case-study-builder

# Case Study Builder Everyone wants social proof. Nobody makes time to create it. You finish a project, the client's happy, you move on — and six months later you're in a sales call with nothing to show. This skill fixes that. Give me the raw details. I'll produce three formats you can use immediately. --- ## Mode Detect from context or ask: *"Quick writeup, full case study, or full asset package?"* | Mode | What you get | Best for | |------|-------------|----------| | `quick` | 1 format: paragraph summary for proposals | Fast social proof, proposal inserts | | `standard` | 3 formats: proposal blurb, social proof pull-quote, sales story | Active pitching, LinkedIn, website | | `deep` | 3 formats + blog-ready case study + FAQ variant + campaign assets | Content marketing, SEO, sales enablement | **Default: `standard`** — use `quick` if they say "just need something fast." Use `deep` if they want to turn the win into a marketing asset. --- ## Context Loading Gates **Before generating anything, collect all 8 fields:** | Field | What to Collect | |---|---| | 1. Client | Industry, company size/stage, named or anonymized? | | 2. Before | What was broken or painful? Any numbers? | | 3. Actions | What did you specifically do? Scope, timeline, role | | 4. After | **REQUIRED: at least one specific number** | | 5. Timeline | How long to achieve the result? | | 6. Quote | Direct client quote if available | | 7. Naming | Can we name the client, or must we anonymize? | | 8. Use case | Where will this be used? (proposals / website / LinkedIn) | **Outcome Extraction Protocol — enforced on Field 4:** If the user says "results were good" or "things improved," stop and ask: > "I need at least one number to make this credible. Pick one: > - Revenue change (e.g., 'closed 3 new clients worth $15K') > - Time saved (e.g., 'cut from 10 hours to 2 hours/week') > - Lead volume (e.g., 'went from 0 to 5 inbound leads/month') > - Rough estimate is fine — it doesn't have to be exact." **Do not draft until Field 4 has at least one number.** --- ## Phase 1: Situation Analysis Before drafting, reason through: 1. **Result strength:** Is the outcome a Tier 1 (hard metric), Tier 2 (soft metric), or Tier 3 (proxy)? This determines how confident the language should be. 2. **Hero check:** Is the story told from the client's perspective, or yours? Client = hero, you = guide. 3. **Tension check:** What made this hard? Without a challenge, there's no story — just a list. 4. **Format match:** Which use case did they specify? That determines which format to optimize. **Tier system for results language:** | Tier | Type | Example | Language | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | Hard metric | "Revenue +40%" | State directly | | 2 | Soft metric | "Team finally aligned" | "For the first time in years..." | | 3 | Proxy metric | "Enabled Series A close" | "Contributed to..." | | 4 | Directional | "Noticeable improvement" | "Significant improvement in..." | --- ## Phase 2: The Hero Principle **The client is the hero. You are the guide.** Before writing, flip the framing: ❌ Wrong: "I built a content system that generated leads." ✅ Right: "Sarah went from scrambling to fill her pipeline to getting 3 inbound inquiries per week — all from a content system we built in 6 weeks." Every format should be written from what the CLIENT experienced, not what YOU delivered. --- ## Phase 3: Generate Three Formats ### Format 1: Two-Liner (Proposals & Bios) **Formula:** `[What was done] + [scale/scope] + [for who] + [result or timeframe]` ``` [Strong action verb] [what was delivered] for [specific client descriptor]. [Outcome metric] in [timeframe]. ``` **Example:** > Built a full content system for a Series B SaaS founder with no marketing team. > 0 to 3 inbound leads/week in 6 weeks. --- ### Format 2: Story Version (LinkedIn & Sales Calls) **Structure — 4 paragraphs, 150–250 words:** ``` **Set the scene:** [Their situation when you arrived — 2-3 sentences with stakes] **Show the complexity:** [What made this hard — 2-3 sentences] **What happened:** [Specific actions taken — no feature lists, just moves] **What changed:** [Outcome — the number + the transformation] ``` --- ### Format 3: Full Case Study (Website & Portfolio) ```markdown # Case Study: [Client Name or Descriptor] ## The Challenge [2-3 paragraphs: situation, stakes, what wasn't working] ## The Approach [Phases or steps — what happened and in what order] ## The Results [Metrics, before/after comparison, named outcomes] ## Key Details - Client: [Named or "A [descriptor] company"] - Industry: [Sector] - Timeline: [Duration] - Scope: [What was delivered] ## What Made This Different [Unique angle, unexpected obstacle, or pivotal insight] ## Client Quote > "[Testimonial — or placeholder if not yet collected]" > — [Name], [Title] ``` --- ## Phase 4: Self-Critique Pass (REQUIRED) After generating all three formats, evaluate: **Two-liner:** - [ ] Does it have a specific number? (Not "improved results" — a real metric) - [ ] Is it 2 sentences or fewer? - [ ] Would someone scanning a proposal stop and read it? **Story version:** - [ ] Is the client the hero (not the author)? - [ ] Is there genuine tension — something that made this hard? - [ ] Does the closing paragraph include the key metric? **Full case study:** - [ ] Does the Results section lead with numbers? - [ ] Is the Challenge section specific enough that a similar prospect recognizes their situation? - [ ] Is the client quote (or placeholder) present? **Flag any failure:** "The story version has no tension — add one obstacle or unexpected challenge before the 'What happened' paragraph." --- ## Phase 5: Distribution Plan | Format | Best locations | When to use | |---|---|---| | Two-liner | Proposals, email bios, LinkedIn About section | Any sales context | | Story | LinkedIn post, podcast intros, sales call opener | Weekly content | | Full case study | Website portfolio page, PDF download, RFP response | Late-stage buyer research | --- ## Output Structure ```markdown ## Case Study: [Client Descriptor] — [Date] ### Situation Summary [2-sentence analysis from Phase 1] Result tier: [1/2/3/4] --- ### Format 1: Two-Liner [Final copy] ### Format 2: Story Version [Final copy] ### Format 3: Full Case Study [Full markdown] --- ### Self-Critique Notes - Two-liner: [pass/issue] - Story: [pass/issue] - Full: [pass/issue] ### Distribution Plan [Where to use each] ### Next Step [If no quote collected → run testimonial-collector] [If strong story → suggest LinkedIn post from story format] ``` --- **Cross-reference:** If a client quote was captured here, run `testimonial-collector` to properly format and score it for your testimonial library. --- *Skill by Brian Wagner | AI Marketing Architect | brianrwagner.com*