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How to write a business case study that wins clients: tips and mistakes to avoid 13 February 2026

The case study is a staple of business marketing. Getting it right is more important than ever. This guide for business-owners outlines key insights for getting your case study right first time. It covers:

• What a business case study is and what it includes
• The changing nature of the case study
• Different formats for your case study
• How to structure your case study
• The case study writing process
• Common case study copywriting errors
• Business case study FAQs

What is a business case study?

The business case study has been around probably as long as marketing copywriting has been! It can be defined as a piece of content that tells a story about how one business has made a difference to a specific customer, supported by relevant information, such as growth metrics, improvements, return on investment, etc. A good case study is all about highlighting impact: the change a business can help make for a person or an organisation. It’s about inspiring other customers to trust their services. With so much to offer, the case study should be a staple of every ambitious company’s marketing mix.

Why the business case study is changing

It might have been around for forever, but the case study is evolving. First of all, it’s changing in value. Some people have suggested that the rise of AI is likely to increase the appetite for authenticity in the form of customer voices. The right company case study and copywriting approach gives businesses an authentic and human-centric way to showcase their expertise. Another factor is that marketing approaches and how people digest content are always changing. The business case study needs to keep up with the evolving marketing and business world.

How to structure a business case study

Changing markets and audiences call for different perspectives on creating a great case study. Let’s take a look at the most effective ways to structure your case study. The names are my own and are designed to convey the differences between the approaches:

Classic

The classic structure is Challenge>Solution>Impact. This is easy to digest, clear and logical. It looks impactful on the screen or page and is also very familiar.

Story

In the Story format, the structure of the case study is defined by the story uncovered by the copywriter. The relevant company information and figures are then woven in. This takes more time and effort but makes for a bigger picture style of case study. Find the story first, then shape the structure around it. Naturally, you’re still going to start by outlining the client’s problem, but it’s more subtle and surprising than the Classic structure.

Conversational

While this format takes elements from the two outlined above, its key characteristic is that it is informal and simple. So it will have the story hook, but in fewer words. Then it brings in the results later on. Here, the tone of voice will be more conversational and fun.

Core client

This is rarer type of case study format where the client is presented as the key focus at every stage. Here, the company story is naturally more subtle. This format may be better for customer story pages or for creating longer-form customer testimonials.

Key factors for a successful business case study

Whatever approach or format you choose, build these factors in for the best results from your case study.

Client experience

The very nature of a case study is to showcase your client’s experience of your products or services. Keep that at the heart of it, from start to finish. That doesn’t just mean facts. It means feelings too. What journey did the client go on? What was their starting point and where are they now? Illustrating this difference will bring your case study to life. At every stage of planning, writing and reviewing, be sure to keep your client at the centre of your case study.

Improvements

Linked to the above, focus on the difference your business made to the customer. Again, what was their starting point and how did you get them from that to a better result? What specifically have you improved for the client? Was it financial, emotional, logistical or something else? Draw out all possible types of improvements. These are likely to be interconnected, so an improvement to process will be likely to lead to an advance in efficiency, with financial steps forward. Make sure you uncover all the ways your relationship with the client has changed their lives.

Business messaging

Let’s not forget that a case study is all about showcasing your business: its impact on the client, its value and other core messaging. How you do this is what matters. While it will be defined partly by the specific format you decide to use, getting it right is a careful art. You want to keep the client at the centre while also ensuring your business is celebrated too. Focus your view on which company messaging is relevant to the specific client story. Keep it brief, focused and in the flow with the rest of the story. And don’t forget a strong call to action linked to your messaging so people know where to go next.

Case study process

Every business case study is unique. But follow this process to get the best results from yours:

Decide on format

Defining your case study format is a critical first step in the copywriting process. This will be shaped by how and where you intend to feature your case study. If you already have an existing case study format, the new one should align with this. Although now may be a great time to assess whether your current case study format is working for you.

Do you want to go for the Classic, Story or Conversational format? What’s going to work best for your brand, your marketing channel and your client story? Of course, there is the option to create different formats of the same case study. Again, aim to make these decisions from the start as it will make the research and writing stages easier. This stage should also involve checking whether your client is happy to be named in the case study. Another element to consider is the type of images you will include. Check whether the customer is happy for you to include a photo of them or their business.

Research

Good research lies at the heart of a successful case study. The information you gather shapes the whole story. This is the stage at which to gather as much information as you can: stats, facts, client experience, client opinions. As much as you can. You may not use of all it but cover all bases so you have the best messaging to choose from. How you do this varies. You may have a lot of supporting information in the form of customer information which is a good start.

To really humanise your case study, look to the lived experience of your client as well as the factual improvements. This can be achieved by interviewing the client either in person or via Zoom, Teams or over the phone. But first, create a list of questions asking about the before and after. Throw in a few extra questions too. This can all be backed with additional desk-based research, to ensure you have all the facts about your client’s business. Here’s another element not to forget: your own business. Check you have the most up to date points about the product or service you’re showcasing.

Find the story

The story is central to a powerful customer case study. Whichever approach you go for, you still need to uncover the narrative that defines your business as the best. Once you’ve done your research, it’s time to uncover the compelling story. Think of a key idea, theme or message. Is it business transformation, a sudden step into a new market or something else? Or you can look the other way and present a story celebrating the past of a company and how you have supported its continued success. Make sure this aligns with your own business messaging. This story should then be the core of your main case study title.

Get customer feedback

Once you have created your first draft, revisit it until you’re happy to share it with your client. The approvals process is a crucial stage in copywriting. Wait for their feedback, then create another draft,

Finalise

Once your client has viewed the draft and either informed you they are happy with it or made their changes, check that you’re also happy with all the messaging. If so, you’re ready to finalise it ready to share it and make the most of it to win new clients!

Common business case study copywriting errors

With so many important elements, business case studies can be beset with pitfalls when created with care. Here are just a few of them:

Lack of emotional impact

Emotion is critical to a great story. Take your case study from the customer’s challenge at the start to their positive emotion at the end. The temptation to maintain professional credibility can sometimes block companies from making the most of emotion in their content. But that only undermines the impact of a case study. If you’re looking to keep your case study formal, the secret is to balance professionalism with emotion. This can be done strategically with the right use of language. Even a strategically placed quote can achieve this.

Too many facts

Want your case study to be information rather than inspiration? Then go ahead and pack it full of facts. But if you would prefer to create a case study that helps win new clients, apply the use of facts and statistics strategically.

Too little story

Unless you are opting for the very simple classic case study approach, the story is not simply how you helped the client. Finding the real story requires digging deeper. So they had a problem with their systems and your business solved it? How? And what caused that problem in the first place? By doing more of a deep dive in your copywriting strategy, you can create a truly unique and interesting story is designed around the individual client.

Inauthentic

While the business case study should be a staple of marketing content, it shouldn’t be directly salesy. Packing it full of selling messages, will make it feel inauthentic and too corporate, removing the all-important human element. A successful business case study should feel natural and include the customer voice as much as possible. Go back to the core by putting your client at the centre and you’ll avoid the trap of inauthenticity.

Business case study FAQS

What is a business case study?

A business case study is a type of marketing content that highlights your company’s value through the lens of a particular customer’s experience of your service or product. While case studies have been around for a long time, they are more important than ever. This is because with the rise of AI-generated content, case studies done right can humanise a brand or business, helping to inspire by telling an authentic and engaging story.

What is the best format for a good case study?

The best format for a business case study is the one that works best for your brand, your marketing strategy and channels. Three key types of case study formats are classic challenge, solution and benefits, or story-based, more narrative-focused and defined by the messaging, or conversational, which merges elements of the first two.

What is the best process for writing a case study?

Creating a great business case study should be focused on finding the story: the narrative that celebrates you and your client at their best. The process should then start with deciding your chosen format, then undertaking research, which could be through calls with your customer, desk-based research and the use of customer information you already have. You also need to define the appropriate messaging to include about your business.

How long should a case study be?

This will be defined by where you intend to publicise your case study. However, try to squeeze a full case study into just a couple of paragraphs and you risk missing out important messaging. Make it too long and you risk overwhelming people with too much detail. The trick is to find the balance between sharing the right amount and not providing too much information.

What mistakes can stop a case study from being effective?

The purpose of a case study is to humanise a business by illustrating how it has helped its customer. A common mistake is to create case studies that lack the all-important human voice and emotion. Another common error is to include too many facts and figures rather than being strategic with their use. Forgetting to build the case study around a unique and compelling story is another error that companies make.

Ready for more powerful business case studies?

A case study that truly highlights your business at its best is built around the magic formula of story structure, business messaging and call to action. In the rush to share great things about how you’ve helped your client, don’t forget to keep your case study human and authentic. If you’d like more ideas for inspiring business case studies, take a look at how Green Light Copywriting helps companies here.