In an era where every niche seems completely saturated, learning how to write a case study is one of the most important time investments you can make in your business.
That’s because case studies help you present a compelling story of success to bottom-of–funnel decision makers. Do it right, and a solid case study can greatly increase your chances of closing new deals.
A 2023 study from the Content Marketing Institute found that 36% of B2B marketers consider case studies to be effective tools for converting prospects into customers.
In this article, I’ll show you step-by-step exactly how to write a case study that makes an impact. Along the way, I’ll highlight several stellar case studies that illustrate how to do it right.
What you will learn
- What a case study is and what it's not.
- How an effective case study can help establish you as an expert and land more clients.
- How to choose the right topic for your case study, taking into account client successes and broad appeal in your customer's industry.
- The essential parts of a good case study and how to write each one.
- Style and formatting points that will make your case study stand out for readers to understand.
- 4 tips for conducting an effective client interview.
- 6 real-life case studies that you can use as examples for creating your own customer stories.
What is a case study?
A case study is a detailed story about how your products or services helped a client overcome a challenge or meet a goal. Its main purpose is to prove to potential customers that you understand their problems and have the experience and expertise to help solve them.
But, even though a case study can help you attract and win customers, it's not just an advertisement for your offerings.
In truth, your company shouldn’t even be the main focus of a good case study.
Instead, a winning case study follows a successful business transformation from beginning to end and shows how you made it all possible for your client.
An example of a case study that conveys a strong customer story is the deep dive we did into how ClickUp used SurferSEO to boost their blog traffic by 85% in a year.
Why you should write a case study
The most obvious reason why you should write a case study is that it's a great way to show potential customers how others in their position have benefited from your product or service.
Here are a few of the key benefits of writing a case study, all of which can help you turn readers into customers.
Demonstrates expertise
A well-written case study shows clearly how your company solved a complex problem or helped a particular customer make improvements using your solution.
This is the sort of expertise other potential clients will look for when they run into the same sort of issues.
For instance, one of CrowdStrike's case studies shows how they helped Vijilan scale its logging capacity so they could stop turning away business.
This positions CrowdStrike as experts in helping deal with log management issues.
Other companies dealing with their own logging problems will definitely find this to be a compelling story. And you can bet CrowdStrike will be on their short list of potential solution providers after reading this case study.
Educates potential customers
You might have the best product on the market, but it won't do you any good if potential clients don't understand how it might help them.
A case study breaks down those barriers by showing real-life examples of your product in action, helping other customers solve their problems.
A good example is the Trello case study library.
Each story gives detailed examples showing how the customer uses Trello and includes actual screenshots from their workflows.
Here is an interesting snapshot from the BurgerFi example.
Here, you get a glimpse of a live Trello board that BurgerFi uses to manage their marketing assets.
By showing how existing clients use your product, you make it a lot easier for future customers to imagine how it might work for their needs, too.
Generates leads
A strong case study is a valuable piece of content that provides insights and can help companies make decisions.
Many of them would be happy to give you their contact information in exchange for the chance to read about potential solutions to their problems.
That combination of valuable content and a hungry market makes case studies great tools for lead generation.
You can either gate part of your case study and leave the rest of it public, or require an email address and other contact information in order to download the full study.
That's the approach Pulsara took in detailing how their telehealth communication platform helped EvergreenHealth improve efficiency:
The names and addresses you collect with this approach will be about as warm as you could ever hope for since they probably have the same sort of problems you solved in your case study.
Along the same lines, case studies can be extremely effective in upselling or cross-selling other products to the decision-makers who read them.
And they are great tools for persuading a client to make a purchase with you.
Indeed, a great case study can often be the "final straw" that lands you a client considering your services.
A 2023 survey by Uplift Content, for example, found that 39% of SaaS marketers ranked case studies as being very effective for increasing sales.
That made it their #1 tactic for the second year in a row.
Builds trust
Potential clients want to know that they can trust you to handle their business with care and to deliver on your promises.
A case study is the perfect vehicle to show that you can do just that.
Take advantage of that opportunity to present statistics, client testimonials, graphics, and any other proof that you can get results.
For example, in their case study about helping a law firm uncover critical data for a tricky case, Kroll shows us just how much they were able to cut through the noise:
Any law firm staring at its own pile of documents to search through would love to have that haystack reduced by a factor of 32.5x, too.
And Sodexo makes good use of customer testimonials in their case studies, like this quote from the procurement lead for a Montana mining company.
Having existing customers tell the world that they count on you is powerful free advertising and builds trust with your readers. That can help transform them into customers down the road.
Provides social proof
You can also use your case study to show that your product or service works in a specific industry.
Real-world examples of customer success stories position you as someone their peers and competitors can turn to, too.
For instance, Stericycle details how they helped seven children's hospitals get a handle on their "sharps" management:
They also include glowing quotes from hospital leaders in the same study.
Other hospitals looking for help in disposing of their hazardous waste will know right away after reading this study that Stericycle understands their needs.
This is the type of social proof that can really help establish you as a go-to solution for the industries you serve.
How to choose a subject for your case study
In order to get the most bang for your buck from your case study, you need to make sure you pick a topic that resonates with your target audience. And one that can make your solution look its best.
Below are 4 ways to select the best subject for your case study.
1. Choose a popular topic
Make sure the topic you tackle in your case study is one that most of your potential clients are searching for.
You may be tempted to highlight an unusual project that you find especially interesting. But that usually won't have the same sort of selling power as a topic with more broad appeal.
For instance, Aruba Networks has helped colleges and universities with all sorts of networking projects. Some of those involve really fascinating edge cases like research labs, esports arenas, and other innovative solutions.
But what most schools are looking for in a network upgrade is improving connectivity across campus while enhancing security and saving money.
Those are exactly the outcomes Aruba focuses on in its Doane University case study.
Remember that your case study is likely to be read by decision-makers at the bottom of the sales funnel who are ready to buy.
Your content needs to resonate with them and address the questions they want answered in order to make their decision.
Aruba tackles their customers' concerns head-on throughout the Doane study, as you can see from their section headings:
- "Realizing a hyper-connected vision"
- "10X throughput eliminates academic barriers"
- "More secure with less effort"
- "Greener and more resilient at better insurance rates"
College administrators can see at a glance that Aruba understands their needs and has helped other institutions with similar problems.
2. Consider relevance and attractiveness
Although you want to choose a popular subject for your case study (as discussed above), it's also important to make sure it's relevant to your target audience.
For instance, if you provide design services, a one-off project you did to help a local company set up its website might have taught you a lot. But most of your potential readers will be much more interested in reading about how your designs helped that client improve brand perception.
It’s also best to choose a situation where your product or service is used in a way that you expect most potential users to adopt.
For example, Allegion's Mount Holyoke case study (PDF) details how one campus used their products to move to contactless and mobile entry systems.
Students today demand more control over their physical security than ever before. And the administrative overhead of managing thousands of doors and physical keys on a college campus is enormous.
As a result, most schools are interested in using technology to enable their students and reduce staffing costs.
Allegion hits those points dead-on with this case study.
An added benefit of choosing a topic with broad appeal among your target client base is that you can use the content in your normal distribution channels.
For example, you can publish all or part of it as a blog post, include it in your newsletter, or use it as the basis for a YouTube video. Wherever your audience is, that's probably a good place to promote your case study.
3. Identify a 5 star use case
A case study is like a sales executive for your company.
It needs to show your product or service in the best possible light and highlight its features and benefits while distinguishing it from other products.
Choose a client example that really makes your solution look like a superstar and showcases its most outstanding attributes.
You should also avoid showing your product or service being used in a novel or completely innovative way. While that can provide some solid insight, you risk alienating your typical client who needs to know that you can solve their specific problem.
Instead, your case study should demonstrate how your solution took on a common industry problem and delivered stellar results.
A great example is Beckman Coulter's case study that details their work with Alverno Labs.
The objective was to reduce the time it took Alverno to deliver lab test results while reducing operating costs, which are common goals for many testing labs.
The case study presents a detailed description of how Beckman Coulter implemented a continuous improvement process for Alverno. They enhance the discussion with several meaty visuals like this project roadmap:
They also include plenty of tangible data to prove their success.
And of course, include direct client testimonials:
From top to bottom, this case study proves that Beckman Coulter understands their customers business needs and can offer top-notch solutions.
4. Find a satisfied customer
You're going to need input from your client in order to build the most complete and accurate case study that you can.
So when you're trying to choose a customer story to use, look for a client who is happy to share their positive experience working with you.
Try to find one who seems genuinely eager to talk so that they will be timely with their responses to your questions.
If you have a customer who is willing to sit down for an actual interview with you, they're a great candidate. You'll get answers quickly, and the client is obviously comfortable enough with your relationship to talk with you directly.
A good example that focuses on a satisfied client comes from Aerofloat, an Australian wastewater treatment company.
In their Norco Food Case Study, Aerofloat reports that Norco hired them for additional projects as a result of their successful prior engagement:
It's always good to show prospective clients that your existing customers stick with you.
So try to pick a case study done in collaboration with a current client, not one from the past.
Aerofloat also highlights their ongoing relationship with Norco by also including them in the customer list on their About page:
How to write a case study
Now that we’ve covered the benefits of writing a case study and figured out how to pick the best topic for your situation, it’s time to get down to the business of writing.
Below is a rundown of the sections that make up the structure of a typical case study. For each piece, I’ll show you what types of content you should include and give you an example of a study that does it right.
Here are 8 tips to writing a case study.
1. Attention grabbing title
The title of your case study needs to grab potential readers attention and convince them that this is a valuable piece of content.
Make your title catchy, concise, and descriptive, just like you would for a good blog post. But you also need to make sure you give your readers a clear idea of what the case study is about.
Offer them at least a hint of the type of results you were able to deliver, too.
It’s a good idea to use numbers here – the higher, the better. It's especially effective if you can show how quickly you got results and how much money your client saved or made as a result of working with you.
Our ClickUp case study that I mentioned earlier is a good example. The full title is
SurferSEO Helps ClickUp Publish 150+ Articles And Achieve Blog Traffic Growth of 85% in 12 Months.
Here are some other case studies that make effective use of numbers in their titles:
- Healthcare Administrative Partners Increases Online Patient Payments by 20% in Two Months
- Case Study: Taylor Kotwa, Sprinter, Increases FTP 7% in 4 months
- Case Study: Lakeview Farms Reduced Downtime by 36% in 6 Months
- CASELY case study: Improved first response time by 10x while experiencing 16,954% growth
This type of headline gives potential clients a sense that you will work with urgency to improve their bottom-line results.
2. Hook readers in your introduction
The introduction of your case study should set the stage for the comprehensive narrative that follows.
Give a brief description of the problem for context and quickly introduce the customer's story. Touch on the results you helped them achieve, but don't go overboard on details.
Overall, the introduction should give your reader just enough information to keep them engaged and ready to move into the heart of the case study.
It should also establish that they're in the right place and that you are the right person to be telling this story.
This case study about the cybersecurity program at Investors Bank includes a solid example of an effective introduction:
3. Highlight the challenge
This section should clearly outline the problem or challenge that your customer is facing.
Help your readers understand why a solution was necessary, and why that specific pain point was bothering the client.
And, since this is the entire motivation for the project in the first place, don't skimp on details.
For instance, one of Verkada's case studies explains why maintaining security cameras is a huge challenge for Crystal Mountain Resort in Washington state. They start off with a direct quote from the resort's IT director:
The elevation tops out at a little over 7,000 feet, so the weather conditions can get extreme. We needed durable cameras capable of handling everything from snowstorms to 100 MPH winds.
That makes it crystal clear what sort of problem Crystal Mountain was facing.
The case study then adds more detail with separate subsections about hardware durability, image quality, and cumbersome footage retrieval.
By the time they finish reading this section, your readers should have no doubt about what the problem is and why a solution is needed.
4. Solve their problem
The solution section is one of the most important parts of a case study.
This is your chance to describe how your product or service provided a solution to the problem or challenge your client was having.
It's where you can really start to make a connection with potential new clients by showing them that you understand the issue at hand.
First, provide some details about how you analyzed the situation. The Kroll case study on handling critical legal data mentioned earlier does a great job of this with bullet points describing their research process.
This type of analysis helps build confidence that you take a thorough approach to your engagements and are looking out for your clients best interests.
Now you can move on to describe the solution you and your client chose based on your investigation.
In their legal case study, Kroll determined that the best solution involved digitizing thousands of paper documents and using AI to analyze more than a million documents.
Kroll describes in detail how they used their RelativityOne system to achieve those goals:
This level of detail helps prospective customers better understand the root cause of their problems and positions you as the right company to solve them.
5. Showcase your results
The results section is all about proving that you can actually deliver on the promise of your proposed solution. Go heavy on the details here, too, and make sure your readers understand the results you achieved.
Wherever possible, use specific numbers and data points to show exactly how effective your solution was for your client.
A good example is this BetterBricks case study showing how they helped an aerospace company slash energy costs.
They distilled their bottom line results into a simple table:
The text of the study then goes into more detail about what these numbers mean, but this quick graphic lets readers know right away the scope of the results achieved.
Here is a sampling of BetterBrick’s more detailed explanation of their results in this case:
This is your place to really crow about the success you achieved with your client, so make it as obvious as possible just how impactful you were.
6. Use multimedia well
One way to make a lasting impression on potential clients is to include relevant visuals throughout your case study.
Graphs, screenshots, and product photos help break up the text and make your study more engaging overall.
But they can also add details to your story and make a memorable visual impact beyond what mere words can accomplish.
We got a taste of that with the table of results in the BetterBricks example above, but that's just the start.
Inrix is a good example of a company that loads up its case studies with insightful and engaging media to tell a better story.
For instance, in their breakdown of a collaboration with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (DOT), Inrix uses charts, tables, and graphs throughout.
One innovative example is this diagram about crash distances:
This really brings the idea to life in a way that words alone can't, and it's likely to stick with readers long after they've clicked off the case study.
Other types of media that companies use to good effect in their case studies include pictures of key client stakeholders, interactive charts, tables, and simple graphs.
You can see in this high-level overview that Inrix includes most of these in their Pennsylvania DOT case study:
You can even use video to demonstrate your solution or to share a client testimonial.
7. Quotes
If possible, include direct quotes from your client to add authenticity to the case study.
This will show potential customers that you and your existing client have a good relationship and that they value your work.
It’s pretty compelling stuff to have a ringing endorsement like this one from an EnergyCAP case study, to show your readers:
You can place customer quotes throughout the case study to highlight important points, and you should definitely try to include at least one that shows overall customer satisfaction.
Chances are you have some of these quotes already in the form of testimonials or as part of the customer interview you conducted in preparing for your case study (more on that later).
You can use those quotes here if they fit the context of your case study.
That will save time and red tape for both you and your client since they'll be reviewing your final case study before it goes live anyway.
8. Conclusion
The conclusion should summarize the key points of the case study and reinforce the success of the solution. It could also include a call to action, encouraging readers to try your product or service or to get in touch for more information.
You might also include information about future plans with the client to reinforce the idea that your relationship is strong and ongoing.
That's the approach that Gravitate Design used in their case study about helping GoBeyond with their bounce rates and time on page:
Like the introduction, the conclusion section of a case study should be short and sweet, giving just enough detail to make the reader want to hear more from you.
Checklist for case studies
Beyond the story that you want to tell in your case study, you also need to pay attention to several other factors. Indeed, the layout and format of your study can have a big impact on how effective it is at keeping your readers engaged and delivering your message.
Here is a quick checklist for creating case studies.
Break up the text with headings and subheadings
Big blocks of text can be intimidating and make it tough for your audience to stay on track.
In contrast, a case study with clear headings and subheadings throughout breaks up the story and gives readers visual clues about what's coming.
This also makes the case study easier for readers to scan and helps you keep each section focused on a single idea.
Use bullet points for lists or key points
Along the same lines, bullet points let you present important information in small bits that are easy for readers to digest.
Some of the best uses of bullet points include:
- A series of facts or tips
- A list of product features or benefits
- A quick summary of results
- Steps in a how-to procedure
- A rundown of multiple statistics
For these bite-sized hunks of detail, bullets often make for a much cleaner and readable list than jamming all the information into a single paragraph.
Bullet point lists also make great quick references for readers to come back to later.
Highlight key points with bold or italic text
Bold and italic text draws the reader’s eyes to the words you highlight, which lets you really drive home key ideas in your case study.
You can use this technique to introduce new terms, place emphasis on a sentence, and showcase important parts of your approach or results.
Like bullet points, bold and italic text also give readers a visual anchor for reference as they’re working through your document.
Make paragraphs short and to-the-point
Aim for 3-4 sentences per paragraph to keep the text readable and engaging. Each paragraph should focus on one main idea to support the subject of the section it’s in.
Using short paragraphs tells readers at a glance that there are break points throughout your case study and helps keep them engaged.
Keep consistent length across the case study
Throughout all parts of your case study, try to cover your main points in detail without overwhelming the reader.
Your potential clients are there to find a possible solution to their problems, not to read a novel.
Give them an inviting document structure and then lead them through each section with clear explanations and no fluff.
Adjust the length based on the complexity of the subject
The flip side of the tip above about keeping your case study tight and focused is that you need to make sure you cover your topic in detail.
Very complex topics will require more explanation and longer overall case studies than simpler subjects.
For example, a case study about paving a church parking lot might be pretty short.
But a story about implementing a comprehensive information security program for a state government will likely be much longer and more detailed.
Include a summary with some takeaways
At the end of your case study, summarize the key takeaways and results to reinforce the message you’re trying to get across.
Briefly recap the problem your client was facing, the solution you came up with, and the results you achieved. Think of this as an executive summary that gives business leaders the TL;DR version of your customer’s success story.
Content Snare includes an eye-catching summary in the case study detailing their efforts to grow their email list:
The overall goal is to leave potential clients with a good last impression and invite them to contact you with questions.
Use visuals to break up text and illustrate points
As we saw in the "How to write a case study" section above, graphs, charts, or images can make your case study more engaging and help illustrate key ideas or results. They also add visual variety and help break up the monotony of text-heavy studies.
Use these types of visuals to help keep your readers interested and make your story more complete.
Below is a high-level view of a portion of Advanced HPC’s Philips case study, which does a great job of incorporating the points in this section. It pulls together all the visual elements to create a very appealing reader experience.
4 tips to create an effective case study
You’re going to need your customer’s input in order to craft the most effective case study possible. It’s their story, after all, and they’re the ones who know what it was like to work with you throughout the process.
They also hold key details that you probably don’t know.
So, once you have their permission to write about the project, you’ll need to talk to them about the specifics. But you also want to respect their time.
Here are 4 tips on how to conduct an interview for your case study.
Prepare questions in advance
Know what information you need and prepare questions to pull that information from your client.
Doing this in advance will help you formulate the questions and sequence them properly to avoid bias and wasting time.
Have a few follow-up or emergency questions ready, too, in case you run into a dead end.
Record the interview
With your client’s permission, record the interview to ensure accuracy and so you can come back to listen to important points again.
This helps you avoid bothering your clients with follow-up questions and also gives you more freedom to let the interview evolve in a natural conversational manner.
Make the interviewee comfortable
Explain the interview process to your client, why you're asking them to talk, and how the information will be used. Remember that you are the one who “needs” the case study, not them.
So you go the extra mile to ensure that your guest is as comfortable as possible.
That also means being flexible with the format of your interview.
If your client doesn’t have time for calls, offer to trade voice notes. Or give them a shared Google document for trading questions and answers.
And if you do end up conducting a live interview, agree to meet at a time that’s best for them.
No matter how you end up conducting your interview, make it clear that your client will be able to review the final version before you make it live.
Give them veto power over any of the information you put together.
Ask open-ended questions
Even though you’ll start out with a series of questions you need answered, don’t limit yourself to those. Instead, encourage your interviewee to share their story in their own words.
Leave some room to ask open-ended questions and let the conversation evolve naturally.
Here are a few examples of the types of questions for discussion:
- What would you do differently if you were starting this project again?
- What do you think about XYZ emerging technology in relation to your industry's challenges?
- What sorts of other projects do you think Acme's solution might help with?
- How do your company's day-to-day operations and needs from how the relevant theories describe the industry?
Especially if you’re recording the interview, as suggested above, you can go back later and put things in a logical order.
Once you have all of the raw material, then you can curate the information and edit it to come up with your final product.
6 case study examples to follow
Now that you know what makes a great case study and how to write one, let's finish up with a few more top-notch business case study examples.
Each of the case studies below hits many of the points in this article, but they all take a different approach. Use them for inspiration or when you need a little refresher on how to write a case study.
Databox
This case study provides a detailed account of how Monograph, a B2B SaaS company, improved its marketing projects and reporting using Databox.
It's a pretty straightforward example of the best practices we've discussed in this article, with an introduction followed by background information on the company (Monograph) and the challenges they faced with manual tracking of each data point.
It describes the solution that Databox helped put in place and then shows clear evidence of the results their customer achieved:
Case studies don't come much more textbook than this one, which makes it a great example to follow.
Growth Design on Airbnb
Growth Design takes a totally unique approach to case studies, each one is an online comic book!
Read through their case study about Airbnb, though, and you'll see that it meets all the criteria for a complete case study even if the setup is a little different than most.
Here is a look at the landing page for this beauty of a study.
The author starts out with a problem: the need to book a place to stay in a foreign country in a hurry. So he heads to Airbnb but ends up overwhelmed by choices and bounces to Google Maps to make his reservation.
He concludes that Airbnb was not the full solution for him in this case and suggests several places they could make improvements.
It's a pretty neat dive into a well-known user experience, and it's also a great lesson in how to use visuals to keep your readers engaged in your case study.
Webflow
This case study about how Grubhub used Webflow to build a viral marketing campaign hits you with stunning results right off the bat.
From there, the study tells the full story of how they achieved these results. Even though the author doesn't explicitly break out the problem, solution, and results sections, she still takes the reader through that journey.
It's a concise but complete story broken up by a few choice graphics.
Slack
This case study dives into how Employment Hero uses Slack to keep their remote employees engaged and productive as the company grows.
It details how Employee Hero continuously reevaluates its app usage to identify possible solutions to issues that arise and how Slack consistently helps meet the challenges.
This case study is a great example of picking a use case that is relevant to most of Slack's user base -- improving communication and productivity among remote employees.
Slack also makes effective use of quotes from the decision makers at Employment Hero.
Surfer
We already talked about our ClickUp case study a little earlier in this article, but it's worth a deeper look as an example to help guide your writing.
As you would expect, this case study hits main points we've covered here: problem statement, solution, and results.
But there are a couple of "extras" that make this one stand out.
For starters, it doesn't just present a single solution. It presents three, each one addressing a different aspect of ClickUp's objectives and each one showcasing a different Surfer feature set.
For example, solution #1 describes how ClickUp improved their on-page SEO with the help of Surfer’s Content Editor.
This case study also provides a high-level view of ClickUp’s project management processes and describes how they incorporated Surfer into their content workflows.
It’s a really instructive example of how you can use a case study to help prospective clients envision how your product might fit their situation.
Zoom’s library
This one isn't a single case study at all but a library full of case studies designed to help potential clients understand how Zoom can benefit them.
Here you'll find stories about how very recognizable organizations like Capital One, Vox Media, and the University of Miami are using Zoom to boost connectivity and productivity among remote workers.
There are plenty of good examples here that you can consult when you get stuck writing your own case study.
And the entire library is a great example of using case studies to demonstrate expertise with the help of social proof:
The Zoom case study library also makes liberal use of video, which might give you some good ideas about how you can, too.
Key takeaways
- Case studies are one of the best ways to generate leads and convert readers into customers.
- By showcasing the success you've had helping previous customers, case studies position you as an expert in your field.
- Good case studies can be the final push businesses need in their decision making process to buy your products or services.
- Pick a use case for your study that has broad appeal in your industry and that showcases your products and services in the best light possible.
- Effective case studies follow a predictable format: introduction, problem statement, solution, results, and conclusion.
- Make your case studies as readable as possible by including visual elements like graphs and images, and by breaking up the text into smaller sections, subsections, and concise paragraphs.
- Be as thorough and accurate as possible by conducting client interviews to gather background information for your case studies.
- Follow top-notch case studies for inspiration and ideas about how to make your own case studies as good as possible.
Conclusion
A well-written case study shines a light on your products and services like nothing else and helps position you as an expert in your field.
By showing that you understand their problems and have helped others overcome similar issues, you can prove to prospective clients that you are well-suited to help them, too.
Use the step-by-step instructions in this article to craft a case study that helps you and your company stand out from the competition.
