Process
Five steps to success (and who does what at each)
(1) Align
Through interviews with Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success, I’ll gather all the insights I need to develop two foundational assets.
The first is a One-Page Case Study Strategy, which you can use to educate and align internal teams.
The second is a Case Study Candidate Pipeline, which we’ll use to track and rank customers according to your strategic criteria.
Milestones I’ll Complete
Interview team leads (x 3)
Clarify your business goals
Define your case study criteria
Create candidate tracking system
Assets I’ll Create
One-Page Case Study Strategy
Case Study Candidate Pipeline
(2) Recruit
Whenever you’re ready to act on a case study opportunity, I’ll help you craft an invitation that addresses common objections and makes it easy for your customer to say “yes.”
Once both sides are excited to move forward, you and your customer will sign a Case Study Release Form.
This document confirms their commitment to the project and clarifies your plans for story promotion.
Milestones We’ll Complete
Confirm case study opportunity
Personalize customer pitch
Secure formal commitment
Assets I’ll Create
Case Study FAQ Sheet
Customer Outreach Script
Case Study Release Form
(3) Produce
You make the intro and I handle all the heavy lifting.
I’ll prepare (myself AND your customer) for the interview, host the meeting, write the draft, manage the feedback, and steer the story through final approvals.
Plus, you’ll never have to wonder how I’m progressing or when to weigh in.
(You’ll see it all in a shared project hub 🤓)
Milestones I’ll Complete
Schedule customer interview
Send interview prep materials
Conduct and record interview
Turn transcript into story draft
Incorporate internal feedback
Incorporate customer feedback
Secure stakeholder approvals
Assets I’ll Create
Interview Prep Kit
Customer-Approved Story
Progress-Tracking Project Hub
(4) Promote
Customer approval is cause for celebration, but we’ll still have a few moves left to make.
The first is giving the long-form story an online home. (This could be a stylized blog post or a PDF “gated” behind a landing page.)
The second is repurposing the long-form story into multiple short-form assets. (See my most frequently produced formats in the FAQ section below.)
The third is arming your customer and colleagues with tips and tools to amplify promotion.
Finally, we’ll regroup 30 days after launch to review performance and consider improvements.
Milestones We’ll Complete
Stage case study on website
Create short-form story assets
Share promo tips with customer
Share promo tips with employees
Notify customer ahead of launch
Launch marketing campaigns
Review initial performance
Assets I’ll Create
Long-Form Case Study
Short-Form Story Assets (x 3)
Marketing Cheat Sheets (x 2)
(5) Repeat
No single case study can address every audience segment or business benefit.
What you ultimately want is a library of complementary stories.
It’s a long-term goal, to be clear, but our earlier Alignment work will keep you in position to act fast whenever opportunities arise.
Milestones We’ll Complete
Identify next opportunity
Restart process from Step 2
Asset You’ll Create
An Extensive Case Study Library
Frequently Asked Questions
“Are all these steps really necessary?”
You could try skipping steps. Most companies (of all sizes) do.
But each skipped step raises your risk of abandoned projects, delayed approvals, and lackluster results.
I’ve consciously designed my process to ensure strategic alignment, accelerate creative production, and maximize promotional impact. Anything I ask of your company or customers directly serves those goals.
“How will we keep track of everything?”
My project management system has two components.
The first is a private Notion page that serves as our project hub. You can access it anytime to track progress and view assets.
The second is a weekly email I send that summarizes progress from the past week, plans for the next week, and any inputs I need from your team.
“How long does the process take?”
Alignment takes two weeks or less. The rest of the steps are tougher to forecast.
I know that’s not a satisfying answer, but it’s the only honest one I can provide considering the nature of case studies. Delivery can always be delayed by factors beyond my control, such as the health of your customer relationships and responsiveness of their stakeholders.
But here are a few variables I can and do control:
- Pursuing only the most qualified case study opportunities
- Documenting commitments before creative production begins
- Delivering story drafts to customers within 5 days of their interview
- Working through project milestones simultaneously, not sequentially
As a result, I’m able to confidently include time-based performance guarantees in my pricing terms.
“What if I don’t have any customers in mind?”
A blank slate is not necessarily bad news. The real worst-case scenario is having to rescue projects you never should have pursued 🫣
I created The Case Study Starter package to help clients avoid the second problem while solving the first.
Together we’ll confirm the right customers to ask and the best ways to frame each request. (And I’d be surprised if we don’t discover some previously “hidden” case study candidates in the process.)
“Which long-form assets do you typically produce?”
If the primary goal is lead capture: I’ll produce a PDF file and write the copy for its landing page.
If the primary goal is brand awareness: I’ll produce a blog post styled to your brand.
In every case: I’ll work with a graphic designer from your team (or my network) to ensure the final product is visually appealing.
“Which short-form assets do you typically produce?”
After finalizing the long-form story, I often repurpose case study content into:
- Ad copy
- Blog posts
- One-pagers
- Media pitches
- Print brochures
- Presentation slides
- Organic social posts
- Sales outreach emails
- Marketing nurture emails
But I’m also happy to hear new ideas or brainstorm more suggestions. After all, versatility is a big reason why case study content is so valuable.
In every case: I’ll work with a graphic designer from your team (or my network) to ensure the final product is visually appealing.
“Do you produce video content?”
No, I currently do not.
I understand the appeal of video, but its tradeoffs include:
- Fewer customers willing to participate
- Less control over story messaging
- Longer production schedules
- Longer approval timelines
- Higher production costs
For these reasons, I believe written case studies are still the smartest option for most startups.