As a freelance writer, I often work with clients to help write, edit and polish their corporate Case Studies – the “success stories” of specific situations that help illustrate their value and explain how they work.
Here is a standard format that I like to use when writing Case Studies, along with some questions that I pose to my clients to help generate the details.
Client Background: Give a short description of the client’s business and industry.
- Who was the client?
- Who are the client’s key customers?
- How many employees do they have? How much annual revenue do they earn?
Challenge: Talk about the problem that you solved. This is the “villain” or conflict at the heart of the Case Study’s story.
- Why did the client hire you?
- What was the specific problem that you helped them to overcome?
- Why did they need your help? Why couldn’t they solve the problem with internal resources alone?
- What special circumstances were there – short timeframe, limited budget, large-scale product launch, high-stakes, high-pressure, all of the above?
Approach: Share the unique perspective that you brought to the problem.
- How did you “diagnose” the problem and decide on a remedy?
- What did you do “above and beyond” the call of duty to make the project a success?
- What did you learn during the course of the project?
- What was the “game changer” or biggest difference-maker in the project’s success?
- What were the most important insights that you gained during the project?
- What were the most important resources that you used?
- What was the client most grateful for/impressed by during the course of the work?
Results: Show how the world is a better place as a result of your work.
- What were the measurable results of the project (if possible to specify)?
- How many people/stakeholders/customers were affected by the work?
- What was the highest praise that you received from the client as a result of the work?
Case Studies can be a great way for your company to show your value. Try to pack the narrative with as much specific detail as possible – but without compromising any client confidentiality or privileged information, or course. A well-written Case Study can show prospective clients your thought process and problem-solving approach, give them a sense of what it’s like to work with you, and who how you can help create results for their business.
