Case Study

The first 10 questions

This is where the conversation starts. Each answer shapes what gets asked next.

1. 01Which customer is this, and why are they the right one to feature right now?
2. 02What was their situation before your product — the specific problem, workaround, or pain they had?
3. 03Have you already talked to them about being featured, or is this prep for that conversation?
4. 04What result can you actually quantify — and what number would you be tempted to round up or generalize that you should keep honest?
5. 05What almost didn't happen — did they almost not buy, almost churn, hit a rough onboarding? Where's the real tension in the story?
6. 06What would this customer say in their own words if asked 'what changed for you?' — write it as close to a real quote as you can.
7. 07Who's the audience for this case study — prospects in the same industry, a specific persona, investors — and does the story need to flex for them?
8. 08Narrative arc: before → struggle → why they chose you → what changed — sketch it as a real story, not a features list.
9. 09Key quote(s): the 1-3 lines, real or drafted-for-approval, that carry the emotional weight of the story.
10. 10Metrics section: the specific, verifiable numbers you'll include and how they were measured.

+ 5 more questions across discovery, validation, and the creative brief — each one adapting to what you've already said.

Related marketing project types

• Customer PersonaBuild a sharp, evidence-based profile of the specific person who buys and uses your product — so anyone on your team knows exactly who you're building for.
• Name Your StartupChoose a name you can defend, spell out loud, and actually own — working from positioning criteria rather than word games, with live domain checks on the shortlist.
• Competitive PositioningMap your competitive landscape, find the position that's genuinely yours to own, and build the case for why your approach beats the alternatives for the customers who matter most.