In our activities as PR professionals, we begin almost every campaign by conducting extensive research into the company’s business, key messages and clients. Our years of prior experience have taught us that knowing how to write a case study is crucial to building strong public relations campaigns.
By compiling statements from local customers satisfied with the company’s products or services, we increase our ability to attract the attention of local media. The time, energy and money spent in this initial phase of the campaign tends to generate considerable returns.
With that in mind, here are some tips on how to write a case study that is both attractive and impactful for your public relations campaign.
If possible, your case studies should be accompanied by visual material – photos and videos – of high quality. With the downsizing of the newsrooms around the world, the number of photographers available to go out and produce imagery to illustrate stories is decreasing every year. So it is crucial to have a good, visual media kit.
A client’s testimony is an excellent vehicle for promoting the key messages of your company. Don’t waste this precious opportunity with vague quotes, showing how satisfied the client or customer is with the product or service you provide. The case study should highlight the problems that your company solved, and how you made this person’s life easier or better.
Countries like Brazil and Mexico have strong regional media, which definitely need to be included in your public relations and marketing strategy. To create greater empathy with local journalists, develop one case study for each state, province or region. Realities tend to vary a lot from one region to another, so it is important to have a wide variety of stories to tell.
For B2C companies, there is an additional challenge. Most of them rely on a local distributor, who does not always understand the importance of a PR and marketing campaign, even though this person (or company) is one of the main beneficiaries of such work. Think of the local representative as an important actor in promoting the brand, and not just as a salesman.
When using these key tips on how to write a case study, always remember: it’s the results obtained and the positive experiences of users that will give the initial impetus for your company in the market you set out to work in. A PR campaign which is well supported by efficient storytelling – illustrating the experiences of people who had a problem solved by your company – and portrayed via attractive photos and/or videos is the key to success.
