Post structures

Case study post - Pillar 2 (Proof)

Walk readers through a specific, real client result: context, problem, what you did, outcome, lesson. Proof posts (Pillar 2) produce 40% higher engagement than average and are the primary driver of inbound DMs. The more specific the numbers, the higher the credibility.

When to use this template

When you have a specific, real result with concrete numbers (yours or a client's with permission). The post earns its right to exist only if it includes at least one of: a specific number, a specific timeframe, a specific before-state, a specific after-state, or a verbatim client quote. Aim for 25% of your posts to be this format.

The template

{headline_result_specific_number_plus_timeframe}.

Context: {who_what_stage_what_was_at_stake}.

The problem: {what_was_failing_one_paragraph}.

What changed:
- {action_1}
- {action_2}
- {action_3}

Outcome: {the_result_with_metrics}.

The lesson: {what_this_means_for_someone_facing_the_same_problem}.

Variables

{headline_result_specific_number_plus_timeframe}: Lead with the result, not the story. 'From 2 booked calls a month to 18 in 90 days for a B2B SaaS founder.' The number + timeframe is the hook. The story comes after.
{who_what_stage_what_was_at_stake}: Context in 2 lines: company stage, what they were trying to do, why it mattered. This is where readers self-select - your ICP recognises themselves here.
{what_was_failing_one_paragraph}: What was broken before, in one tight paragraph. Don't diagnose the root cause here - just describe the symptom clearly enough that readers who've been there nod.
{action_1 through 3}: 3–5 specific actions. Each should be concrete enough that a reader could attempt it. Skip philosophy and principles - list tactics.
{the_result_with_metrics}: The 'after' with numbers. Never use 'significantly improved' or 'much better' - readers need a real figure to benchmark against their situation.
{what_this_means_for_someone_facing_the_same_problem}: The transferable lesson. One sentence that any reader in a similar situation can apply. This is what drives saves and DMs.

Worked example

From 2 booked calls a month to 18 in 90 days for a B2B SaaS founder.

Context: €80K MRR, 2 founders, no SDRs. Posting on LinkedIn but getting nothing back.

The problem: 4 hours a week on LinkedIn, 0 inbound. They were posting random industry content for 'the algorithm' - not for a specific person with a specific problem.

What changed:
- Picked one content pillar (post-product agency growth) and stuck to it
- 1 long-form post per week + 5 days of comments on ICP posts
- DM playbook triggered by post comments and lead-magnet downloads
- Calendar link on slide 7 of the carousel, not at the end of the DM sequence

Outcome: 18 booked calls in 90 days, 4 closed, €42K in new MRR.

The lesson: LinkedIn pipeline is downstream of one precise pillar + 6 days of conversation. Not 5 random posts.

How to use it

1
Lead with the result, not the backstory
The result is the hook. 'From 2 booked calls to 18 in 90 days' pulls the reader into the story. 'I worked with a founder who was struggling with LinkedIn' does not. Reverse the case study structure: result first, story second.
2
Use the Privacy-first specificity rule
Always get client permission before naming them. Anonymised results ('a B2B SaaS founder at €80K MRR') are acceptable but less powerful than named results. If the client is happy to be named, name them - it's the single biggest credibility upgrade.
3
3–5 bullets for what changed, concrete actions only
Each bullet should be specific enough to replicate. 'Picked one content pillar' is concrete. 'Improved their content strategy' is not. If a reader could Google the action and find instructions, it's specific enough.
4
End with one transferable lesson, not multiple
The worst case study posts end with 5 lessons. The best ones end with one. Distil everything down to the single principle that explains the result. This is what drives saves and DMs from people in the same situation.

Auto-generate posts using this template.

Creator is the One-Person Marketing Team for financial-services firms - it generates posts using frameworks like this one, trained on your own content performance, then connects each post to DMs, lead magnets, and pipeline.

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