How To Write A Case Study That Converts
Getting a new client is overrated. The real money is made after the engagement - when you document that client’s success and use it to get you even more clients at higher prices. This is the power of case studies: they multiply your best clients, working like a 24/7 salesperson on your behalf.
Look. I’ve been in business for 10 years. I’ve tested basically every marketing strategy known to man: advertising, webinars, blogging, youtube, direct reach outs, referrals, etc.
Please trust me when I say that case studies are by far one of the quickest and easiest ways to get high-paying clients. You can use them in pretty much any type of business.
And yet…so few people create case studies even though I mention it constantly. I feel like I’m taking crazy pills! Obviously I need to go more in depth and show you how to do it.
In this article, I’m going to walk you step-by-step through the system I use to write case studies that convert into clients.
Actually, I barely even write them. My clients record a video and do most of the work for me. Hehe.
But before I teach you the process, let me share why I stopped asking for testimonials and started making case studies instead
Testimonials vs. Case Studies
When I started my coaching business, I used to just ask for testimonials.
A testimonial is a short recommendation or endorsement from one of your clients. It says some version of, "Hey, you should work with this person. They're great." Testimonials can be effective, especially if they're from people who your ideal clients would recognize.
Here's an example of a testimonial on my home page from Leo Babauta:
A lot of my ideal clients have heard of zen habits, so I get credibility by association.
For lower priced offerings, or more general branding efforts, testimonials can get the job done.
But there are a couple of problems with testimonials. First, they can be hard to collect. When you ask for testimonials, people get intimidated and they procrastinate. Then you feel like you suck because they never email you back. Second, the testimonials that you do get back sometimes sound weak, weirdly formal, or vague. In either case, you don't get more clients.
The alternative is to create case studies. Case studies tend to be more structured than testimonials. They tell a detailed story about the problem your client faced, what you did to help, and the specific results they got from your intervention. This last part is important: if you can show the return on investment for your past clients, you're more likely to get new ones.
Case studies are more effective, natural, and flexible than testimonials. Effective because they provide value while allowing your potential clients to see themselves getting similar results. Natural because you can just interview your client and then edit their responses into a case study. And flexible because you can always take a small snippet out of your case study to use as a testimonial, but the reverse isn't true.
Case studies allow you to:
1. Make more money. When you say you're great, no one listens. But when other people say you're great, it builds trust. This is especially important if you charge a lot for what you do. When your potential clients see themselves in a past client's story, they'll be more likely to believe that it can work for them. So they'll reach out to learn more and come into conversations with fewer concerns.
2. Overcome imposter syndrome. The best way to be sure that you can help people is... to have proof that you help people. A lot of entrepreneurs are afraid to ask for testimonials and case studies. They're afraid of being held accountable. But the first step towards improving what you do is getting feedback. Measuring the results you get with clients, and figuring out what you're doing right.
3. Celebrate your client's progress. Case studies give your clients a platform to talk about their success and reflect on how far they've come. This makes them feel good. It also makes them more likely to hire you again and send you referrals. Many of us forget what life was like before we found a solution to our problems. When your clients sing your praises, it reminds them of your value.
Let's break down the exact process I use to collect case studies:
A Step-By-Step System For Creating Case Studies
I've tried a bunch of different things and here's what I do now:
Step 1: Reach out to your clients
TIME: 10-15 MINS
This sounds obvious, but prioritize clients who love you and get great results. Don’t create a case study for Chad who never took your advice, quit halfway through, and somehow still thinks you’re the problem C’mon, Chad, wake up.
I recommend asking for a case study at the end of your contract or engagement. My clients commit to at least 6 months of coaching, and I like to reach out at that 6 month mark to get the case study. When clients keep working with me beyond the 6 months, I’ll often update their original case study later.
I send an email to my client one week before the end of their initial contract. In the email, I let them know what to expect during and after their final session. Here's the email my assistant sends:
Subject: Your Upcoming Session With Greg
Hi [Name],
The end of your initial contract is approaching [End date]. Can you believe it's already been 6 months?
Here's what to expect:
1. Your final session of this contract will be treated like a normal coaching session. You'll fill out the check-in form beforehand and Greg will coach you on whatever challenges you're having at the moment.
2. After the coaching session, you'll have the opportunity to give Greg feedback on the coaching engagement. Portions of this feedback may be used, with your permission, to create a case study.
3. To thank you for your feedback, you will be sent a scheduling link to book a bonus 45-min 'Next Steps' call with Greg. This call is designed to cement your learnings from the last 6 months and help you create a game plan for the next 6 months.
If you have any questions, please reach out. As always, I look forward to hearing from you!
Thank you for being part of the program,
[Assistant’s name]
You’ll notice that I have a little carrot on the other side of them creating a case study: the bonus coaching session. This is especially important if you’re expecting them to record a case study on their own time versus doing it live on a call with you. What could you give away for free to thank your client?
After their final session, I send them another email that invites them to record the case study. I use a software called VideoAsk for this, which saves me time, but you can also just schedule a call with them and do the interview live. You can even send them a written form for feedback, but you won't get video this way.
Subject: Congrats! (Next Steps Call + Case Study)
Hey [Name],
Greg would like to go ahead and have you book a bonus 45-min 'Next Steps' call. This call is designed to cement your learnings from the last 6 months and help you create a game plan for the next 6 months.
Please use this link to schedule your call: [Calendar link]
Also, would you be willing to record a case-study about your work together so we can celebrate all the progress you’ve made?
If yes, click on this link and you will be given prompts to record your case-study: [Link to VideoAsk]
Thank you in advance - your feedback means a lot to us.
With gratitude,
[Assistant’s name]
If you have a bunch of past clients who haven't done a case study, you can email them now and ask if they'd be willing to give you feedback in exchange for a free call or other incentive. You don’t have to wait until the next client finishes their contract. In this case, you’d only need to send one email.
Step 2: Film the case study
TIME: 0-30 MINS
There are two ways to capture the case study: you can use a software called VideoAsk to automate the process, or you can interview the client live on Zoom.
If you're using VideoAsk, you'll just set it up once, with video of you asking the questions, and then clients will go through the questions on their own time.
If you don't want to deal with VideoAsk, that’s fine. You'll just ask these questions live at the beginning of the bonus call. For most people this is a great way to start because you don’t have to worry about setting up new software or making sure people get the case study done. Just make it clear that half the call will be for recording the case study, and the other half will be you supporting them for free. This is another great backup option if they forget to do the case study.
Here are the questions that I like to ask. You can edit them based on your niche:
Please introduce yourself. What’s your name and what type of work do you do?
What was going on in your business and your life when we started working together?
What concerns did you have about working with me? What were you hesitant about?
What did you like most about working with me?
What results have you gotten from working together? Tangible & intangible results. Try to share numbers whenever possible.
What's your biggest take away from working with me? What specifically did you do to get those results?
What do you think would have happened if you hadn't hired me?
Final message to someone who's on the fence about working with me. Who would you recommend to work with me and why?
I use a software called VideoAsk to ask these questions without taking up time on a call. Here’s an example (it’s in preview mode so you can go through it without anything being submitted).
And if we want to simplify this down even more, there are really only three things you need to capture:
What problems were you experiencing before you worked with me?
How did I help? What specifically did you implement that made a difference?
What results have you achieved and how is life different now?
I’ve also started sharing these tips with clients in advance so that the video turns out better:
Make sure you have good lighting, good audio, and that you’re centered in the video with not too much space above your head
You can write a few notes for yourself if you want but please make eye contact with the camera when you speak, don’t just read your notes
Refer to me by name instead of saying “you” since we’re going to cut out my parts for the final case study
Okay so at this point you've invited them to do a case study and you've recorded their responses to these questions either using VideoAsk or just live on Zoom. Hopefully they’ve shared some nice, tangible results that you can use to demonstrate the value of your service.
Now you're going to edit those responses into a video and written case study.
Step 3: Edit and write the case study
TIME: 1-2 HOURS
This is where you take the recording and edit it down into a clip of 5 minutes or less. You can do longer case study interviews where you go more in-depth, but I'd save that for your craziest success stories, people who have worked with you multiple times in a row and gotten insane results.
First, I download the interview footage and put it into iMovie. Then I cut out the dead space, mistakes, and redundancies. Finally, I make sure the whole thing is cohesive and cut out boring parts. Don’t worry about this looking totally slick and polished - it’ll look more natural if it isn’t perfect.
Using iMovie to tighten up the case study. You can train your assistant to do this or you can send it to a video editor if you don't want to do it yourself.
Okay, so now we have the finished video. I like to upload this to Vimeo because it won't have ads like YouTube and you can have a custom end screen that invites them to book a call with you. If you don't want to pay for Vimeo, just use YouTube. Make it unlisted for now so only people with the link can see it.
Next, I get the video transcribed using Rev.com. You can usually get away with an AI transcription, which is pretty cheap. I don't recommend transcribing it yourself because that's a pain.
Take the transcription and the video and format it into a Google doc. Don't have it just be one huge block of text; use sub-headlines for each section of the story. You can also pull out the most powerful quotes to highlight them. Here's an example:
The main headline for the case study is worth spending a bit of extra time on. Don't just call it "Case Study: [Client Name.]" Try and isolate the biggest result or transformation that your client got and lead with that. This is what will catch the attention of your potential clients. Here are some examples.
Now we have the edited video and transcript ready to publish. You could just leave it here and have that be the case study. But I often like to create my own “narrated” version to distribute to my email list and on social media. This allows you to add in details that the client missed and put your own spin on the case study. If you’re a good copywriter, definitely do this step.
I've experimented with a bunch of different formats and here is what works best:
Subject: This [type of person] just [result from blog post headline]. Heres how…
[Name] came to me with this problem (the problem your ideal clients have or the situation they are in)
We worked together and they got this result (the result your ideal clients want).
Here's how:
[Link to case study]
#1 - First thing we did (make these steps feel simple)
#2 - Second thing we did
#3 - Third thing we did
Listen to [Client] describe the process:
[Link]
Enjoy,
Greg
P.S. Insert natural scarcity and/or urgency - a.k.a. give real reasons why the person should apply now instead of waiting.
Here's one of my best performing emails as an example:
Subject: This coach just 10x'd her business in 2 months 📈 Here's how...
Kelly came to me fresh out of coaching school.
She had 1 client at $500/month, but she wanted to hit $5k per month so she could have a sustainable coaching business.
We worked together for 2 short months and boom...wish granted.
Here's how we did it:
--> Brand New Case Study: Kelly Went From $500 to $5,000+ Per Month...in 2 Months
#1 - The first thing that I helped Kelly do was get clear on her true niche.
At the time, she was primarily helping men with dating. But I could tell that her real passion was helping women find work that they loved.
#2 - We turned that new niche into a compelling piece of marketing that helped her book over 27 calls with potential clients.
We didn't just position her as a general career coach. Instead, we used Kelly's personal story to focus on women who were dealing with toxic work environments and wanted to get out ASAP.
#3 - Finally, we role-played the most common objections that she was getting on calls so that she could enroll more clients.
Listen to Kelly describe the process here:
--> Brand New Case Study: Kelly Went From $500 to $5,000+ Per Month...in 2 Months
Enjoy,
Greg
P.S. Since Kelly just finished up, I have a new spot open on my private client roster. It will be filled by the time my vacation starts on December 24th.
When I come back next year, I'm planning to raise my rates by 15% to better reflect the value that my clients have been getting. Apply now if you want a chance to get in at my current rates.
You can follow a similar strategy for your social media posts. You can post the exact same copy as you sent via email or remix these components based on the platform. I give an example in Step 5 below.
Include all this in the Google doc because we’re going to send it to our client now.
Pro tip: save any emails, photos, or messages that your clients send you during their engagement. You can embed those into your final blog post or use them as the photo on a social media post to make it look more organic.
Save any wins that your clients send you over the course of the engagement so that you can use them in the final case study. I included this screenshot in Andrew’s case study.
Step 4: Get permission before publishing
TIME: 5 MINS
Now you've got the Google doc all set up and you're linking to the video that you've uploaded. It has the transcript and any email / social media copy you want to use.
The next thing you're going to do is reach back out to your client and make sure they're comfortable with it before you publish. Better safe than sorry.
Here's the email I send:
Subject: Case study draft
Hi [Name],
Just got a chance to put together your case study. Thanks again for taking the time to record it!
The draft is in Google docs: [Google doc link, make sure they have permission to view and comment]
I’m planning to publish it soon but I want to make sure you’re 100% comfortable with it first.
Are there any changes you’d like me to make to the blog copy, video, or email copy before it goes live?
Let me know,
Greg
If the client requests changes, make those changes.
Occasionally, the client will ask that the page be hidden from search results so that it doesn't come up when people search their name. How you do that depends on what website builder you use, so you’ll have to reach out to support, but it’s usually not too complicated. I also let clients know that if they decide to hide their page from Google, they won’t get the SEO juice from me linking to their site in the case study.
This brings us to another important point: what if your client wants to remain completely anonymous? This hasn’t been an issue for me as a business coach or even when I used to do weight loss coaching. But you might have a more private service like therapy.
Obviously it’s not ideal to have our case studies be anonymous, because it’ll look less real, so it’s worth asking if the client is willing to share their journey openly with others. If they’re not, you can still create an anonymous version (without video, of course). Here’s an example from a family business consultancy — notice that they include relevant details while keeping the client anonymous.
Step 5: Publish and distribute the case study
TIME: 30 mins
This is the part where you get clients. Nice!
The first thing you'll want to do is to copy what you've got in the Google doc and put that live onto your website. I like to do it as a blog post but you can make a separate page on your site as well. So put the full case study onto a page and publish it.
Then, I like to have another page on my site that lists all the case studies I've done so people can see them in one place. E-myth has a page like this called Client Stories. And here’s an example from Micheal Serwa called Success Stories. I call this page on my site Results:
When you create multiple case studies, you can link to them all on one page
You can also use these case studies throughout your site and on key pages like I do on my Work With Me page:
Or you can pull quotes from your case studies and use them as testimonials like I do on my Home page:
If you have an email list, the next thing you'll want to do send out an email that links them to the case study. This is the thing that really brings in clients quickly.
Here’s the email we put together above:
And here’s a Facebook post I made when I was in the fitness niche:
Here’s the full copy from that post:
Big shoutout to my client Bob Gower for this transformation. 🔥🔥
Bob runs a management consultancy dedicated to social enterprises. He's written two books and frequently speaks from stages.
When Bob applied to work with me, his #1 goal was to have a flat stomach. He wanted to be happy wearing a shirt tucked in when he was on stage or meeting with clients.
And he wanted to be able to maintain it.
But he wasn't clear on exactly what diet and exercise changes to make. And there was a little voice in the back of his head that said "you're too old to really get the body you want."
In the past, Bob had tried the Keto diet and lost some weight. But it just wasn't sustainable to eliminate carbs forever.
So I put together a flexible diet and training plan for him and we got to work. Nothing off-limits. Only 3 workouts/week.
Fast forward 10 weeks and the results speak for themselves.
Now that he's reached his goal, Bob can transition to maintenance mode.
He's traveling with his wife this week, so we put together a strategy that lets him enjoy croissants and pizza without gaining the weight back. 🥐🍕
Try doing that on the Keto diet. Never gonna happen.
Want to learn exactly how Bob did it?
Comment "Congrats Bob!" and I'll send you the details.
With social media, it can be helpful to upload the video directly and have them message you to start a 1-1 conversation instead of linking out to the case study. That way you can keep them on the platform and eventually invite them to have a call with you.
You can even get permission to tag your client in the social media post, or have them share it so their followers will see it as well.
Okay. At this point, we've put the case study on our website, emailed our list, and posted on social media.
Be sure to link your calendar or application page in the case study so people know what the next step is to work with you. Here’s my Apply page as an example. Notice how simple it is - there’s nothing else to do but fill out the application.
If you have a large audience and you haven’t put out one of these case studies before…you should be getting a ton of inquiries.
But even if you don’t, this asset will keep working for you in the background when people go to your site.
Plus, you can send potential clients relevant case studies before or after your sales calls. This is key. It's especially helpful when someone is on the fence, or they ask if they can speak to one of your clients. You can just send them your case studies.
One Last Thing…
I recommend going through this process with every success story. Over time, you'll build a library of impressive results. You’ll get clients. And you’ll be able to raise your rates significantly.
It's okay to be a little intimidated by this process. But remember:
If your clients are getting great results, you did the hard work already.
I repeat: YOU ALREADY DID THE HARD WORK.
All you need to do now is capture and distribute those results.
The whole process takes about 2-3 hours per case study once you’ve really got it dialed it in.
Which brings me to something I’ve been mulling over for a bit.
What if you love the idea of putting together high quality case studies to generate leads and close more sales, but don't want to spend the time doing it yourself? I've been tossing around the idea of creating a service where my team does this for you. All you'd have to do is tell us the clients you want to profile and we'd do the rest.
If you’re interested in learning more, send me an email with the message "Case Study." I have no idea if there will be enough interest or even what I’m going to charge. But if there is, I'll figure it out and respond back with the details.
I really believe in this way of marketing and wish someone had helped me with it earlier. I hope you read this and go implement the steps, with or without my help.
