As a case study writer, I do have a case study process. I write dozens of case studies per year, mostly for B2B technology companies. The more I do it, the more I’ve managed to refine my process. If you’re working with me, here’s what usually happens:
- We have a kickoff call. This doesn’t happen every time, but this is where you give me the background for the case study: what you expect your customer to say, any questions you want me to ask, any metrics you want me to tease out. We’ll also talk about how long the case study should be and what the timeline is.
- You’ll introduce me to your customer – or you’ll send me the customer’s contact information.
- I’ll set up a call with the customer and include you on the invite. You don’t have to be on the call if you don’t want to. This is usually a half-hour call, and usually scheduled between 10 am and 3 pm CT. During the call, I’ll ask a series of questions regarding the customer’s industry, challenges, why they chose your solution, and the results they’re now getting.
- If you’re not on the call, or if you want me to, I’ll send a post-call report. This is usually pretty short and gives the highlights (and lowlights) of the interview. Sometimes the customer will tell me that a certain feature of Widget 2.0 gave her trouble, or that she found an unexpected benefit.
- Then, I’ll write a first draft of the case study. If you don’t have a template, that’s okay. I’ve written enough so that I can provide ideas.
After the first draft of the case study is delivered, this is where the case study process can vary. For some clients, there may be a second draft. For other clients, they’ll send it directly to the customer. Still other clients have me send the case study to the customer with a release.
But the end result from the case study process is the same: a case study that can be repurposed and featured on your website and used by the sales team to nudge prospects through the funnel.