A case study is the most persuasive page a business can publish and the one most often written as a shopping list of what was delivered. Nobody buys a list of deliverables. They buy the evidence that you have solved their problem before.
This structure works for any service business. It takes about half a day per case study, most of which is getting the client’s side.
- 1
Choose the client your ideal prospect resembles
Not your biggest name or your favourite job — the one closest to the customer you want more of. A prospect needs to recognise themselves in the first paragraph. A case study about a national chain does nothing for the local business reading it.
- 2
Open with their problem, in their words
Start where they started: what was not working and what it was costing them. Get this from the client rather than paraphrasing your own pitch. "We were turning away work because nobody could see our availability" beats any description of the brief.
- 3
Say what you actually did and why
Not just what was delivered — why that approach. The reasoning is what demonstrates expertise. Anyone can list a website and a booking system; explaining why you rejected the obvious option is what shows judgement worth paying for.
- 4
Include real numbers, even imperfect ones
Enquiries before and after, time saved, timescale, cost range if the client permits. "Enquiries roughly doubled over six months" is credible. "Transformed their business" is not. If you have no numbers, ask the client — they usually have a figure in mind.
- 5
Quote the client saying something specific
Chase a real quote. Push past "great to work with" to something concrete: what changed, what surprised them, what they were worried about beforehand. A specific quote is worth ten generic ones and is the part prospects believe most.
- 6
Be honest about the constraints
A tight budget, a hard deadline, an awkward legacy system. Naming a real constraint makes everything else more believable and reassures a prospect with the same limitation. Case studies where everything went perfectly read like marketing, because they are.
- 7
Finish with a next step for someone like them
Close by addressing the reader directly: if this sounds like your situation, here is what to do. A case study with no route onwards has done the persuading and left the sale on the table.
Getting the client’s side
A twenty-minute recorded call gets you everything: the problem in their words, the numbers, and the quote. Send the questions in advance so they can check figures. Always let them approve the draft — it is their reputation as well, and approval is usually quick if you have quoted them accurately.
How many you need
Three strong ones covering your main service lines beat a dozen thin ones. Aim to cover the range of customer you want, not the range of work you have done.
Frequently asked questions
Anonymised case studies still work if the detail is specific — "a nine-hole golf club in East Sussex" carries most of the value. Get permission for the numbers even if the name is withheld.
Would rather we did it?
These guides are here so you can do it yourself. If you would rather hand it over, that is what we do.
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