How to Write a Case Study That Actually Gets Customers

Your best salespeople are your happy customers. Only thing is, they can't always be there for sales calls. A well-written case study can. It tells prospects from the real customers' mouths that someone just like them got a result by buying your product and service.

Many a case study gets buried in a dull PDF nobody reads. This guide will show you how to write a case study that actually gets read and acted on by prospects. You will get a step-by-step guide, fill-in-the-blank template, quick checklist, real brand examples and answers to the most common questions. Open up a blank page and write along as you read.

What Is a Case Study, and Why Does It Win Customers?

A case study is a short story showing what happened when a customer got a result using your product or service. It usually follows a simple arc of what happened, how it happened and what is happening now.

Customers have greater faith in other customers than in brands. 79% of buyers view case study content as a component of the purchasing process, according to Adobe's case study writing guide. Effective case studies have been shown to:

• Offer proof rather than promises

• Answer the questions every buyer asks, 'will this work for someone like me?'

• Help sales representatives close the deal faster by addressing objections

• Give you information for your website, social media, email newsletter and sales decks

Quick Check: Are You Ready to Write a Case Study?

Before you do anything else, check all the statements below and put a checkmark next to the ones that are true.

☐ I have a customer who got an obvious result

☐ I know who will be reading this case study

☐ The customer has agreed, in writing, to be featured

☐ I can conduct a 20 to 30 minute interview with the customer

☐ I know where the case study will be used: on the website, sales deck and/or email

Your score: Five ticks means you are good to go. Three or four ticks means you need to address the gaps before you move forward. Two or fewer ticks means pick a different customer for this case study.

Step 1: Choose the Right Customer for Your Case Study

The best case study features a customer your next buyer will recognize themselves in. Find someone with a similar type of prospect, a clear result that can be measured, and a customer who is willing to talk about it.

Don't always go for your big-name customers. Small customers with an exact problem can often be used more successfully than a big company with a vague result. If you have a few customers in mind, vary between different industries and company sizes so that every type of prospect can find a customer that fits their needs.

Try it now: Find three customers and next to each one write down the problem they had, what result they got and how approachable they are. Pick the one that has the most positives.

Step 2: Interview Your Customer for the Case Study

A great case study is built on a great conversation. Get permission to record, stay casual and let the customer talk to you. Their own words are the most valuable resource for a case study!

Use these questions as a starting point:

1. What were you struggling with before you found us?

2. What had you tried already, and why didn't it work?

3. What made you choose us over other companies?

4. What changed after you started using our product?

5. Can you share any numbers, such as time, money saved or growth?

6. What would you say to someone who is on the edge?

Ask follow-up questions if the customer gives vague answers. If they say it saved them time, ask how much time and what they do with an extra week. These specifics will help you write an incredible case study!

Step 3: Structure Your Case Study as Problem, Solution, Result

It's simple, and that's the best way to do it. According to Webbiquity's guide to B2B case studies, make sure to structure your case study according to what happened (the problem), what your brand did to address it (the solution) and what happened after (the results). Try including the following elements in your case study:

• Headline: the result and the name of the customer

• Snapshot box: company, industry, size and the product they use

• The challenge faced: the problem and why it was important

• The solution used: why they chose you and how they used your product

• The results: numbers first, then the effect it had on them

• A customer quote: one short quote that summarizes everything

• A next step: a call to action such as a demo or more information

Fill-in-the-blank template: copy this into your case study and fill in the blanks.

Before [product], [customer] struggled with [problem], which cost them [time, money or opportunity]. They chose [product] because [reason]. Within [timeframe], they [specific result]. In their words: '[short quote].'

If you can fill in every blank with something valuable, your case study has a great support!

Step 4: Write the Case Study Story

After you have established your story format, write the case study as a narrative rather than a brochure. Put your customer and the solution they found in the hero seat. Here are tips to help you write the copy:

1. Lead with result: Place your headline and first paragraph in a way that emphasizes the biggest result of your case study.

2. Be specific: Instead of writing 'we improved onboarding,' use 'we improved onboarding from 14 days to 5 days.'

3. Be human: Use plain language and avoid jargon.

4. Show the challenge: A case study with no challenge has no drama. According to Piktochart's guide, rather than stating how a campaign was successful, show how the campaign was successful.

5. Keep paragraphs brief: Buyers are skimmers, so make it easy on them.

6. Use quotes: You can use the customer's exact quotes, or edit them slightly for readability, but keep the voice of the customer.

Read your work out loud. Any areas where you stumble or sound like a press release, rewrite. Now on to step 5.

Step 5: Format and Promote Your Case Study

A case study isn't necessarily a long PDF document. As Adobe's guide notes, a case study can take different forms including a print story, interactive web/social content, infographic, video and podcast. Choose a format your buyer will consume and design it in a discoverable way using a snapshot box, pull quotes and large result numbers.

• Once you have your case study in the preferred format, promote it:

• Publish it on a page (use a separate page if possible) and link to it from your product and pricing pages.

• Email it to similar prospects.

• Use snippets in social posts and email.

• Share it with your sales team with a note on one-liner why it should be shared.

• Turn one of the customer's quotes into a graphic or video.

Case Study Brand Stories: What Real Companies Teach Us

The best way to learn how to improve your case study is to learn from others. These brand stories are drawn from published roundups, so read the original articles to learn more.

Airtable and Taylor Guitars.

Breadcrumbs' roundup of B2B case study examples highlights this customer story as a humanized case study with a recognizable brand, named stakeholders, media-rich layout and quotes that sound like people. Lesson: Name the people involved and let them speak.

FreshBooks.

Breadcrumbs' roundup describes a persona-based case study built around one real customer, one change and one result, hero photo, a company and industry panel and clear problem and solution blocks. Lesson: Be focused. One clear story is more powerful than five vague stories.

CoSchedule.

CoSchedule is known for a dedicated customer stories page and Breadcrumbs spotlights its quick-facts module and results visualization. Webbiquity also highlights CoSchedule for its customer stories page. Lesson: Make it easy to scan.

RingCentral and Ryder Systems.

Breadcrumbs calls this the enterprise-software template worth studying with a strong hero image, headline statistics and a pull quote from a named customer. Lesson: Make the big numbers stand out and back them up with a human voice.

For more inspiration, view UserMotion's 10 B2B case study examples, which stresses that a case study should tell the customer's story.

Expert Advice for Writing a Better Case Study

Marketing teams and content experts repeat these lessons, so follow them.

Let the customer's voice carry the story. Peers believe peers. A claim from a customer's point of view is more credible than the same claim from your marketing team.

Show quantified results. Webstacks' guide recommends a problem/solution/outcome framework with data, storytelling and multiple formats.

Prove your claims. Adobe notes that backing up claims (whether they're from you or the customer) adds validity to the story.

Define the reader. Decide exactly who the case study is for first.

Prepare. ClickUp's guide stresses the importance of research and structure as the foundation of a compelling case study.

Get approval. Let the customer review the draft and confirm all numbers and quotes.

Case Study Example: Weak Versus Strong

This is an illustrative (made up) example. Observe how much stronger the second version is.

Weak case study headline: 'Acme Software Helps Brightside Bakery Succeed'

Strong case study headline: 'How Brightside Bakery Cut Order Errors by 40% in Two Months With Acme'

Weak opening: 'Brightside Bakery faced challenges with order management and needed a better solution.'

Strong opening: 'Every Friday, Brightside Bakery's team spent three hours fixing wrong orders. Within two months of switching to Acme, mistakes dropped by 40% and Fridays became the calmest day of the week.'

The strong version includes a number and time-frame and human interest. Your turn: Rewrite your case study headline using the formula 'How [Customer] [achieved result] in [time] with [Product].'

Common Case Study Mistakes to Avoid

1. Writing about your product rather than the client

2. Using vague claims without any numbers

3. Publishing without the customer's approval

4. Hiding the call to action

5. Letting all case studies sound the same

6. Never updating old case studies

Case Study FAQs

What is a case study in marketing?

A marketing case study is a customer story that demonstrates how your product or service helped a client solve a particular problem and the results that followed. It's a form of social proof useful for the prospect making a buying decision.

How long should a case study be?

There's no set amount of length, although many work well as 500 to 1,000 words or as a one-page summary, a short video or a slide. Choose the length needed to tell the story clearly.

How do I get customers to be satisfied with the case study?

Ask your happiest customers (after a clear win) for permission. Explain how much time it will take, offer to handle the writing, let them review the draft, and highlight what the exposure means to them.

What should a good case study include?

A clear headline, a snapshot, the challenge, the solution, the specific results, a quote and a call to action.

How many case studies do I need?

Start with two or three that highlight your most common buyer types. As you go, add to your library to create variety.

Where should I publish a case study?

Put them on separate pages (if possible) on your website, then promote in sales emails, social posts, newsletters and sales presentations. Link to them from related product pages.

Start Your Next Case Study Today

A great case study is not about bragging, but helping the next customer find themselves in someone else's success story. Select the right customer, ask the right questions, show specific results and make it easy to reach out. You already have the raw materials for a great case study in the form of happy customers with real results. Choose one today, send the request and turn that success into your next customer.

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