Now, let's talk about one of my favorite types of content: case studies.
Counter to what LinkedIn likes to tell us, case studies *do* still work.
But do they work as well as they did in 2010?
No.
Or as well as they did in 2015?
Also, no.
Most B2B case studies smooth out the chaos.
Scrub the timeline.
Polish every quote.
Sales keeps asking for them.
Sales never uses them. IYKYK.
That's because the best stories start with “Here’s what didn’t work.”
The problem with case studies is that they’re build for the brand, not the buyer.
Buyers want to know:
- What was the real problem?
- What went wrong?
- What did you learn?
- How would you do it differently next time?
Instead, we give them a formula:
- Insert flattering quote
- Gloss over the part where things got dicey
- Highlight ROI nobody believes
It’s content designed to impress - when what people actually crave is proof of resilience.
The rise of the anti–case study
Some of the best B2B marketing I’ve seen lately is just… honest.
Not “case study” honest. Actually honest.
Here are three examples I keep coming back to:
1. Sendoso’s marketing post-mortems
At Sendoso, we started sharing monthly internal marketing breakdowns.
Not just what they launched, but what flopped.
What roadblocks they ran into.
What underperformed.
What they learned.
It wasn’t strategic. It was just real.
Turns out, people want to know how the sausage gets made.
Show them.
2. Metadata’s failed PLG launch
This is an older one, but I always adored their podcast because it was them showing their scars.
When Mark Huber and Jason Widup launched Metadata’s product-led growth motion, it didn’t take off.
Instead of hiding it, they made a podcast episode about it.
They broke down what didn’t work, why their assumptions were off, and what had to change.
That’s the kind of content sales can send with confidence.
Because it's it's a credibility story, but just a W.
3. Dreamdata’s experiments in public
The Dreamdata team has shared marketing plays that didn’t land.
Their initial LinkedIn Live campaign they thought would crush ended up underwhelming and they wrote about it anyway.
They didn’t spin it.
They used it to show how they test, learn, and move fast.
That transparency built more trust than the campaign ever could have.
Now they're crushing it (here's my latest session with them about marketing attribution that works).
Want to create your own anti–case study?
Here’s a simple framework I’ve been using:
- Name the real problem (the one you weren’t sure you could solve)
- Share your first (wrong) attempt
- Show how the insight emerged
- Highlight what changed because of it
- Offer advice, not applause
That’s it.
It’s not a case study.
It’s a story your audience will remember.
If this resonated, here are 3 ways to make it real:
DM your teammate:
“Should we just write this like a post-mortem instead of a case study?”
Before your next 1-on-1 with your manager:
“I’ve been thinking… what if, instead of marketing every story as a success story, we shared some mistakes?”
Then send them this newsletter. Let the conversation begin.
- Brendan
PS – Next week we're talking about when playing it safe costs you the deal.
I get it, we don't want to get fired for doing something too wild.
Safer seems smart.
But in crowded markets, playing it safe is what gets you ignored.
Next week, I’ll show you what happens when companies bet on bold - and how that risk paid off in deals won, competitors stunned, and categories rewritten.
Oh, and if you want to create anti-case study content like this, drop me a line.
- Navattic - Double trials/leads *and* cut sales cycles in half
- Dreamdata - FINALLY know the ROI of your content (free)
- Surfer - Boost content visibility in Google & ChatGPT.
- Sendoso - Double win rates, 6x second call rates, and close deals 29% faster
- Videodeck - Scale video marketing by turning boring video assets into customers
- SparkToro - find out who your customers really listen to (& what they Google!)
- Growclass - Our community’s most highly recommended marketing training
Have a great week!
Lindsay & Brendan