Are your builds “Case Study Ready”?

Case studies have been pound-for-pound the most valuable content I’ve created for my agency. They’re not just fancy posts on my website; they’re assets I lean on in sales calls, highlight in proposals, and make for some of the better social posts. One case study can get you a lot of milage.

But, if I’m honest — they’re usually an afterthought.

You know the drill: project wraps up and there you are, scrambling to gather assets, scratching your head to recall specifics, and chasing the client down for a few good quotes.

It’s a hustle — but not the good kind.

This week I just-so-happened to be starting a project right at the time I was publishing a case study for my last project, and I had an ‘aha’ (or ‘duh’) moment: Why not build the case study as I’m working on the project?

So, with my latest build, I’ve been doing things like:

• Gathering up all the initial inquiries, meeting notes, and other assets and communication in one central location.
• Saving those little nuggets of client feedback as they come in (simple things, like these, that may come in handy).
• Taking ‘before’ screenshots of their old site (did you know Screaming Frog can automate this? Huge time-saver!), along with Lighthouse and GTMetrix reports.
• Keeping a timeline so I’m not guessing how long things took or how many meetings we had.
• Jotting down challenges and their solutions as I find them.

Sure, it adds a little extra work now — but I’m banking on it being a huge time-saver later. Plus, my case study has got to be better with all these contemporaneous notes.

But that’s not the best part…

This intentional approach is making me more intentional about everything. I’m not taking shortcuts, I’m not deviating from my processes, and I’m ensuring that the client is thrilled at every turn.

Why? Knowing that today’s work is going to be showcased in a future case study has added a layer of accountability that’s pushing me to deliver my absolute best work.

I’m eager to see how this first case study turns out and figure out ways to incorporate this “case-study-as-I-go” approach into my processes.

The goal is to make every project “case study ready” right at launch.

What do you think? Would you give this method a shot? I’m just getting started, but I’m pretty excited about the potential!