Case Study

1---
2name: content-case-study
3description: >
4  Turn a finished job into a case study that wins the next one: pick a won job with photos, get
5  written consent, interview the customer in five questions, and write problem, what we found,
6  what we did, the result in numbers and the customer's own words, within the FTC rules on
7  testimonials and reviews. Use this skill when the user asks for a case study, a project post,
8  a job story, a before-and-after, a testimonial, a success story, a portfolio entry, "post
9  about this job", or "show off this project".
10---
11
12# Case Study: Finished Jobs Become Proof That Wins the Next One
13
14**RULE: Only real jobs, real numbers and the customer's own words, with written consent. Never
15a made-up, merged or AI-written testimonial, and never an edit that changes what the customer
16meant.**
17
18A case study is the strongest proof a small business can publish: a neighbor with the same
19problem, what the business did, and what changed. It also feeds the proof bank, so every later
20post can point to it.
21
22## 1. Pick the job
23
24A good case study job:
25
26- Is done and won (status `won` in `launch-lead-capture`), and the customer was happy.
27- Matches a core service and a question in the topic plan (`content-topic-plan`).
28- Has photos: before, during and after, taken by the business.
29- Has a result someone can measure: time, money, a number, a problem that stopped.
30- Is typical. A one-off miracle sets a promise the business cannot keep.
31
32Ask the owner for one job a month. The review request after a won job (`launch-speed-to-lead`)
33is a good moment to ask for the case study too.
34
35## 2. Get written consent first
36
37No draft goes to anyone before consent is in writing. Use
38`references/consent-template.md`.
39
40- Consent says exactly what the business will use: name or initials, neighborhood, photos
41  of the home, quotes, and where (website, social media, email, print).
42- The customer can review the final text before it goes live, and can withdraw consent later.
43  Withdrawal means the business removes it from the site and stops new use.
44- Record the consent in the proof bank: `consent: written YYYY-MM-DD`, and keep the signed
45  copy.
46- **Clinics and health businesses:** a patient story, photo or quote needs a HIPAA-compliant
47  marketing authorization, not only a consent form. Use the practice's own authorization form.
48- **Children:** a parent's written consent for any child's name, face or story.
49- Never offer payment, a discount or a gift for a positive story. If the customer already had
50  a discount or connection (a family member, a staff member, a free service), the case study
51  says so; the consent form records it.
52
53## 3. Interview the customer (five questions)
54
55Ask by phone or email. Use `references/customer-interview.md` for the questions and how to
56take notes. Record the answers word for word. With permission, record the call.
57
58The customer's words go into the post as they said them. Light trims for length use "...",
59and never change the meaning or make it stronger.
60