Why hire a case study writer?
/It’s the internet age, everyone can write, right? I won’t open that can of worms here but I will make a case for hiring writers to create your case studies. I’d say this is a good idea, even if I weren’t a totally-biased writer who writes case studies.
Remember what your case study is for
Your case study tells your client’s happy success story and that’s nice but that’s not why you’re committed to producing them. You make case studies because they bring you more business. A case study is a professional, money-making document that puts food on your table and lets you make payroll.
So, you want just anybody doing this work?
Everybody is NOT a writer
There, I’ve said it. The trouble is though…some people who can’t write think writing is easy so there’s no need to be picky over who does it. But think of your customers! When they’re reading your case study, you want them focused on the story and all those relevant points you’ve made sure are in that story. You know what bad or clunky writing does? It distracts from the points you want your reader to get. The writing should be invisible, just the thing that gets the story to your readers. It’s not easy to tell a good story, but there are lots of people who can do it. Give your case study a leg up and find one of them.
Does your writer know what a case study is for?
“Write up this client success story.” That’s an easy assignment to give and most of your staff could put something together. But a good collection of case studies is strategic; they are not random stories but stories featuring the types of clients, decision-making and results that you want your prospects to resonate with. (I’m assuming you’ve got strategy covered but if you don’t, your writer can help by asking what you want to accomplish with your case studies.)
Writers who like to write case studies
Try making a weather satellite without ball bearings
I believe your writer should like reading and writing case studies. If you can get your writer to go on a (professional) rant about bad case studies, you’re probably dealing with someone who cares about the art—that’s a good sign.
A lot of businesses create essential and useful products and services that are…kind of boring.
How do you make ball bearings interesting? First, make sure you know the audience who is fascinated by ball bearings. Then you find the story that resonates with them. And if your story is good enough, non-ball bearing enthusiasts will also enjoy it.
When you find a writer who likes creating case studies, they will be chomping at the bit to find and tell this story. It’s a beautiful artistic challenge. Some people want to write the next great American novel…but that’s not who you want. Find someone who gets their kicks out of turning business ideas into good stories.
Professional development
Ask your writer how they know how to write case studies. Have they invested in learning how to write effective case studies? Answering ‘yes’ to this question is a good sign.
And now some homework
Go read some case studies. How many did it take before clunky or bad writing distracted you? Did you see any that left you thinking, ‘Huh, that could be an interesting story…but it’s just not.’? If you want your prospects focused on what you want them focused on, hire a case study writer who wants to help you tell that story.
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I'm Andrea Bassett, an executive ghostwriter and content marketing writer in Toronto and I’ve spent the last decade serving executives.
I write thought leadership content marketing for executives and/or their content marketing teams. My specializations are corporate wellness, benefits, employee assistance programs, leadership & coaching, encryption & cybersecurity and strength training for seniors.
To talk about a content marketing project, call me at 647-502-3187 or send a note to andrea@redsailwriters.com.
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