Case study testimonials – a good PR opportunity

A case study or testimonial is a great way to share a story. It gives the opportunity to research into a particular person, group or situation over a period of time and can be used to support and illustrate a principle or hypothesis.

As I’m developing some public relations work for various #bellringing events, the use of testimonials and case studies would be a great tool to have.  For example, one of the things I want to start pulling together ready for next spring is some stories from bellringers who rang for the Queen’s coronation who are still ringing now and likely to ring for her Platinum Jubilee next June.   That would make a great story for the press and an inspiration to others.

One of my LinkedIn gurus is a copywriter who shares useful tips each Tuesday.  This week’s was all about case studies where she offered ten tips:

1. Ask if they would like to be featured first.  Explain what you plan to do and where the story is likely to appear.
2. Get their approval to proceed in writing.  No just the contact you deal with but senior level if necessary.
3. Devise a detailed list of questions you want to ask and send them in advance so they can think about their answers beforehand.
4. Do the interview and don’t be afraid to ask them to explain jargon or technical terms. 
5. Organise the case study according to:
   1. Problem: what issue had they experienced?
   1. Solution: why did they choose a particular path/product/service?  Why was it better than other solutions?
   1. Results: what was the outcome?  How successful was it and what would they do differently next time?
6. Get them to sign off your piece in writing to confirm they agree what you’ve written.
7. Ask for good quality photos to accompany the piece or arrange for some shots to be taken.
8. Promote the case study to create as much awareness as possible for your story.
9. Show the finished case study to your interviewee so they can see the finished article.
10. Don’t forget to use quotes from your interviewee as testimonials elsewhere.

This would certainly be helpful for developing the Jubliee stories, and other stories associated with the benefits of #bellringing, but could also be used in developing recruitment and training advice.

I have conducted a few interviews with local ringers and uploaded them to our YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwQcGeDDYSzKVw-m4huwKZw The stories some told were really interesting and inspirational.  I enjoy listening to anecdotes and what people got up to in their early ringing careers. Ringing adventures seemed to be more idyllic, daring and audacious.  I’ve heard stories of people who cycled miles and miles over hill and dale just to go ringing; it all sounds terribly romantic and out of a Jane Austin novel.  I’m sure at the time it may have been anything but, and a bit of a slog really, but that’s what you did in those days.  Maybe things are still adventurous, daring and romantic today but I’m just not in those groups. Maybe things are just so much more accessible that the adventure isn’t quite the same.