Updated February 2022: We’ve done a teardown of 3 case studies from 3 of the fastest growing SaaS companies. Check out these business case study samples to learn from what these B2B SaaS companies are doing well—and not so well—to continually improve your own case studies.
This is the eighth post in a 9-post series on how to write compelling SaaS case studies.
Case study sample #1: GitLab
GitLab is a DevOps platform that helps development, security, and operations teams reduce costs and increase time to market. The company’s 738 employees are located in 50 different countries. GitLab ranked 10th on the SaaS Mag list of 1,000 high-growth companies. We reviewed Gitlab’s Goldman Sachs case study.
What worked well
Nothing measures success in a SaaS case study like statistics, and a business case study sample like this one provide numbers that clearly illustrate the results Goldman Sachs achieved working with GitLab:
The case study format also flows well. Each section, including the customer introduction, challenge, solution, and results, provides clear information that helps the reader visualize how GitLab could help their company, too.
Finally, we all know that throwing a large block of text upon a webpage is going to get you exactly zero readers. GitLab avoids this pitfall by using subheaders to break up the text so it’s easier to scan. The subheaders are descriptive and benefit-driven—another bonus.
What could be improved
The case study’s title could use some work:
First, adding GitLab’s company name would increase brand recognition. Second, while the title does feature a statistic, it would be more powerful and easier to digest if it was a percentage increase—for example, “Goldman Sachs increases build velocity by 2,000% with GitLab.”
The pull quotes in this case study sample is also heavy on length:
Condensing and tweaking them would make them more impactful. As long as you don’t change the essence of a quote, it is fine to edit quotes—we’re writing case studies, not news reports (and you’ll always ask your customer to review the piece before it goes live).
Finally, this SaaS case study would have a stronger finish if it included a conclusion that addressed how the customer plans on using GitLab moving forward—for example, whether they will add new products to their suite. The case study also needs a call-to-action that prompts readers to book a call with GitLab or view a product demo online.
Case study sample #2: Sendoso
Sendoso is a sending platform that provides businesses with sourcing, physical warehouse storage, inventory tracking, and ROI attribution solutions to enable them to personalize at scale. The company has 147 employees and ranked 22nd on SaaS Mag’s list. We reviewed Sendoso’s PatientPop case study.
What worked well
This SaaS case study sample makes good use of graphics. It’s not just filler—rather, it adds visual interest to the piece and communicates the benefits of using Sendoso:
The case study also provides a clear, succinct summary of the challenges that PatientPop faced before working with Sendoso while being careful to position the customer in a positive light:
Finally, the case study includes a strong call to action (CTA) at the end of the case study, something that many companies surprisingly leave out.
What could be improved
The case study title is a bit hard to understand:
Clean up the language in the title so the target reader can quickly and easily understand what the story is about. And try to include a metric or KPI if you can.
The pull quote needs attribution. Who said it? And always provide a headshot as well:
This pull quote also needs some sort of border or additional design element so it stands out more as being a pull quote.
Case study sample #3: Front
Front is an email management software that helps more than 5,000 customers improve workflows and collaborate more efficiently. The company has 144 employees and ranked 61st on the SaaS Mag list. We reviewed Front’s Boostability case study.
What worked well
This case study sample opens with a strong title that includes a statistic and the customer’s name:
Front could make it even better by adding its own company name.
Front’s Boostability case study also features an excellent pull quote—it’s short and sweet with an effective message. The case study uses quotes throughout to help tell a human, relatable story:
Remember to add a headshot though!
The executive summary on the side of this case study is eye-catching and provides key information, such as tools that integrate with Front (important functionality of the Front software).
What could be improved
This SaaS case study would be more compelling if it outlined clear statistics near the top in numerical format—for example, “2.5x faster response rate.”
The call to action is currently in the executive summary at the top of the case study (see image above). The call to action would be better positioned at the bottom of the case study so that when a reader finishes the story and visualizes themselves in the customer’s shoes, they’re then nudged to take action.
This case study could also use a short boilerplate paragraph on the customer. Case studies need to benefit both parties involved, and including a boilerplate with a link shows gratitude to your customer for their help with the case study. Here’s a great example from a recent Okta case study on its customer JetBlue:
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