How to create case studies to highlight your successful work

<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="row-content stack" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;color:#343446;background-color:#fff;width:500px" width="500"><tbody><tr><td class="column column-1" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;font-weight:400;text-align:left;padding-bottom:5px;padding-top:5px;vertical-align:top;border-top:0;border-right:0;border-bottom:0;border-left:0" width="100%"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="divider_block block-1" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div align="center" class="alignment"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="divider_inner" style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;border-top:1px solid #bbb"><span> </span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-2" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:14px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px;color:#000;line-height:1.2"><p style="margin:0;text-align:center;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px"><span style="font-size:24px;"><strong>Create case studies for a winning project proposal</strong></span></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-3" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad" style="padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px;padding-top:10px"><div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:12px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:18px;color:#000;line-height:1.5"><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;text-align:left;mso-line-height-alt:24px"> Hey {% if customer.firstName != blank %}{% else %}there{% endif %},</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;text-align:left;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;text-align:left;mso-line-height-alt:24px">I wanted to let you know that we’re now accepting applications to Pollen’s membership for early access. If accepted, you get access to our curated community of fellow freelancers, dozens of playbooks, as well as coaching, events, and more.</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;text-align:left;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;text-align:left;mso-line-height-alt:24px"> To apply, fill out&nbsp;<a href="http://email.runpollen.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_dXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPTQlMkYxOCtXYWl0bGlzdCtOZXdzbGV0dGVyXHUwMDI2dXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9NCUyRjE4K3dhaXRsaXN0K25ld3NsZXR0ZXJcdTAwMjZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsX2FjdGlvblx1MDAyNnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Y3VzdG9tZXIuaW8iLCJ0IjoxNzA4NTMyODQ3fQ/7cb1cf7c89dea959f48c5465a58d67c5b99ba5beff67b5b81a65d8a533c79860" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank">this form</a>&nbsp;and we’ll be in touch with next steps. </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;text-align:left;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;text-align:left;mso-line-height-alt:24px">Hillary<br><em>Pollen CEO &amp; Founder</em></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="button_block block-4" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div align="center" class="alignment"> <a href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3BvbGxlbmNhcmVlcnMudHlwZWZvcm0uY29tL3RvL2FMQ2Q3ejVtP3V0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj00JTJGMTgrV2FpdGxpc3QrTmV3c2xldHRlclx1MDAyNnV0bV9jb250ZW50PTQlMkYxOCt3YWl0bGlzdCtuZXdzbGV0dGVyXHUwMDI2dXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbF9hY3Rpb25cdTAwMjZ1dG1fc291cmNlPWN1c3RvbWVyLmlvI2VtYWlsPSU3QiU3QmN1c3RvbWVyLmVtYWlsJTdEJTdEIiwidCI6MTcwODUzMjg0N30/dd480b41bba3cf8919f499455e470ea19758f406b2e52b69e2c85c8cbadc2d42" style="text-decoration:none;display:inline-block;color:#ffffff;background-color:#000000;border-radius:9px;width:auto;border-top:0px solid transparent;font-weight:400;border-right:0px solid transparent;border-bottom:0px solid transparent;border-left:0px solid transparent;padding-top:5px;padding-bottom:5px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;text-align:center;mso-border-alt:none;word-break:keep-all;" target="_blank"><span style="padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px;font-size:14px;display:inline-block;letter-spacing:1px;"><span dir="ltr" style="word-break: break-word; line-height: 28px;">Apply Now</span></span></a> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="divider_block block-5" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div align="center" class="alignment"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="divider_inner" style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;border-top:1px solid #bbb"><span> </span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-6" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad" style="padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px;padding-top:10px"><div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:12px;mso-line-height-alt:18px;color:#000;line-height:1.5;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>This week, we’re looking at how to strengthen our proposals with case studies showcasing past work. Scroll down for a few examples and an easy-to-use template.</strong></span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">When presenting a potential client with a proposal, using case studies is a powerful way you can seal the deal. Clients love case studies because it puts your work in context and gives them confidence that you aren’t learning on their dime.‍</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:30px"> <span style="font-size:20px;"><strong>🗒</strong><strong> Get and write those case studies&nbsp;</strong></span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"> <span style="font-size:16px;">With each project you do, you’re earning another case study to showcase. As you build your portfolio of work, you’ll naturally build out the case studies you can show to clients. If you’re just starting out freelancing, it’s very reasonable (and encouraged) to showcase studies of work you did as an employee of a company — it doesn’t need to be only freelance work.</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">Some principles for figuring out what case studies to include:</span></p><ul style="line-height:1.5;mso-line-height-alt:24px;font-size:16px"><li><span style="font-size:16px;">Go back to the business context and goals for this prospective client. Think back to your previous work and pattern to match a previous project to this current one.</span></li><li> Follow the easy formula of <span style="background-color:#ffdf8f;">business problem + solution + results</span></li><li>Include numbers that quantify the impact of your work to show that you care about the results.</li><li>If you have them, you can also include options to speak with past clients as references.</li></ul></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="image_block block-7" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad" style="width:100%;padding-right:0;padding-left:0"><div align="center" class="alignment" style="line-height:10px"><img src="https://userimg-assets.customeriomail.com/images/client-env-125681/1681485341251_strategy-5_01GY05C8P0TQMG7MKGTVT6V90W.png" style="display:block;height:auto;border:0;width:250px;max-width:100%" width="250"></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-8" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad" style="padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px;padding-top:10px"><div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:12px;mso-line-height-alt:18px;color:#000;line-height:1.5;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:30px"> <span style="font-size:20px;"><strong>📈</strong><strong> Here are some example case studies</strong></span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">These are case studies that were used in a six-figure project proposal that won the project. No matter where you’re including these, the principles remain the same.</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Example #1 - Using work history from a previous full time job</strong></span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;margin-left:40px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">Strategy and blitzscaling content production for [COMPANY]</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;margin-left:40px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;margin-left:40px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">In 2018, [COMPANY] faced increasing customer acquisition costs and an over-reliance on paid social channels. We built an SEO program from scratch—and it became the company’s biggest growth channel.</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;margin-left:40px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><ul style="line-height:1.5;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><li style="list-style-type:none"><ul style="line-height:1.5;mso-line-height-alt:24px;font-size:16px"><li><span style="font-size:16px;">0 to 1200 articles in 9 months</span></li><li>0 page views/day to 6500+/day in 9 months</li><li>Non-branded traffic is now over 90% of overall website traffic</li><li>Rank top 3 for multiple competitive head terms</li></ul></li></ul><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;margin-left:40px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Example #2 - Using a case study from another client</strong></span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;margin-left:40px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;margin-left:40px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">Brand-building for [COMPANY]‍</span> </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;margin-left:40px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;margin-left:40px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"> [COMPANY] is an early-stage startup offering online education in the construction field. In order to keep the price point of their classes low, [COMPANY] needs to drive significant sales through organic channels, so the goal of this project is to create both a traffic flow and a sales pipeline that is low-cost, evergreen and will grow over time. We piloted and scaled an SEO program that is now the biggest driver of traffic to the company’s domain.‍</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;margin-left:40px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><ul style="line-height:1.5;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><li style="list-style-type:none"><ul style="line-height:1.5;mso-line-height-alt:24px;font-size:16px"><li>65 articles developed in 6 months</li><li>0 page views/day to 600/day in 6 months, with a low authority score for a domain</li><li>In striking distance for competitive head terms</li></ul></li></ul><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:30px"><span style="font-size:20px;"><strong>📊</strong><strong> An easy template to follow</strong></span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">Add on to your proposal 1 or 2 case studies from your previous work. Here’s a template for reference:‍</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;margin-left:40px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">Title: Business outcomes + company name</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;margin-left:40px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;margin-left:40px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">Summary: 1 or 2 sentences on the business context + what you did</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;margin-left:40px;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> &nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;margin-left:40px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">Results: Quantifiable, specific, and impressive results</p><ul style="line-height:1.5;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><li style="list-style-type:none"><ul style="line-height:1.5;mso-line-height-alt:24px;font-size:16px"><li><em>Metric #1</em></li><li><em style="background-color:transparent">Metric #2</em></li><li><em style="background-color:transparent">Metric #3</em> </li></ul></li></ul><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">You just strengthened your proposal 💪</p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>