Today’s buyers are more wary than ever.

Bombarded daily with marketing campaigns and sales pitches, it’s challenging to separate the gold from the dross.

That’s why social proof is one of the most powerful methods of validating your products and services.

Social proof comes in many forms such as reviews, testimonials, and customer success stories.

Out of the three, case studies are proven to be the most influential for B2B buyers.

However, they’re not always easy to get done right.

Here are 20 mistakes to avoid:

  1. Listing random stats and features
  2. Skipping the client interview
  3. Skipping interviews with internal team members
  4. Interviewing the wrong person
  5. Winging interviews
  6. Presenting your clients in a negative light
  7. Not making your client the hero of your journey
  8. Written poorly
  9. Weak format (structure matters)
  10. Too pedantic
  11. Not pleasing skimmers and readers
  12. Not understanding your target audience
  13. Too boring, dry or impersonal
  14. Pollyanna-ish (include some imperfection, show vulnerability)
  15. Asking for permission after it’s written
  16. Publishing without permission
  17. Having a weak angle
  18. Not understanding your client life cycle
  19. Asking for a case study before results are proven
  20. Not providing enough detail