Case studies should cater to your buyer’s reading preference.
For example, here are 3 common reading styles:
Skimmers read headings, sub-heads, bold text, side bar summaries, and first sentences to find what they need. Skimmers typically skip the details and absorb about 25% of your content.
Scanners are looking for something very specific. They need to find that germane “kernel” that answers a burning question, eases a concern, and/or validates a hypothesis, or they may be looking for a specific reference or statement. Scanners typically absorb about 50% of your content.
In-depth readers are interested in all of the details. They may skim first, but then they take their time to read every detail, to comprehend and absorb all of the concepts in the text. It’s a deeper style of reading. In-depth readers typically absorb 90-100% of your content.
Here are 4 elements to include in your content that will appeal to all reading styles:
- A headline—this is the key idea you want to reinforce.
- Subheads—Describes the main elements of your story in subheads throughout the case
- Pull quotes—Reinforces the main benefits of your solutions (typically highlighted, pulled out and enlarged in the design).
- Sidebar summary—Summarizes key points in a sidebar. A sidebar can contain a summary of your customer (name, industry, number of employees, and results).
There are also different types of learners.
One of the (many) benefits of case studies is that they can be re-purposed into different formats that appeal to auditory or visual learners. You can leverage this by turning your case studies into easily shareable podcasts, videos, or infographics!