I wrote my first case study back in 2006 while sat in the basement office of a new tech company (think ‘The IT Crowd’ – only I wasn’t quite as clueless as Jen!). Back then the typical case study format was:
🧁Client background
🧁Problem
🧁Solution
🧁Results
🧁Testimonial
Thankfully case studies have evolved to become assets your audience looks forward to reading.
Case studies are the most valuable content you can create because it’s a third-party endorsement of how great your product/service is based on actual outcomes realised. As a case study copywriter, there’s nothing I enjoy more than telling your story through your customers’ words.
So let’s get started on answering these questions:
What is case study copywriting?
In a nutshell, case study writing tells the story of how you helped a real company overcome a real challenge. It makes for compelling reading because it is a true account of what actually happened – rather than the theoretical musings of what your product/service ‘could’ do.
Case study writing employs key copywriting techniques, including:
What does a case study copywriter do?
As a case study copywriter, it’s my job to take your customer’s words and write them up into compelling copy that converts your audience.
The process always starts with a briefing – and ideally I’ll interview your client as well as someone in your organisation to hear both sides of the story.
From the briefing I’ll identify a defining moment in the story and build the narrative out from there. By dropping the audience straight into the action, it hooks them in and makes them want to keep reading. For example:
Company ABC finds a better way to ‘buy and build’ with Product 123
When Company ABC discovered its managers were wasting two-thirds of their week on work about work, Product 123 reduced approval time by 50%, unlocked intelligent insights to reduce product set up time by 35%, and standardised workflows so product plans now take one second to complete.
Rather than wade through 3-4 paragraphs that set the scene and expand on the problem, a case study copywriter gets straight to the heart of the matter and delivers the key takeaway messages in the first 1-2 sentences.
How do you write a case study?
Every case study copywriter is different, but I’ve documented my process here:
| TEMPLATE: case study copywriting |
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| Download your B2B case study template |
Rather than take your audience through a linear timeline, I prefer to pick a key theme that speaks directly to their pain and use 3x supporting messages to illustrate the business impact. For example:
🧁Key theme: wasting time on unnecessary work.
🧁3x supporting messages: automating approvals, insights to inform continuous improvement, standardised workflows.
Ideally, the case study is no more than 1,200 words, supports your company’s core messaging, and is written in a way that makes it easy to chop up and repurpose within other content assets.
Copywriting case study examples
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Case study testimonial examples
The worst testimonials go something like this:
“Company XYZ went above and beyond our expectations, we would highly recommend them.”
It’s bad because it says absolutely nothing about what the company did and isn’t a reflection of the value that customer received.
Bad testimonials happen because your customers aren’t writers, which means although they’d love to lament about how fabulous you are, they just can’t find the right words.
My advice: write it yourself.
99% of the time customers appreciate you providing some ‘suggested wording’ they can review, and if necessary, tweak.
Download my cheat sheet on how to get your hands on the perfect testimonial…
What is B2B case study best practices?
There is an art to writing a B2B case study that your audience actually wants to read. I’ve tried to document some tips, tricks, and techniques in ‘The Little Book of…Case Studies’, which includes:
🧁When to use a case study
🧁How to ask your client for a case study
🧁Planning your case study
🧁The briefing process
🧁How to overcome common problems
🧁Apply storytelling technique
🧁Case study skeleton
🧁Case study headlines
🧁What your case study summary should include
🧁How to write the main body of your case study
🧁How to conclude your case study
🧁Your call-to-action (CTA)
🧁Editing your case study
🧁And what to do once your case study is published
| Free eBook: The Little Book of…Case Studies |
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| Download your copy here |
Why hire me to write your case study?
Because I’m a case study copywriter.
Last winter my village was battered by a storm and the skylight in my office started to leak. But I didn’t try to fix it myself because I don’t possess the skills, knowledge, or experience to do a good job – in fact, I fear that if I tried, I’d likely make the situation worse.
So I called Colin.
Over the last 3 years Colin has built our extension, converted our garage, and upgraded our kitchen and bathroom. Colin does have the skills, knowledge, and experience to fix the fault (I think it took him about 20 minutes) because all he’s ever done is work in construction.
I’m the same. I haven’t suddenly decided to give case study copywriting a go. I’ve been writing case studies for nearly 20 years.
Hire me as your case study copywriter because I have the skills, knowledge, and experience to craft a story that does your work justice AND supports your wider content marketing efforts. I can’t fix a leaky roof, but I can write a bloody good case study – as my clients will attest:
“I’ve never failed to be impressed at both her work ethic and the quality of her outputs.”
“Finding the right copywriter is never easy, so we’ve been delighted by Alice’s passion for getting under the skin of key topics that impact our audiences.”
“It’s rare you find a copywriter who understands briefs so well, quickly adopting the tone of voice and messaging expected.”
“She has helped our brand reach the next level.”
“If you’re looking for pithy, straight to the point copy then look no further!”
If you’re looking to hire a professional case study copywriter, please take a look at my services & pricing, or:
