Instructions for writing TOP cases and publishing them on the “IT Rating” service

Are you a digital agency and want to publish cases on the “IT Rating of USA” service? Then read the article to understand the sequence of actions.

Rather stringent requirements have been set for the cases.If earlier the service published 95% of all offered cases, now this indicator has decreased. At the same time, there is also a positive point - TOP cases are displayed on the main page of the service and, accordingly, receive more attention from readers. This approach helps to improve the quality of cases.

As a result, there are two sides to the win:

• our service “IT Rating of USA” receives and publishes better and more useful content for readers;
• agencies will be able to increase the interest of site visitors through well-written cases.

If you have never published a case on our service, then we will tell you in detail how to do it.

First of all, you should register on the site in order to be able to publish your cases for free. You can download them through your personal office. On average, pre-moderation takes 1-2 business days, after which the material is published or acquires the “Draft” status. The reason for the rejection of the case must be written in a letter and sent to the specified e-mail during registration. You can correct mistakes and try to publish the case again.

The main purpose of publishing cases

Basically a case is a highly effective tool for attracting new customers. It is much more effective compared to news reports, interviews, or other text-based formats. This pattern is realized only if the case is structured, detailed and beautifully designed.

The case differs from text materials of other formats in its main task. It must:

• reflect the specialization of your digital agency;
• show the professionalism and high qualifications of your project team;
• highlight the advantages and features of your company.

A case attracts new customers only if it evokes a strong positive reaction from them. A potential client should feel the individual approach and professionalism of the team for the implementation of a particular project. Only then will he entrust you with his task.

Which project to choose to create a case

As a rule, cases are not created for every project made. Focus on the quality of the cases, not the quantity. If you post 100 unstructured cases without details, it will look very doubtful. It is not a fact that you will have at least one client. If you work out one case, make it high-quality, understandable and structured, then it will be able to bring clients for more than one year.

Signs of projects for which it is worth making cases (it is better that in one project several signs from the list coincide and the first two must necessarily correspond):

• you want to receive applications for the implementation of similar projects in the future;
• the client does not mind that you publish a case for a completed project on his order;
• unusual work has been done;
• you used new tools and technologies in the project;
• a lot of work has been done;
• the project fully reflects the specialization of the company;
• you have made a project for a well-known company;
• with a specific project you have achieved a quantitative indicator above the market average;
• good results in terms of indicators before and after work;
• complex solution of all tasks;
• you have visuals for the project.

How to structure cases

If you are just learning how to create cases, then we recommend using the classic structure, which will make the content understandable and logical:

1. First of all, the task that was set by the customer is described. Describe in detail what results the client expected;
2. Description of the specifics of the customer's business and, as a result, solutions within the framework of the project;
3. A description of the problems you are experiencing and how to solve them;
4. Step-by-step listing of completed works;
5. Features and unusual solutions for your project;
6. Summarizing.

If you are doing a project repeatedly (for example, a redesign or repeated SEO optimization work), then this should be reflected in the case:

• why did your client have to look for a new contractor?
• what is your advantage and the result of the work done from previous performers;
• comparison of results.

To check the case for the content of the necessary information, ask yourself the following list of questions:

• Are the main goals and objectives that were formed by the customer indicated?
• Is there an indication in the text of what the client is doing and what is his target audience?
• Have you written a detailed description of the end result for each aspect of your work?
• Is it clear to the reader what business tasks of the customer you solved and how exactly did you do it?
• Is the course of work described in detail and is there any reasoning why you did this?
• Does the text describe the quantitative results?

What are the requirements for cases

It is important to take into account the design standards of a particular publication. These standards are the same at all professional sites. Everything should look nice and tidy.

Consider the so-called principle of uniformity. What does this mean? All text should be formatted in the same style, taking into account the font, indents and sizes. Use the same quotation marks throughout the text, do not use several different types, even if one is at the beginning of the text and the other is at the end. If headings, body text and lists are not designed in the same style, then the case will give the impression of untidiness. As a result, many clients will not want to do business with you.

Basic requirements for registration:

1. uniform style and design;
2. high-quality photos, screenshots and other media files;
3. absence of grammatical and spelling errors, typos;
4. structured text with lists of enumerations and subheadings;
5. clear and easy-to-understand sentence wording;
6. lack of waffle.

Sloppy design will nullify all your efforts to create a high-quality case. The client pays attention to the little things, remember this! It is worth noting that well-written but sloppy cases with typos are often sent back for revision.

Tips to help you create cases

If you seek to find new customers using published case studies, then follow these tips:

• check the projects for spelling and grammatical errors, the accuracy of the case design;
• make the presentation of the case structured and interesting to the general reader. Follow logical sequence and appropriate text style to attract potential customers. If you doubt your own abilities, then give a task to copywriters or find a competent freelancer, but in this case, a specialist will need to be consulted on the details of the completed project so that he understands the case and writes an informative case. An easier and faster way is if you write the case yourself, since you know all the nuances of the project. If you are not sure that all the thoughts are stated in the text correctly, give your final result to a copywriter to edit possible errors;
• use subheadings in the text for a better comprehension of the text. This applies not only to cases, but also to other text formats.;
• avoid "waffle". It is important to back up all actions with facts and details. Specify each step described;
• if you have completed a large amount of work, then it is important to indicate their listing, and only then describe them in more detail;
• if in the process of creating a project you made a choice, then you have to describe why you made just such a decision. This part of the case demonstrates your high qualifications and professionalism.;
• If your content is small, keep italicizing or bold to a minimum. In this case, you do not need to use subheadings often;
• don't advertise yourself. If your project impresses a potential customer, he will contact you without any advertising. You shouldn't write that you are the best on the market, you have the lowest prices, others have much worse. It often repels people;
• Consider all punctuation marks, remove extra spaces and make your text neat. If you have any problems with this, then use the Lebedev Studio Typographer. You will definitely succeed with it.