case study template.docx
An Awesome Case Study Needs to Include 3 Things:
- An engaging story. People are hard-wired to respond to stories. So you want to present your case study in the form of a story.
- Detailed results. Including the real numbers behind your success story gives readers an idea of what they might expect. Hard numbers also make your case study more credible.
- A step-by-step walkthrough of how you got your results. The whole point of reading your case study is so that people can try the same thing for themselves. So don’t skimp on the “how to” elements.
The only exception to this would be if your case study is going to be a sales tool (rather than a standalone piece of content). If you plan to use your case study as a customer success story or beefed-up testimonial, then you don’t need to include as much “how to” information. Instead, focus on the results.
Now, Here’s Your Case Study Template.
Replace the example text in each section with your own.
- Title, including a specific result and another impressive detail, like timeframe:
How a Busy Mom Lost 9 Pounds of Fat with One Simple Diet Change
- Introduce your case study, including a preview of what you’re going to show:
Today, I’m going to show you how a busy single mom (Jane) dropped 9 pounds of body fat with 1 change to her diet.
And she was able to accomplish this despite the fact that she’s a busy executive that has very little time to exercise.
In this case study I’ll show you the entire process that Jane used… step-by-step.
- Set the scene for your story by explaining background info and the challenge:
Jane’s Growing Problem
Jane is a 39-year old mother of two that works as a busy executive at a bank. Her days consist of shuttling kids back and forth to school and soccer practice while answering emails on her phone. She’s the consummate super-busy 21st century mom.
Like many busy moms, Jane noticed that her jeans were a little more snug than they were a few years back.
She knew she should exercise, but with her demanding work schedule and kids’ activities, she didn’t have the time or energy to get to the gym.
One day, after barely being able to button her favorite pair of jeans, Jane realized she needed to do something. So she called her sister, who recently dropped 10 pounds, for advice.
Her sister referred Jane to me. And now it’s time for me to show you how Jane dropped those excess pounds in record time.”
- Outline of the results:
How Jane Lost 2 Dress Sizes in 3 Weeks
Jane made an appointment with me on January 3rd. As of January 24th, here were her results:
• 9 pounds of weight loss (120 lbs to 111 lbs) • Body fat percentage decrease of 2.1% (down from 30% to 27.9%)
• Lost 2 dress sizes
• And her jeans fit better than they have in years :-)
Here’s the exact 3-step process Jane used to lose all that weight.
- “How-to” details:
First, Jane took note of where she stood with her weight and health.
She hopped on the scale to assess her body weight. Using the Fitbit app, she recorded her weight: 120 lbs.
Next, Jane got her body fat measured in my office (using bioelectrical impedance). We found her body fat percentage to be 30%, which is considered high for a woman of Jane’s age…
(Etc.)
- Conclusion, including a quick summary, a “you can do it too” motivational line, and a call-to-action or two:
That’s all there is to it. That’s how Jane lost 9 pounds of fat with just 1 simple change in her diet.
The best part is that you can get the same results Jane did by following this step-by-step process.
If you found this case study inspiring, I’d really appreciate it if you would share her story on Facebook.
I’d also like to hear from you: have you used any of these strategies to lose weight? Leave a comment and let me know.
I hope you enjoyed this case study template. And remember, you can find 20+ other marketing templates right here.
Brian Dean
Founder, Backlinko.com