How to make a customer case study that sells your software

Choose the right customer

The best subjects are customers who look like the buyers you want more of, who've used the product long enough to see results, and who are comfortable on camera. Enthusiasm matters more than size: a small firm that loves you beats a big name that's lukewarm.

Get permission, in writing

Ask before you plan anything, and get written consent to use their name, business, words, image and any figures, in ads as well as on your site. Let them approve the final cut.

In the UK, fake or misleading reviews and testimonials are unlawful under consumer protection law, so every quote must be real and every number must be one they'll stand behind.

Find the story before you film

Interview them on the phone first. You're listening for three things:

1. Before: what life was like, in specifics. "I was pricing jobs every night after the kids went to bed."
2. The turning point: why they switched, and what nearly stopped them.
3. After: what's different now, with numbers if they have them and are happy to share. Hours saved, jobs priced, margin protected.

Write the story down before filming day, so you know which shots you need.

Film on their ground

Film on site, at the yard, in the van: wherever the work happens. It's more convincing than an office, and it's what your buyers recognise.

• Sit-down interview with good audio (a lapel mic matters more than the camera).
• Plenty of footage of the work itself, and of them using your product on a phone or laptop.
• A few simple questions, asked conversationally. Let them talk; the best lines are rarely the scripted ones.

One day is usually enough for one customer.

Cut it many ways

One filming day should give you:

• A two-to-three-minute film for your website and sales follow-ups.
• Several 15-to-45-second ads, each built around a different line.
• Vertical clips for Instagram, TikTok and YouTube Shorts.
• Stills and quotes for static ads, the stand and sales slides.
• A written case study page, so it's found in search too.

Put it to work

Run the clips as ads to people who've visited your site but not booked. Put the film on the demo booking page. Send it to prospects before their demo. And ask the customer to share it: their network is your market.

If customers win awards or hit milestones, tell the story while it's fresh. A customer's award, told well, is free proof.