How to Write an Effective Case Study

A case study can help promote your business as it shares real stories, testimonials and evidence of the results you are getting for your clients. Whether you want to attract new clients or improve retention, a case study will help build trust in your business and prove that your work is effective and valuable.

Creating an effective story

A case study is a narrative that tells the story of an actual situation including the background, context, problem, solution, and results. A well-written case study will grab the attention of your readers and hold their interest.

As an example, think of your podcaster - what draws you into listening to them? Is it the way they tell the story? The way they interact with their guests?

Telling a story through an effectively written case study is no different. Be creative, tell a story, take your customers on a journey from start to finish. Draw on their emotion to get them to answer you call to action - perhaps giving you a call.

Where to start with creating a case study

To write an effective case study, you will need to select a specific problem that your business solved for a particular client - you want to share results after all of all of you or your teams hard work.

Once you have selected a problem, you will need to gather information from the client including their background, the context of the problem, the steps you took to solve the problem, and the results of your efforts.

Capture the content

We have found the most effective way to generate a meaningful case study is to gather this information through an interview, ideally recorded! By interviewing your client (another service Waves Connects can provide) you can concentrate on asking the right questions or diving into details when a client gets excited about something that has worked really well for them.

This has multiple benefits to you. Not only can your copywriter transcribe this to help them create engaging content, but you can grab customer testimonials for use across social media and when promoting the case study - of course, you need to ask for permission first.

Two methods for formatting your case study

There are a few different ways that you can format your case study. The most important thing is to choose a format that is easy to read and understand and that also works with your tone of voice. You will also want to make sure that your case study flows smoothly from beginning to end.

One popular format for case studies is the Problem-Solution-Result (PSR) format. In this type of case study, you will begin by introducing the reader to the client and providing some background information about them. Next, you will describe the problem that the client was facing. After that, you will detail the steps that you took to solve the problem. Finally, you will conclude by discussing the results of your efforts and how they benefited the client.

Another common format for case studies is known as the Challenge-Method-Results (CMR) format. This format is similar to PSR but with a few key differences. In CMR format case studies, you will begin by describing the challenge that the client was facing. Next, you will detail the methods that you used to overcome that challenge. Finally, you will conclude by discussing the results of your efforts and how they benefited the client.

They are not that dissimilar, but following these sorts of case study formats will help ensure you're delivering engaging content for your clients and prospects to review.

Where to use case studies

Did you know that one case study can create over 20-30 different pieces of content?

Think about that.

You already have the interview, then you create your article-based case study. From that, you could create a podcast from the audio (great when you have a series of them lined up!) and there is likely another article to generate (or three - covering the products or topics discussed), you can and then a whole host of social media posts that you can generate from each area of your case study.

To learn more about this, read our 2022 Article on Circular Conference Content for the Conference Buyers Guide.

Creating a case study is an effective use of your copywriter's time as it can generate months worth of content from one piece - the more you produce, the more likely you are to be found on search engines and social media channels with relevant and engaging content.

Recap of what's important for a case study

No matter which format you choose for your case study, there are a few key elements that should always be included.

These elements are:

1)a description of the client;

2)a description of the problem;

3)the steps taken to solve the problem;

4)the results of those efforts;

5)a quote from the client about their experience working with your company;

6)a brief summary of why other businesses should work with your company; and

7) appropriate social media messages and blog summaries for use in things like emails.

So what are you waiting for? Start writing your next case study today and discover how powerful this type of marketing can be for your business! If you need a hand with your content generation, get in touch today. at Waves Connects, we create content so you don't have to.