‘if It Worked For Them...’ – Case Studies
Case studies are popular with many editors because readers like them. And why do readers like them? Because a case study:
- examines a specific problem experienced by an organisation
- describes how it was solved
- sets out the benefits that the solution provided.
If the problem is a fairly common one – say, production lagging behind orders, administrative muddles, or a need for better customer communication – quite a few readers may identify with it, and be interested to know how it was solved. ‘We’ve got a problem like that, and if the solution worked for them...’
Hence, case studies should be popular with you too, because they are great opportunities for you to promote your organisation and its products and services with a positive success story. Unlike articles, an editor really cannot insist on a case study being anonymous or ‘generic’ because readers will want to know who implemented the solution, how, and with what equipment or know-how. So, if you don’t take too many liberties, you can splash yourself about a bit.
Much of what we said in the previous chapter about articles applies equally to case studies – finding opportunities for them, placing them, making a plan, writing them, and the general pointers on style, keeping to wordage, etc. – so we won’t bore you by repeating it. However, there are some notable differences in approach and shape.
Points To Consider
Here are a few extra points to consider when approaching case studies:
Research By Visit
Researching an article is normally a desk-bound occupation, whereas researching a case study is best done by way of a personal visit to the site if at all practical. This can involve quite a lot of non-productive travelling time, but a visit allows you to get a ‘feel’ for the customer and his company, to talk to the people involved and get some good upbeat quotes, and to check possible subjects for photography (or to take pics yourself, if you’re competent in that department).
Be Patient
Like wines, curries and authors, case studies often improve with a little ageing. Patience is a virtue here. Better not to write a case study immediately after a
problem solution goes live; wait until the benefits have had time to come through and be fully appreciated. Three months? Six, perhaps?
Get Ideas From Releases
‘Order’ or ‘installation’ press release stories can often prompt ideas for future case studies. Many’s the time we have written up an order story for a client, thought ‘That would make a good case study’, and made a note to talk to the customer again in a few months’ time. However, before that talk, always check:
Make Sure The Customer’s Happy
Writing a case study depends entirely on the goodwill of the customer concerned. You will have to get (1) his permission to do it, (2) his cooperation during the research process, and (3) his approval of the final copy before publication. He may have been deliriously happy with the solution just after it was implemented; now, four months down the line, there could be a technical glitch or a service problem that your outfit hasn’t managed to put right yet. Do talk to your sales and support people before approaching a customer, because asking him effectively to endorse your company might be rubbing salt into an open wound at that point!
Case Study Shape
The shape of a case study is different from that of an article. In an article, you are typically taking a topic and developing a discussion in terms of background, present situation and possible future developments. On the other hand, a case study examines a practical problem experienced
by a named organisation, describes the solution and how it was arrived at, and details the benefits provided by the solution.
The shape of a typical case study will, therefore, look something like this:
Title. This attracts reader attention and indicates the theme of the case study.
By-line. It could be as for an article, but this is unlikely; by-lines are not often used in case studies. This is not necessarily a Bad Thing, because without a by-line the study can look as if it was written by an independent journalist employed by the publication. However, an author’s name may be mentioned in the:
Introduction. Two or three lines expanding the title theme. It might include a reference to the author, such as ‘Charles Brown looks at an organisation that...’ or similar.
First section. Sets the scene. Describe the organisation being studied – what it does, how big it is, anything particularly interesting about it, etc.
Second section. Introduces the problem it had. Go from the general to the particular. First, outline the nature of the problem; then give details of what was happening, and the negative impact it was having.
Third section. The build-up to the crunch point – the moment when it was decided that the problem had to be solved. Any particular event(s) which prompted that decision.
Fourth section. How the organisation went about tackling the problem to arrive at a solution. What the solution was.
Fifth section. Detail the solution and how it was implemented.
Last paragraph or two. Detail the benefits the organisation has gained from the solution. Include positive quotations from members of the organisation’s staff wherever possible.
Conclusion. Could be an upbeat (but believable!) quote by the customer summing up the overall benefits: ‘Yes. the change to x was an upheaval, but the extra business we’ve gained has more than justified ...’ or something on those lines. However, if you can’t come up with a neat, crisp conclusion, best leave it out.