Learn How to Write a Case Study for Content Marketing in Just 30 Minutes!
Are you spending lots of time wondering “How to write a case study for marketing?”
You’re not alone! All case studies require a few basics including:
connection points (share quotes, images, details about the person on a human-level)
links (both to and from the case study)
numbers (stats, data, years, etc.)
beginning, middle, & end (I’m sharing my P.E.T. 🐾 Framework, so stay tuned!)
You may be thinking “What is a marketing case study?”
Picture this:
Client testimonials are the movie trailers.
Case studies are the feature length film.
The testimonials pique your interest & whet your appetite. (They’re a tease, ok?)
But case studies allow for… MORE!
You get to dive into all the bumps & twists & turns & celebration points of just ONE story.
They allow you to share the FULL journey!
Ok, B, but “how long does it take to write a marketing case study?”
Well, if you carve out just 30 minutes & push play on my podcast interview w/ Ellen Yin on Cubicle to CEO—you could get the whole thing outlined!
It’s totally possible to write a case study in as little as 1 week.
But if this is your first case study (or the first one where you’re diving into SEO & adding keywords to your copy), maybe give yourself 2 weeks to get the case study written.
🔥 Hot SEO Copywriting Tip 🔥
People always ask “How long should a case study be?”
And the answer is… it depends.
But here are some guide posts for you:
Minimum of 500 words
Maximum 2,000 words (the longest I’ve written was close to this)
Average 1,000 words (at least… this is my average word count)
The case study needs to be as long as the case study needs to be.
If your people don’t really want to read—stick closer to the 500 words.
If your audience loves to consume what you write—go longer (2,000+ words).
But remember this!
You can always go back to optimize your case studies!
Final Q, right? “What is a good case study format to follow?”
You’ve seen the paw prints 🐾
You’ve heard me talk about the P.E.T. 🐾 Framework.
Well, friend… THAT is your secret sauce to creating a high-converting case study for your marketing efforts.
Here’s how it shakes out:
P: Problem
This is the “Before” scene of the movie. It gives us a reason to root for them. The reader really starts to connect & bond with the “case study subject” here.
Where was this person stuck before working with you? What brick wall did they keep bumping up against? What solutions were they looking for? Why did they choose to work with YOU?
E: Experience
AKA: During. What actually took place during this person’s time with you?
What was their experience like? Also, could you pull out a piece of your framework, one of your values, or some other part of your business or personal life to share here?
T: Transformation
Here we have the “After.” Couple things to touch on here… There are internal & external transformations.
Internal: emotional changes / things you really can’t track with metrics
External: changes you can track with metrics / number of people, income, other data
The person you’re featuring will always have an internal win; they won’t always have an external one. (That is O.K. The internal transformations are the stronger ones anyway. 😉)
What’s possible now that they’ve worked with you? What wins happened as a direct result of working with you? Think: students in a course, dollars or time saved, increase of revenue, etc.
Want to go even deeper with this case study stuff? ⤵️
Wrap up…
Ellen asked incredible questions (as always!) & even asked me to share some specific quotes from case studies I’ve written to bring these examples to life.
Definitely don’t miss these—they’re sprinkled throughout the episode!
Some of the clients & case study examples mentioned:
Leah Bryant (the amazing podcast producer behind Leah Bryant Co.) & Darrell Evans (of The MindShift Podcast)
»» Their case study example
Dallas Travers & The Hive (her case study is still loading—but listen to the episode for a sneak peak!)
Brenna McGowan (of The Pre-Launch Plan Program—which I’m currently in right now!) & Emily Reagan (of Unicorn Digital Marketing Academy)
»» Their case study example
Erin Perkins (who joined us on The Simple & Smart SEO Show to talk all things accessibility & SEO)
I consider Ellen a friend & it warmed my heart to hear her say the same of me 🥰
(when you grow up moving around—constantly being "the new girl," you get all in your head about people forgetting you)
That was one factor that built up to this podcast idea come to life...
💡 Ellen features case studies each Monday, but she's never broken down how to write a case study.
We were so excited to be able to do that!
It's an incredibly actionable podcast episode—intentionally.
We really wanted you to be able to get a move on with this case study copywriting thing!
Click it & listen ⤵️
Image of the podcast as shown on Spotify. It reads, “Bonus #41: Create a High-Converting Case Study with us in the next 30 Minutes! Cubicle to CEO”
Some insight / advice based on how this incredible conversation came to be:
Lead with gratitude. Did someone share something that touched you or helped you? Let them know! It means the world. Ellen touched on this at the very beginning of the podcast (& even linked to another podcast where she dishes on this even more)!
People are always listening. Always. Even the ones you think don’t know you. Keep doing the work—I promise you’ll get noticed for it!
If you were regularly "the new girl" too, know this: It seems like people remember us way more often than they forget us. ❤️
Go out there!
Take some risks!
Write those case studies!
Share those wins!
…and tag me! 😂 (I love a good celebration I can attend in the comfort of my sweatshirt, Bombas socks, & messy curly bun.)