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]
```

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**Cross-reference:** If a client quote was captured here, run `testimonial-collector` to properly format and score it for your testimonial library.

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*Skill by Brian Wagner | AI Marketing Architect | brianrwagner.com*