A case study is the one piece of content where your customer does the persuading for you.
A good one shows how your product or service changed things for a real customer. It connects the challenge to the outcome, and it gives the next buyer a reason to believe you can do the same for them.
We’ve written hundreds of client case studies over the years, from nuclear mega-projects using SaaS tech to digital workplace transformations in Microsoft 365. These are the things we’ve found that separate a good case study from a forgettable one.
Start with a clearly defined challenge
The best case studies are built on a specific problem that readers recognise. It sets the scene and lets them see themselves in the story.
- In our case study with West Gate School for Cloudwell’s Calendar Overlay product, the challenge was simple but significant: managing multiple calendars and avoiding double-bookings in a busy special education setting.
- Usercentrics customer MAG Interactive needed to manage data privacy compliance for millions of mobile gamers without disrupting ad revenue.
When the challenge is real and specific, readers facing the same problem pay attention.
Show measurable, meaningful outcomes
Saying the client was happy isn’t enough. A good case study makes the results tangible.
- For Valo, we told the story of how its client Royal BAM Group united 10 operating companies with a multilingual intranet that reflected local cultures while aligning with group-wide values.
- For AxioWorks, we told how its product SQList enabled one customer to export data from 140,000 SharePoint sites, an enterprise-scale challenge solved with smart scripting and parallel processing.
- For Simplebim, we showed how its customer Bylor, which is managing one of the UK’s largest infrastructure projects, Hinkley Point C, uses Simplebim to model and track every concrete pour. All 30,000 of them. That has made Bylor’s forecasting and budgeting more accurate.
Numbers carry weight when the reader understands what they mean.
Make it human with real voices
What your clients say about your work is more powerful than anything you say about yourself. A good quote cuts through complexity and builds trust.
- “I LOVE THE BASE,” said an investor in Ethixbase360’s Fresh Intranet project. Four words that say it all.
- MAG Interactive on Usercentrics’ developer-friendly CMP: “We wanted the user consent experience to be as frictionless as possible and we got that.”
- From West Gate School: “It doesn’t look like a third-party app. It looks like it belongs.”
Real voices make a story credible.
Keep it clear and structured
Whether your reader is technical, commercial or somewhere in between, they should be able to follow the story easily.
The best format is still a simple one:
- Background
- Challenge
- Solution
- Results
- Client quotes
- Call to action
We use it across every kind of case study, from public sector transformations like Involv’s work with NatureScot to fast-moving SaaS implementations like Usercentrics and MAG. It keeps the story moving without overwhelming the reader.
Match the tone and detail to your audience
The tone of a case study should suit the reader and reflect the nature of the work.
- With NatureScot, accessibility legislation and employee engagement were central themes, so we wrote in a thoughtful, inclusive tone.
- With SQList, technical detail was essential, as the story involved SQL scripting, PowerShell automation and huge data volumes. We kept it structured and easy to follow, with enough depth to engage IT leaders without losing non-specialists.
Respect your reader’s time, and give them the detail they need to make a decision.
What if your customer won’t sign off the case study?
Even a great story can stall in approval. Legal teams worry about disclosing figures, and some organisations won’t publicly endorse a supplier. Sometimes your champion is too busy to push it through.
You have more options than waiting. You can plan for sign-off before the project starts, and publish content around the same problem while the case study works its way through. We’ve set out the full approach in our blog: How to get your case study signed off (and what to do when it isn’t).
If you don’t have a customer story yet, start with your own. Here we walk you through how to become customer zero.
Why case studies matter, and how we can help
Case studies are one of the most versatile tools in any content strategy. They support sales and give buyers proof, from someone like them, that your solution works.
Writing them well takes more than a success story. It takes an interview that draws out the detail, and a structure that holds the reader to the end.
That’s where we come in
We help our clients:
- Find the stories worth telling, the ones that match your goals and the buyers you want to reach
- Interview customers and your team to draw out detail and strong quotes
- Write case studies that are structured, readable and persuasive
- Manage approvals and versions, so sign-off runs smoothly
- Turn each case study into blog posts, sales collateral and social posts
Whether you’re writing your first case study or building a library, we’d love to help.
Want to create a case study that sells your story? Try our case study trial for a fixed fee, no contract needed.
