.

• Build integrated partner solutions that add real value to the ecosystem.

• Engage in rev-share and incentive-based collaboration rather than static partner tiers.

5. What Worked in 2024: Heavy Spend on Google and LinkedIn Ads

For years, B2B SaaS companies have scaled through paid acquisition—spending heavily on LinkedIn and Google Ads to drive top-of-funnel leads.

Why It Won’t Work in 2025

• Ad costs are skyrocketing, making CAC unsustainable.

• Buyers are increasingly blind to ads and trust organic recommendations more.

• Privacy changes and cookie deprecation are making tracking and attribution harder.

What to Do Instead

• Invest in organic content marketing and social engagement.

• Use employee advocacy programs to amplify reach.

• Leverage dark social and peer referrals for inbound momentum.

6. What Worked in 2024: ROI-Focused Pitching to CFOs

Many B2B SaaS companies focused on cost-cutting narratives, appealing to finance teams with hard ROI numbers.

Why It Won’t Work in 2025

• CFOs are cutting back on SaaS spending, scrutinizing every tool.

• Buyers care more about efficiency and strategic impact than just cost savings.

• The most successful SaaS solutions are those that drive revenue growth, not just reduce expenses.

What to Do Instead

• Shift messaging to efficiency, growth enablement, and competitive advantage.

• Sell to department heads and end-users who will champion the solution internally.

• Focus on time-to-value and clear business outcomes, not just cost reduction.

The Future of GTM in 2025

2025 is the year where SaaS GTM needs to evolve beyond outdated playbooks. The winners will be those who:

• Build genuine relationships with buyers through thought leadership and community.

• Optimize for engagement over volume, personalizing every touchpoint.

• Focus on co-selling and value-driven partnerships rather than outdated partner models.

• Shift away from ad-heavy growth to sustainable, organic demand generation.

Ready to future-proof your GTM strategy? Let’s talk.