Case study

A case study is written like a piece of reporting, not like a testimonial. You need three things: the numbers you started from, a description of what you did, and the numbers afterwards. Add two or three visuals and one sentence from the client. It should be written by someone who worked on the project, because only they know where it got stuck.

A case study does the work you would otherwise need a salesperson for. A company making industrial components had a row of customer logos on its website and nothing else. After adding two case studies with a specific brief and a specific result, they stopped explaining what they actually do on every first call. The same material later becomes the backbone of a pitch deck.

How it is made: an hour long interview with the project lead, gathering numbers and assets, a draft in the order of starting point, solution, result, then client approval. Approval takes the longest. You supply permission to publish, access to the data and a person who reads it within a week. One study takes roughly three to five working days spread across a month.

Where it goes wrong: a study written so the studio looks good rather than the client. Readers look for themselves, not for you. Second mistake: five case studies from one industry when you serve five different kinds of customer. Three shorter ones from different fields serve you better. If the client will not release numbers, say so in the text instead of inventing them.

We agree on publishing and on numbers when the contract is signed, not after delivery. It is one sentence in the contract and one question at the kickoff meeting. Try it today: on your next new project, ask what the result would have to be for the work to be worth writing about. That answer is also your definition of success.