A good case study is the closest thing to a recommendation you can put on your website. It shows a potential client exactly what it’s like to work with you, and what they might get out of it. So it’s a shame that so many end up as a logo, a paragraph of “we were delighted to work with” and three screenshots. If you’ve ever wondered how to write a case study that people actually read, and that brings in enquiries, this one’s for you.
I’m Chief Operating Officer at Delivered Social. I don’t write all our case studies myself, but I do see the other side of them: the new client calls where someone says “I saw what you did for that business and I want something similar”. That’s the job a case study has to do. Here’s how to make sure yours does it.
Who is your case study really for?
The biggest mistake is writing a case study for the client you worked with, or for your own team. The real reader is a future client who has a similar problem and is quietly deciding whether you’re the right people to fix it.
So before you write a word, ask: who do we want to win more of? If you want more work from local trades businesses, a case study about a plumber’s new website is gold. If you want bigger retained social media clients, lead with one of those. Your case studies are a shop window, so fill it with the work you want more of.
How to write a case study: the simple structure
You don’t need anything fancy. Almost every great case study follows the same shape, because it’s the shape of a story:
- The client. Who they are, in a sentence or two. What they do, where they are, roughly how big.
- The problem. What wasn’t working before. Be specific. “Their website was hard to update and wasn’t bringing in enquiries” is far better than “they needed a refresh”.
- The approach. What you actually did and, crucially, why. This is where you show your thinking, not just your output.
- The result. What changed. Numbers if you have them and permission to share them, honest qualitative results if you don’t.
- The client’s view. A real quote from the client, in their words.
- The next step. A clear invitation for the reader to get in touch if they’re facing something similar.
That’s it. Six sections, one story. You can make it look beautiful later, but get the structure right first.
Nobody buys the work. They buy the problem you solved.
How do you make the problem relatable?
The problem section is where readers decide whether this is relevant to them. If they recognise their own situation, they’ll keep reading. If it’s vague, they won’t.
Write it in the language your clients use, not agency speak. Clients don’t say “we lacked a cohesive omnichannel presence”. They say “we were posting when we remembered and nothing was really happening”. Use those words. A quick call with the client to ask “what was frustrating you before we started?” will usually give you the best lines in the whole piece.
Show the thinking, not just the deliverables
“We built a five page website and set up their Google Business Profile” is a list. It tells the reader what you did, but not why it worked. Add the reasoning and it becomes persuasive:
- The decision. “We cut the services from nine pages to four, because most visitors were looking for the same two things.”
- The why. “Their customers mostly found them on mobile, so we designed for the phone first.”
- The trade off. “We held back on paid ads until the website was converting, so the budget wasn’t wasted.”
This is what separates you from the next agency or freelancer. Anyone can list deliverables. Explaining your reasoning shows a future client how you’d think about their business too.
Be honest with results, and get sign off
I’m a numbers person, so this is the section I care about most. A few rules we stick to:
- Only share what’s true and approved. Never round up, guess or borrow figures. If the client hasn’t agreed to share revenue numbers, don’t.
- Give context. “Enquiries doubled” means more when you say over what period and from what starting point.
- Qualitative counts too. If you don’t have hard numbers, describe the change honestly. “The team now updates the site themselves in minutes instead of emailing us” is a real result.
- Don’t overclaim. If the results came from a mix of your work and the client’s own efforts, say so. Readers trust case studies that feel balanced.
It’s worth adding a line to your onboarding process asking new clients if they’d be happy to be featured as a case study later. Asking at the start, when everyone’s excited, is much easier than asking out of the blue a year on.
A short, genuine quote from the client is worth more than anything you write about yourself. Ask them a couple of easy questions by email or on a call, like “what difference has this made?” and “what was it like working with us?”. Then use their words, lightly tidied for typos, and send it back for approval.
Always get sign off on the whole case study before it goes live, including any figures, images and logos. It protects the relationship, and clients who’ve approved a case study are usually happy to share it too.
Make it easy to find and easy to read
Finally, a few practical bits that make a big difference:
- A clear title. Lead with the result or the client type, not just the client’s name.
- Short paragraphs and subheadings. Most people skim first, so let them.
- Before and after visuals. Screenshots, photos or a short video help readers see the change.
- Share it properly. Post it on social, mention it in your newsletter and send the link to prospects with similar problems. If you need help keeping that going, a content calendar you will stick to makes it far easier to slot case studies in regularly.
Written well, one case study can keep working for years. It answers questions before a prospect asks them, and it does the selling while you’re busy doing the work.
