How to Write a Case Study that Sells Your Company's Results

Case studies are one of the most popular content formats in B2B marketing. And with good reason, too. When done well, a case study is compelling and engaging. And it gives prospects a clear view of what working with you is like — aka, shows them how capable you are of solving their problem.

But the trick is putting together the exact info you need to sell these results concisely and effectively so you can get all the benefits of writing a case study.

Here’s how you can do that.

5 tips for writing a case study

Summarize the biggest win in a sentence — and use it as the title

The title of your case study is the hook. You’ll need to stir enough intrigue for people to click. 

Many times, we think being clever or funny is appealing. But all you need is a simple title highlighting the customer’s end goal and how you helped them achieve it.

Your title can include a combination of these four elements: Your client, your service, their goal, and their results.

Feeling stuck? Try these prompts:

How client went from how they were before to the result they wanted to achieve.

For example: How we took a startup from a 90-day to a 30-day sales cycle by implementing RevOps.

Client achieved this benefit in a specific timeframe.

This company saw a 43% increase in conversion rates between Q1 and Q2 of 2022.

Use numbers in strategic locations

You probably noticed that both titles in the examples above have key numbers. People want a tangible result when they work with you, even if they can’t articulate it. And when you use numbers that quantify your results, you make it easier for readers to see a win.

Using numbers in your case study also provides a realistic expectation. But you need to provide context around the number. For example, a reduction in record volume in HubSpot may not mean much to a reader if they don’t know the negative impacts of the excess data. In this case, we focused on the significant result (a 40% reduction in record volume) for the title, and the description below teases what we did and explains why this is beneficial.

Use storytelling

Everyone loves a good story. Storytelling helps write a case study that’s appealing and easy to digest.

Use something like the StoryBrand framework to organize your points:

• Start by naming the character — or your customer. Who are they, and what do they do?
• Next, address their problem. What did they want to achieve?
• Then, the guide — you — enters the story. Here, you tease the solution. 
• And it’s time to introduce the plan. How’d you help them achieve their goal? This is where you get granular about the process.
• Finally, you reach the point where they avoid failure and achieve success. The customer breaks out of their previous struggle and hits their goal.

Not sure what it looks like in practice? Check out this example:

The client is a SaaS startup specializing in SecOps. Their website’s loading speed was around 10 seconds — way slower than most competitors and giving visitors a poor first impression. We devised a new, custom-design website for them that’s responsive and loads 70% more quickly than the previous one. So customers are no longer dropping out. Not only that but thanks to the faster website, we saw a 42% decrease in exit rates and a 20% increase in form submissions.

Tell your audience what to do next

Every piece of content needs to tell your readers what to do next.

This is especially the case with case studies, demos, and other high-intent forms of content. Think about it — if you’re reading a case study, chances are you’re more interested in the product than if you’re skimming a blog. The same can be said about your readers.

Whether you want them to purchase a product, book a demo or consultation, or continue to another section of your website, tell ‘em.

How to use HubSpot to share your case study

Now, there are two camps on how to publish your case study. Traditionally, companies use case studies as lead magnets. But many marketers now advocate for ungated content. 

We won’t dive into the pros and cons of each strategy now. But there are considerations to make regardless of your choice.

If you choose to gate your case study, you’ll need to create a landing page with a form. And you’ll need the actual file if it’s a download. Alternatively, you can create another page people are directed to once they submit the form. Up to you.

If you choose to gate your case study, you’ll need an email sequence to follow up. Or at the very least, one email to deliver the case study to your audience. 

On the flip side, if you publish your case study online, you can use a blog or web page to publish the case study instead of a landing page for signups. That’s what we typically do at Coastal. And make sure to add a contact form or drive users to your services page.

Then, use HubSpot’s marketing and CRM features to promote your case study and start conversations:

• Send a newsletter to your list inviting them to check out the case study.
• Schedule social posts to promote it to your networks.
• Create a nurturing sequence for your new leads.

Writing a case study is the perfect way to share your clients’ wins

Sharing client wins can be a challenge. But case studies are the perfect tool to promote your results. This is especially true if you work with different niches or offer different services or tiers. Building a case study library helps your visitors find the most relevant topics and see how you can help them because you’ve helped others like them.

Time to level up your lead acquisition strategy? Check this out: Build a Lead Acquisition Strategy.