Case study copywriting: Your guide to writing copy that converts

Case studies are a fantastic way to illustrate your capabilities and success stories in a creative, digestible manner. They provide a clever outlet for sole traders, SMEs and corporates to share real-life examples of how their services or products have positively affected customers. Case studies can also help boost SEO and build credibility. Here’s your how-to guide for case study copywriting.

1) Go to the source

The first thing you need to do is gather all of the facts. Interview your customer and ask them to elaborate on the value your services or product created. If a client has been kind enough to provide a testimonial, they will usually be willing to endorse your business and be the subject of a case study for you. Make sure you double-check the details (name spellings, positions and titles, for example).

2) Set the scene

When it comes to writing copy for a case study, think of it as a story with a beginning, middle and end. Start by providing some background information about your client and explaining the issues they were facing. What were their challenges? Set the scene, build anticipation and don’t forget to include all of the essentials such as the who, what, when, where, why and how.

3) Build your case

Next, you must explain the solutions you provided and how you created real, measurable results. What were the outcomes? Explaining the results and benefits is the most important part of the case study. Tell your story creatively. Include quotes from your customer to humanise the copy and give it personality. Avoid jargon. If you’re using the case study on a blog, be sure to include any relevant keywords you are hoping to rank for.

4) Go out with a bang

You’ve painted the picture, sold your product or service, and now you need to finalise the deal. Provide an enticing call-to-action at the end of the case study with your contact details. For those who haven’t heard the term before, a call-to-action is an instruction to the audience to provoke an immediate response, usually using an imperative verb such as “call now” or “find out more”.

How to structure a case study

Readers like to be able to skim copy in order to find what they’re looking for quickly. Make sure you break up the copy by using:

• Headings
• Subheadings
• Bullet points
• Diagrams or tables with key facts.

If it’s an online case study, aim to write at least 300 words. Case studies for brochures or other marketing materials may have to be more concise. Use your own photos over stock photos where possible.

Extra, extra, read all about it…

If you think your case study is newsworthy, you could also use it as the basis of a press release. Ask yourself whether the case study might be interesting to a wider audience, outside of potential customers? Are you celebrating a particular milestone that is newsworthy? Is the case study particularly timely or does it coincide with newsworthy events? If you’re unsure about whether or not your case study warrants a press release, we can help: Ink Big Copywriting press releases.

That’s all, folks…

Need help writing copy for a case study? Ink Big Copywriting offer creative and original copywriting solutions for businesses, individuals and community groups. Based out of Melbourne, we create content such as blog posts, SEO-friendly website copy and articles for publication. Ink Big Copywriting is located at 115 Bluff Road, Black Rock, Melbourne, Australia, 3193. (E) hello@inkbig.com.au. (P)hone +61 455 248 602. (W)ebsite http://inkbig.com.au/

Published: October 31, 2016