STORY TECHNIQUE

Consider the humble, hard-working case study, one of the most persuasive pieces of marketing collateral, if done well.

 

Also a place where your company or organization openly gets to be the hero—the audience expects a story about you rescuing the client-in-distress.

 

Here’s how the elements of a standard case study and a story-based case study contrast:

 


Impersonal (company only)
Stays on the surface
Industry-specific jargon
No idea what’s at stake
No mention of obstacles
Self-congratulatory tone
Focus on features of solution
ROI figures, facts
Exit hero, end of story


Personal (real people)
Gives details/digs into problem
Clean, clear language
The stakes are clear—and high
Obstacles and how they were overcome
The story speaks for itself
Focus on benefits of solution
ROI figures, facts and what they mean
We hear how things are better now

The standard case study is a fact sheet in long form. It gives you nothing to identify with, no sense of shared pain or feeling
of urgency.

 

The story-based case study draws in the reader with shared pain and the adventure of solving difficult problems.