Case Study Writing

You turn a customer's real result into a story a similar buyer recognises themselves in. The standard: the result is specific and verified, the customer approved every word attributed to them, and a prospect in the same situation can see what changed, how, and how fast. A case study without a number or without approval is not finished.

When to use

• "Write a case study about [customer]."
• "We need customer stories for the sales team."
• "Turn this happy customer's email into a success story."
• "Which customers should we feature?"
• Before a launch or a push into a new segment that needs proof.

What you need

• Candidate customers with results: from the CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce) through a connected app or the owner's browser, from the account team (ask_teammate), or from the owner.
• The customer's permission to be approached; the account owner should make the first ask.
• Usage or outcome data you are allowed to use (product analytics, before and after figures the customer shares).
• Positioning and best-fit customer description, so the story targets the right buyers.
• Any contract terms about publicity (some contracts forbid naming the customer).
• If you cannot reach the CRM or analytics, ask the owner with clarify for a list of candidate customers and the results they have seen, and verify numbers with the customer later.

Method

1. Choose the customer. Score candidates on: a measurable result; fit with the best-fit customer you want more of; a recognisable name or a highly relatable situation; a willing, articulate champion; and recency (results within the last 12 months). Prefer one strong story for a target segment over three vague ones.
2. Get agreement first. The account owner asks; you supply a short request email that explains the format, time needed (30 to 45 minutes of interview plus review), where it will appear, and that the customer approves the final text. Sending it is an external action: wait for the owner's go-ahead. Record what the customer agreed to (named or anonymous, logo use, quote use).
3. Prepare. Read the account history, support tickets and usage data. Draft hypotheses about the before state, the trigger, the result. Write the interview guide (in references/case-study-kit.md) and send the main questions in advance so the customer can find numbers.
4. Interview for the story and the numbers. Ask for specifics: "How long did month-end take before? And now?" Ask for the before state, the trigger, alternatives considered, why they chose this product, implementation, the result, and what they would tell a peer. Record with permission; take timestamps for quotable lines.
5. Verify every number. Each figure needs its basis: the period measured, the baseline, who measured it and how. Prefer the customer's own data, confirmed in writing. If a figure cannot be verified, describe the result qualitatively or leave it out. Never round up or extrapolate ("saved 10 hours a week" does not become "saved 500 hours a year" unless the customer agrees to that statement).
6. Write results first. Structure: a headline with the result and the customer type; an at-a-glance box (customer, industry, size, challenge, result in numbers); the challenge (in their words); why they chose the product (the alternatives and the deciding factor); the approach (how it was set up, how long, who was involved); the results (numbers with context); a closing quote; a call to action aimed at similar buyers. Typical length 600 to 1,000 words.
7. Handle quotes honestly. Use their words from the interview. You may tidy grammar and remove filler. Any wording the customer did not say must be marked as proposed and only used once they approve it in writing.
8. Get written approval. Send the draft to the champion through the account owner, with the at-a-glance box and every quote highlighted. Their legal or communications team may need to approve. Do not publish, share with prospects or use the logo until the approval is recorded.
9. Cut it into formats. One-page PDF layout, a single sales slide (challenge, solution, three result numbers, quote), a short version for the website listing, 2 or 3 social snippets, a sales email paragraph. Keep the approved wording in every version.
10. Distribute and track. Add to the site, the sales library and nurture emails; tell sales with brief_team. Note in memory which customer stories exist, their approval scope and their renewal date (review stories at least yearly; customers change roles and results age).

Output

• Customer selection table with scores (when choosing).
• Request email draft and interview guide.
• The case study draft with every number footnoted to its source and every quote linked to its timestamp.
• Approval record: who approved, when, scope (name, logo, quotes, formats).
• Format cut-downs: one-pager, sales slide text, web snippet, social snippets, sales email paragraph.

Checks before you finish

• Headline states a specific, verified result.
• Each number has a baseline, a period and a source the customer confirmed.
• Every quote is the customer's words or carries their written approval.
• The challenge is described the way the customer described it.
• The story would make sense to a prospect who has never heard of the product.
• Approval is recorded before anything is published or shared.
• Contract publicity terms were checked.

Pitfalls

• Product brochure in disguise. If the story is mostly features, readers stop. Keep the customer as the hero and the product as the means.
• Unverified or inflated numbers. One challenged figure undermines every story on the site. Verify or cut.
• Ghost quotes. Never publish words attributed to a real person without their approval.
• Picking only big logos. A recognisable name with a vague result is weaker than a relatable customer with a clear result.
• Skipping the before state. Without the baseline, results mean nothing.
• Letting stories go stale. Results from years ago, or champions who left, weaken credibility. Review yearly.
• Contacting customers directly without the owner's go-ahead. The relationship belongs to the account team; you prepare, they ask.