If you are not one of those who ‘borrows’ assignment-based case studies from a friend of a friend, this article is for you. Whether you’re pursuing distance education or on-campus education, you’ll have to write various case studies as part of your course, and we know it’s no easy task!

Writing a case study requires endless hours of research, and the number of changes in the final draft will likely exceed the number of thoughts in your head. However, fear not, while we guide you with a few best practices in creating a case study.

Write about what you relate to

It goes without saying that a case study should revolve around a topic which interests you. You should at least have a basic understanding of it. Three points to note when selecting the core subject are – your comfort level with that industry, the industry’s specific needs and your ability to give insights on industry-targeted results. If the answer to all three is yes, begin!

Be choosy

When you are selecting a case study to write, choose a customer who will tell your industry story well. Find a customer who has significant, quantifiable results in an application that is relevant to most people. It will show other potential customers the value of your product or service.

A story from start to finish

Are you a reader? Or a listener? Imagine if pages are missing from a book that you have invested your time in or if a person you are currently holding a conversation with gets up and walks away. Avoid this pitfall when writing your case study.

For all practical purposes, a case study is a story – make sure you see it through from start to finish! Include samples, goals, needs and the satisfaction of those needs within a particular industry to build your story. Finally – and this point is something most case study writers avoid – follow up with the protagonist of your case study a few months down the road. This will show how your industry is continuing to have long term benefits for the customer and give your readers the opportunity to see that your goal is not only to help with immediate needs, but also to ensure long term results.

Talk strategy

 So you doubled a website’s traffic or sales? How did you do it? This is where you sell your products or services. You shouldn’t just say “our online marketing services led to these results.” Instead, you should say “it was a combination of a three-month dedicated social media campaign focusing on Facebook & YouTube and five months of link building that led to an increase in rankings and brand exposure.”

Share, share, share, share, share (to the tune of Rihanna’s Work)

Lastly, share your success. Put the case study on your website, blog, share it on social media accounts, and link back to your product or services pages. Bring it to sales meetings and include it in corporate slides. Write a news release around it and share it with the media, or put it on the wire.