How do you create effective case studies for your business?  Here are some tips:


1. Make the lead in short and effective.


2. Always provide more details if the customer wants to find out more immediately (so that they don't have spend a lot of time talking to your or one of your sales people, a huge risk for most potential customers).


An example of the first two tips is in this graphic.



3. Write About Someone Your Ideal Customer Can Relate To


Do you know who your ideal customer is? If it’s someone in the education industry, then make your case studies about your university customers. If it’s someone in the automobile industry, then make your case studies about auto parts and accessories manufacturers.

The goal is to ensure that once your ideal customer has read your case studies, they will feel:


  • You are comfortable in their industry. 
  • You know their industry’s specific needs. 
  • You know how to give their industry targeted results. 


4. Tell the Story from Start to Finish


People enjoy reading a story. A great case study will allow someone to really get to know the customer in the case study including:


  • Who is the sample customer and what do they do? 
  • What were the customer’s goals? 
  • What were the customer’s needs? 
  • How did you satisfy those needs and help the customer meet their goals? 

5. Provide Easy to Read Formatting


No one really likes to read one huge chunk of text, no matter how interesting and informative it might be. Be sure to use good content formatting elements like you would with articles, blog posts, and copywriting on your website including:


  • Headers 
  • Images 
  • Bulleted lists 
  • Bolded & italicized text 

6. Include Real Numbers


Have you ever read case studies where a business states that they “doubled traffic” for the customer in their case study and wondered if that meant they went from 100 to 200 visits or 10,000 to 20,000 visits? Certain ways of displaying numbers can have an ambiguous meaning. You will want your case study to be as clear as day. So instead of just saying you doubled their traffic, show them real numbers and (if possible) real proof.


7. Some common mistakes:

  • Ignoring the Audience 
  • Eschewing the Subject Matter 
  • Skipping Interviews with Internal Folks 
  • Winging Customer Interviews 
  • Not Digging for Results Data 
  • Being too Formulaic 
  • Failing to Flesh Out an Angle 
  • Making Customers Look Bad 
  • Not Catering to Readers and Skimmers 
  • Being Dull…or too Enthusiastic!  


8. What this means for writing an effective case study is this:


  • First, write a powerful headline, just as you would for ANY sales copy. Instead of ”Results in Industry: Online Publishing” (a real headline), draw your reader into the STORY: ”How 1.65 Million Urban Professional Men Impress Their Women Friends…”. 
  • Next, instead of “blah… blah… blahing” the description of the problem, tell it like the real hero’s dilemma that it is: ”The sex lives of 1.65 million urban professionals depended on the reliable restaurant and entertainment suggestions of XYZ company. So, when Emails got lost or stopped coming, a whole generation became like lambs lost in the woods…” 
  • Continue your story to describe the emotional trauma experienced by our hero because of his or her dilemma. 
  • And, then explain the joy in Mudville as the mighty Casey got his swing back! 


Other tips are located at:


8 Tips For Creating a Great Case Study


How to Write an Effective Case Study


How to Create a Compelling Business Case Study


4 tips for writing a strong case study