Jessica Orika-Owunna is a content marketing specialist, senior writer and currently works as the lead consultant, SaaS Content Brand, a consultancy firm that helps growth-stage SaaS companies turn internal insights into content that drives signups and supports sales, product marketing, and customer-facing teams. Over the past eight years, she has worked with business-to-business (B2B) SaaS companies like Softr, Contentsquare, Hotjar, and Vena, driving conversions on product adoption, and inbound growth. In this interview, Orika-Owunna shares insight on what it takes to build a global content marketing career from Nigeria, including the early challenges and mindset shifts that helped her grow into a trusted B2B software content partner across continents. Excerpts by SEYI JOHN SALAU:
In the last eight years, you have worked with global brands on content marketing. What strategies would you say have proven most effective for distributing and promoting content internationally from Nigeria?
I would say creating native content for each platform. That’s still one of the most overlooked promotion opportunities for B2B software companies. Many B2B SaaS teams start with long-form blog content, which is a great foundation. But instead of simply sharing a link with a short caption and hoping people click through, it’s far more effective to repurpose that content into formats that feel native to each platform. Social platforms like LinkedIn and X tend to reward content that keeps users engaged on the platform, not clicking away from it. The same principle applies to community platforms like Reddit. Dropping a link in a Subreddit without context often feels overly promotional. But when you lead with value by answering a question or offering relevant insight, your post is more likely to resonate. You can include a link, but only when it fits naturally into the conversation. The key is to meet people where they are. Give them content in the formats they already engage with, on the platforms where they already spend their time.
How do you measure the success of your content marketing and which metrics matter most to you?
I create bottom-of-funnel and product-led content to help buyers understand what the product does, what problem it solves, and how it fits into their workflow. And one of the most important metrics I track is user signups, especially for tools with a freemium or free trial model. If someone reads the content and immediately signs up, that’s a clear signal the piece worked. For example, in 2024, I created an app tutorial on how to build a user interface in Google Sheets using my client’s platform. It was designed so readers could follow along and try it themselves. Within a few days of going live, the content was already driving user signups. That kind of result matters because it shows the content is not just attracting visitors; it’s also converting them. Another way I measure success is by how well a piece supports sales conversations. If sales can use it to answer a question during a call or follow-up, and it helps move a prospect closer to conversion, then the content is doing its job. Organic traffic and keyword positions are still important metrics, but content also needs to drive business results.
Can you share a specific example of a campaign that successfully connected with an international audience and what made it work?
One of the most successful projects I worked on was during my time at Foundation Marketing Inc., where I created a series of in-depth growth case studies on successful B2B SaaS brands like Slack, Loom, Webflow, Capterra, and Hootsuite. Each one broke down how these companies scaled using a mix of SEO, product marketing, and content marketing. What made them resonate globally was how clearly, we understood our audience. We were writing for B2B founders, content leads, and growth marketers who were actively looking for practical, proven strategies they could apply. They all had clear examples and takeaways that made the insights actionable across markets. As a result, the series, along with those from other team members, drove hundreds of thousands of views, contributed millions in revenue, and helped position Foundation as the go-to agency for B2B SaaS content-led growth. Some of the case studies I wrote were cited and linked to by companies like HubSpot, Close, and ClickUp. What made them effective was that people could actually take what they learned and apply it. There were also behind-the-scenes wins. One of the case studies I created, for instance, was circulated internally by the company’s content marketing team. Several of the featured companies also reached out to explore partnership opportunities with the agency. By repurposing case studies into the company’s newsletter and incorporating other helpful tips, the channel evolved into a revenue stream, attracting sponsorships from brands like Marketing Brew.
You have built your global content marketing career from Nigeria; what inspires you?
I’ve always wanted a career that allows me to work from anywhere without sacrificing time for the relationships that matter most. But more than flexibility, I was drawn to how businesses build trust and grow through content. Even before I fully understood what content marketing was, I found myself naturally thinking about how brands build trust and convert customers using content. That curiosity, paired with my desire for flexibility and the drive to create content that supports business growth, led me to transition into B2B SaaS content marketing in 2020.
What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in your content marketing career?
Impostor syndrome was one of the biggest challenges I faced early in my career. I often wondered if I truly belonged in the room, especially working with people from parts of the world where I didn’t see many others who looked like me. At one point, I was the only Nigerian and African living in Africa on my team, and I doubted myself a lot in those early days. I would hold back during meetings, even when I had something valuable to say. I eventually learnt to let go of the pressure to be perfect and focused on learning from my mistakes, doing great work, and pushing myself to share insights during meetings, even when I didn’t feel like it. Another challenge was time zone differences. I’ve worked with clients who were five, six, and even twelve hours ahead, and keeping up wasn’t easy. But along the way, I learnt to make it work. I experimented with setting two deadlines: one a week before and another three days before the due date to ensure everything I needed to deliver was ready beforehand. And it worked. But there were days when life emergencies got in the way. In those times, I’d proactively let them know of the delay and propose a new time or alternative way of getting the work done. This really helped to build trust and maintain long-term relationships with clients.
How do you identify and tailor content to resonate with diverse audiences across different regions, especially when working from Nigeria?
Audience research is the most critical part of my process because it helps me step into the buyer’s shoes and understand their reality. For every client, I begin by learning who their buyers are, what goals they’re trying to achieve, what’s standing in their way, and how the product helps remove those barriers. That means spending hours studying how buyers actually speak. I read user reviews on third-party sites like Reddit and G2, explore the client’s website, listen to expert interviews, and watch customer webinars. These sources help me identify recurring pain points, objections, and concerns in the buyer’s own words. I also dive into internal resources like product documentation, case studies, and messaging guides to understand how the company positions its product and how it fits into the user’s daily workflow. On top of that, I’m mindful of tone and regional nuance. What sounds helpful to a U.S. reader might feel too casual in Australia or too direct in the UK. So, I study content written by people in those markets and pay close attention to phrasing, tone, and structure that feel natural to their audience. All of this has become second nature in my process. It helps me create content that’s clear, informative, and feels like it was written with that specific reader in mind.
What advice would you give to other Nigerians or African professionals aspiring to build a global content marketing career?
Be intentional. The content marketing industry in 2025 looks very different from what it was in 2017 when I started. With the rise of generative AI, companies today care about speed and adaptability. Many are hiring people with not just writing skills, but also technical awareness. There’s a growing demand for marketers who know how to use AI tools to scale their output, not to replace their thinking. It’s about knowing how to use it effectively as an assistant while still leading with your own brain and creativity. One thing I’ve learned is that AI performs best when you feed it thoughtful input. If you’re writing about a topic you don’t fully understand, for example, lean on expert sources. Listen to expert interviews, watch product demos, and read case studies and original research. Then feed what you’ve learned into AI to help organise your thoughts or improve structure. But always reference your sources correctly, and pay attention to the output. AI can sometimes take things out of context, so you need to make sure what you’re sharing is accurate and in the right context.
Finally, what is ahead for you as a content marketing specialist?
It’s been such a rewarding journey so far, and I’m excited about what is ahead. I’m now focused on growing SaaS Content Brand, the content marketing consultancy I founded to help B2B software companies turn internal insights into content that drives conversions and supports sales. Also, to newbie marketers: focus on doing the work and put yourself out there as well. You don’t have to know everything to show up. You can share what you’re currently learning, how you’re approaching a topic, or what your thought process looks like. That honesty and consistency build trust and credibility over time. The more you do the work and share what you’re learning, the stronger your skills become, and the easier it is for the right opportunities to find you.
