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How to write your Client Success Story: (a core piece of brand messaging!)

May 22, 2021

Sending a big thank you to the junior copywriter on my team, Sarah Kaufmann, for repurposing my video on Your Client Success Story into this super handy blog post!

Let’s talk about your ideal Client Success Story. This copywriting staple educates your reader (and hopefully potential client) about the incredible things a past client has gained from your product or service. They animate the journey from:

  1. where your client was before you started working together/before purchasing your product, to
  2. the experience of actually working together/or when they made use of your product, to
  3. finally, the results they’ve gained after using your amazing services or products.

 

Wait… isn’t this just a testimonial?

Not quite! A testimonial is a blurb written by your client, expressing how much they enjoyed working with you. Think of it as a recommendation letter that your client drew up. 

Some testimonials incorporate pieces of a Client Success Story, however, most people won’t write them that way.

Typically, you’ll be the one writing the story. You write the piece and then ask if they approve it. This is the story behind the testimonial.

Starting the story

There are two main routes you can go when developing your newest client’s success story: start during the initial sales call, or have them fill out an intake form.

These are the initial questions I recommend asking:

  • What brought you here/why are you asking for help?
  • What are your main struggles?
  • What sort of achievements do you desire?

Begin your Client Success Story by asking them where they started out before meeting you

But, if you didn’t do this at the start, don’t stress! You can always go back; especially to clients that you’ve kept in touch with. Ask them to fill out a little survey that’ll cover the beginning, middle and end to mould your Client Success Story.

 

When crafting your survey, start off by asking:

“What were you struggling with before we started working together?”

To make it super easy for them to fill out, you can give them a couple of options to choose from. (This helps you get great data too!) Here’s an example from our VIP Marketing & Messaging Day intake form that you could change to past tense:

“What are your biggest challenges with writing, messaging, and developing content? (Select all that apply)

  • I don’t have enough time to create content
  • It feels like I’ve been working on my content forever. I  just want it done already
  • I don’t like writing 
  • I don’t want to write my own content
  • I’m struggling to get engagement with my content
  • It’s hard for me to explain exactly what I do to my friends
  • It’s hard for me to explain what I do in words that resonate with my ideal clients
  • Other (Please Specify)”

If it’s not a service client, but rather a returning customer who purchased a product, reach out via Instagram or Facebook direct message or email (providing you have their permission to email, of course!). 

Some questions you can ask include:

  • “Why did it intrigue you in the first place?”,
  • “Why did you buy more than one piece?”
  • “What were you struggling with beforehand?”
  • “How did it help you?”

What’s great about this, is that it starts or continues a relationship. I recommend doing this in a place like direct messages on Instagram because it’s so personal. 

The bulk of the businesses that we buy from on the daily are massive, right? And that’s very impersonal, whereas you’re a real human being.

You could send something like:

“Hey NAME, this is Emma from COMPANY sending you a message. I’ve noticed that you’ve bought a couple of the items from my latest collection, and I’m so excited that you’re just as thrilled about them as I am. You style them so beautifully! I’d love to know what attracted you to these pieces in the first place?”

The middle of your Client Success Story

This part is much easier. This section is about the actual experience of working with you or the first time they used your product. This is typically touched on in their testimonial but can be added to your survey, as well. Try something along the lines of: 

  • “What did you most enjoy about working together?”
  • “What was it like using the product for the first time?”

It’s the simple part, regardless of whether you provide products or services because it’s active feedback from them. 

Finishing up your Client Success Story

The end of their story goes beyond working with you or using your products. If you run a service-based business, you can always check in on your clients in a week, or even a month to see what the long-term results are. 

For product-based businesses, consider asking them about what their experience has been long term:

  • “Is it still in the same great shape it was when you first got it?”
  • “How do you feel about it today?”
  • “Are they just as excited as Day One?”

Has it made such an impact on them, that they bought a second for a friend?

There are so many different ways that both service and product-based businesses can show their future audiences and clients that their services and products are worth it. 

And there you have the three components of a Client Success Story:

  1. Where they were before your product or service
  2. What the experience of working together or using your product was like
  3. What were the results even beyond the last day of working together, or after the initial purchase of the product.

Telling these stories on social media not only pins you as the expert but also builds trust. This is especially true if you can accompany it with a testimonial, so your future clients can hear the story directly from the authentic source. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Before you add these stories to your website, double-check that you’ve got that client’s consent. Perhaps they’d feel more comfortable with just their first name, or a pseudonym. Also, be sure to tweak the story, so nothing too personal is shared. 

Conclusion
Now you’re ready to create authentic and powerful content to educate future clients. 

Ready to create a full bank of brand stories that make it easy to attract your ideal clients? Join the waitlist for Copy Wisdom: The Brand Messaging Workshop Series and be the first to know when we run the next live round! 

 

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Emma Givens

The team at EG: Content & Copy are the world’s original, branded copywriting experts. We serve small and medium-sized businesses selling premium services and high-end goods. Make sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss a post!

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