How to write a case study people finish reading

Why most case studies lose the reader

Most case studies are written for the company that made them. They open with the agency’s process, list every deliverable, and end with a quote that says the client was “delighted with the partnership”. A reader looking for proof that you can solve their problem gives up somewhere around the second paragraph.

The people who read case studies are usually in the middle of a decision. They want to know whether a business like theirs had a problem like theirs, what you did about it, and whether it worked. Everything that does not help answer those three questions slows them down. In a Danish or Nordic market, where buyers tend to be sceptical of big claims, a calm and specific account also carries more weight than a glossy one.

It helps to picture where the case study will be read. Often it is a link a salesperson sends after a first meeting, opened on a phone between other tasks, then forwarded to a colleague who was not in the room. That second reader has no context at all. If the first screen does not tell them who the client was, what was wrong and what changed, they close the tab. Writing for that forwarded reader, rather than for the client or your own team, fixes most of the common problems at once.

Pick a story with real tension

Not every finished project makes a good case study. The best candidates have a clear before and after, and something that could have gone differently. Before you commit time, check the project against a short list:

• A recognisable problem. Something your target buyers also face, described in their words rather than yours.
• A visible change. A number that moved, a deadline that was met, a process that now takes hours instead of days. Qualitative change counts if it is concrete.
• A decision worth explaining. A trade-off, a change of plan or an unusual approach. This is where readers learn how you think.
• A client willing to talk. Without an interview and approval, you will end up with a brochure.
• Relevance to what you sell next. A story about a service you are winding down is wasted effort.

Projects that went smoothly from start to finish are often the weakest stories. A project that hit a snag and recovered usually makes a better read, provided the client is comfortable with that being said.

Interview the client, not just the project team

Your own team knows what was delivered. Only the client knows why they hired you, what they were worried about and what changed afterwards. Book 30 to 45 minutes, record it with permission, and ask open questions:

1. What was going on in the business before this started?
2. What had you already tried, and why did it not work?
3. What nearly stopped you going ahead?
4. What was the first moment you thought this was working?
5. What is different now, day to day?
6. What would you tell a peer who is considering the same thing?

Listen for sentences you could quote word for word. The best quotes are specific and a little informal: “we stopped exporting spreadsheets every Friday” is worth more than “the solution added significant value”. If the interview is in Danish and the case study in English, translate the meaning faithfully and let the client approve the English wording.

A structure that respects the reader’s time

The classic order of challenge, solution and results works, with one change: put a short summary of the outcome first. Busy readers can then decide whether to read on, and those who do already know where the story ends.

Use subheadings that say something, such as “Bookings moved from email to the website”, rather than generic labels like “Results”. A reader who only scans the subheadings should still get the story. Add one or two images that show the work or the people, with captions that explain what they show. Our brand storytelling work follows this pattern because it suits both skimmers and careful readers.

Numbers, quotes and permission

Numbers persuade, but only if they are honest and in context. “Traffic up 300 percent” means little without a starting point and a period. A line such as “organic visits rose from about 1,200 to 3,800 a month over nine months” can be checked and is easier to believe. Round where precision would expose sensitive data, and never present a forecast as a result.

Not every project produces a clean metric, and that is fine. Time saved, steps removed, complaints that stopped, or a launch that went out on the planned date are all evidence if you describe them precisely. What does not work is inventing a number to fill the gap.

Agree permissions early, in writing. Clarify whether the client may be named, whether their logo may be used, which figures can be published and who signs off the final text. Many larger Nordic companies route this through communications or legal, which can take weeks, so start that process as soon as the client says yes in principle.

Show the draft to the person you interviewed before anyone else on their side. They will correct facts and sharpen quotes, and they become an ally when the text goes up their chain for approval. Keep a record of the approved version and the date.

Writing it so people keep going

Case studies fail at sentence level as often as at structure level. A few habits help:

• Write about the client as the main character. You are the guide, not the hero.
• Prefer verbs to nouns: “we moved the booking flow” instead of “implementation of a new booking solution”.
• Cut every adjective that the evidence does not support.
• Explain one technical point well rather than mentioning ten.
• Keep paragraphs short on screen, three or four sentences at most.

If you are unsure whether a sentence earns its place, read the piece aloud to someone outside the project. Where they look away, cut. Clear copywriting here is mostly a matter of removal.

One story, several formats

A good case study takes real effort, so use it more than once. The same material can become a web page, a one-page PDF for sales, a slide in a pitch deck, a short LinkedIn post with one quote and one number, and a 60 to 90 second video if the client is happy to appear on camera.

For search, give the web version a title that combines the sector and the problem, the way a buyer would phrase it, and link to it from the relevant service page. Answer engines and search tools favour pages that state facts plainly, so the summary box doubles as a well-structured snippet. Finally, plan case studies as a steady habit rather than a yearly rush, and fit them into your wider content system so a finished project always triggers the interview request.