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:
- 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.
- Hero check: Is the story told from the client's perspective, or yours? Client = hero, you = guide.
- Tension check: What made this hard? Without a challenge, there's no story — just a list.
- 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)
# 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
## 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