How to write case studies for your website
A client case study is a summary of a project you’ve been proud to work on. It tells the reader about the project, what you did and the impact you had. But it goes far beyond a simple show and tell.
Case studies have fantastic marketing potential.
They’re aimed at readers who could become your clients if they like what they see, so they’re essentially your opportunity to show off how completely amazing you are at what you do. It’s about time you blew your own trumpet!
If you include a whole bunch of case studies on your website, it’s also proof that you have a wealth of experience and know what you’re talking about. It shows clients that you’ll put the same time, energy and thought-process into their own project.
That’s why it matters that your case studies are well written and easy to read.
As a freelance writer, I can work with you to create effective case studies that highlight your USPs and pull in custom, but if you fancy having a go yourself, my guide to writing case studies should get you off to a good start!
Let’s split this up into: content (the three questions to address in your case study) and style (top writing tips to give your case studies the edge)…
Content
Break up your case study into the following three sections.
1. What was the project?
First of all, you need to give a bit of background about the project you’re writing up.
Remember your reasons for writing a case study here. You’re wanting to bring in new clients and prove that you’re the bee’s knees. So, be sure to include anything that makes this project stand out. Be your own cheerleader and big yourself up!
For example, you weren’t just designing a theatre set for a ballet production. You were designing a theatre set *from scratch* for a *brand-new* ballet production *from one of the most renowned dance companies in the country*.
Think back to the very start of the project. Think about the things you were nervous or excited about and why. You don’t need to include all your fears going into it, but do mention any details that made this project more challenging or one-of-a-kind – because that’s why it’s so impressive that you smashed it in the end!
2. What did you do?
Okay, so how did you plan for the project and execute it so bloomin’ well?
Even if it didn’t feel very structured at the time, can you – in hindsight – extract a little method to the madness and write up a clear, step-by-step framework that you took?
This section is where you’ll want to point out any creative or unusual approaches that you applied to the project. You’re showing readers why you’re special. Why they should choose you over a different business.
Sticking with our ballet set-design example, perhaps you were able to leverage unique business connections to create a certain type of prop. Or you harnessed your can-do attitude to make something wacky work.
Basically, what did you bring to this project that someone else couldn’t or wouldn’t have?
This is also your space to highlight any unavoidable issues and how you expertly navigated them and essentially saved the day.
3. What impact did you have?
This might just be the most important section of your case study. We’ve looked at the what and the how, and now we need… the so what?
Here, you get to tell readers what the project achieved. You’re looking for proof points that demonstrate success.
Maybe your set design received special mention in critics’ reviews. Perhaps it enabled the dancers to pull off some mind-bending moves. Was the production a sell-out success? Can you claim to have been a part of that achievement? (Yes!)
Sometimes, the impact isn’t immediately obvious. It might need a bit more time to see the results of your project. In this case, this third section of your case study is a good place to spotlight a client testimonial or any other positive feedback received from stakeholders.
Style
1. Less is more
You want clients to read the whole case study if possible, not just skim the first section and move on. So present them with concise, easy-to-read chunks of text.
One or two short paragraphs per section is a good rule of thumb. Any more, and you risk losing readers before they get to the juicy bits.
2. Stick to your brand tone of voice
If you want a reminder of the importance of tone of voice, check out my blog all about it.
There can be a temptation to leave brand tone of voice behind when it comes to case studies. But don’t succumb to it!
Yes, they might be following a structure, but that doesn’t mean your business personality and ethos can’t shine through.
Tone of voice is about the words you choose and what they tell readers about your business. It’s how clients differentiate between your organisation and another one in the same industry. So, it’s crucial to keep it consistent across all your copy.
Here are a couple of easy ways to showcase tone of voice in a case study:
You could use headings that reflect your brand for each of the three sections of your case study.
It might be simple and clear: ‘The brief, ‘The work, ‘The impact’. Or it could be something more conversational and playful, such as ‘The brief in brief’, ‘How we nailed it, ‘How we knew we nailed it’.
You could turn your case study into an interview to reflect an authentic voice from your team. Question the main people involved and quote their answers.
For example: ‘We caught up with Chloe, who led the set-design project. Chloe, what were your first thoughts when you got the brief? Chloe: We were all so excited! This was a huge project for us, with a lot of scope for creativity…’ etc.
3. Remember not to simply list
The quickest way to lose your reader’s attention is if they get stuck in a repetitive, list-like account of your project: ‘We did this… and then we did that. We achieved 700 of this, that and the other…’
Take them on a journey and tell it like a story! Vary your sentence lengths, don’t start with the same word every time, and remember to break up long chunks of text into sensible paragraphs for ease of reading.
(You can actually apply those golden nuggets to all your writing for immediate polish!)
One final top tip coming up: at the end of your case study, hyperlink to your related services, so that the potential client (who was just wowed by reading about your previous project) knows exactly where to go to get more of the same.
Good luck, and remember, I’m here to help if you’re looking for a freelance writer to write up your case studies for you.
Send me an email and let’s have a quick chat to get the ball rolling!
