Proof Points: Issue 11

Let’s start with the first.

Whenever I run a customer interview for a case study, I typically ask 10 to 15 questions. Then I ask follow ups. Then I ask follow follow ups. You know the drill.

But there is one question that has proven itself time and time again. In fact, when I worked at AppsFlyer, it was the question that consistently added heart to even the most technical story:

"We have talked about the impact of the software and what it helped you achieve. Now let’s look at the human side. How did your Customer Success Manager help you get the most out of the technology?"

That single question always pulled out something special.
Not marketing fluff.
Not generic praise.

Actual moments of partnership.
Actual proof.
Actual humans helping humans succeed.

Rather than give you fake examples, here are three real testimonial-style quotes I pulled from past AppsFlyer interviews I conducted:

“Straight away, I was really impressed by Laura’s knowledge and passion for what she does. She understands our brand and our objectives, she can see where we have gaps and what we could utilise from AppsFlyer to fix them. She’s been really key throughout our onboarding process and she feels like a member of the team.” Sue, The Very Group.

“Alican and Maya didn’t just email us documentation. They’d provide their own commentary and highlight what we should look out for. They’d said ‘if you’re going to integrate this, then watch out for this, this and this’. They held our hand throughout the process to make sure that there were no mistakes and that we could be up and running as quickly as possible.” Egemen, Hepsiburada

“One of the differences with AppsFlyer is the human contact. They’re always very responsive. Our CSM, Linda, is great and we love working with her. Whenever we’ve had an issue the technical team has helped us. We trust the capabilities of the team. The fact that they have brilliant people behind them with a focus on support is a value we share.” Denitsa, Virtuo

These quotes always did two things:

• They made the CSM in question feel proud
• They made me feel weirdly warm inside too (people pleaser problems)

But from a business perspective, they also highlighted a bigger issue:

So many case studies focus too heavily on the software and forget the human.
The people behind the product are often a huge part of the outcome.

And if you ask the right question, the human part tends to show up.

That’s the first idea.

Now let’s flip it.

Recently I have been experimenting with going the other way.
Instead of pulling great quotes out of case studies, I have been taking standalone testimonials and seeing if I can develop them into micro case studies.

A quick confession before we go on:

A micro case study will never beat a fully developed case study.
It is a compromise. A useful compromise, but still a compromise.

Not every business has the need, time, or budget for a full story. But many do have testimonials. And some of those testimonials can be shaped into something even more powerful.

There is only one catch:

If the testimonial is weak, you are stuck with weak material.
Garbage in, garbage out.

But if the testimonial paints a clear picture of:
- what the problem was
- what they did
- what the outcome was

...then you are sitting on the ingredients of a story and a micro case study.

I tested this with a testimonial I gave my chiropractor.

I mined the original testimonial for it’s story components, added a bit more detail and shifted it from first person to third person. Then I added the small but important bits of context I already knew from being involved in the process.

The result was a short, simple micro case study.
Clear. Human. Shareable.

I did this manually, because I love the challenge of writing, but not everyone does. So I’ve created an AI prompt you can use below. Just copy, paste and add what is asked for into your AI tool of choice:

Prompt Start

Take the following testimonial and rewrite it as a micro case study of around 300 words (250–350 range).

Transform the perspective from a first-person quote into a third-person narrative.

Follow this simple story structure:

Keep the language real, concise, and human - no exaggeration, jargon, or filler.
Use only details implied or supplied; never invent facts or drama.
Maintain a calm, trustworthy tone, as if written for a business case study or customer success story.

Additional context (optional):
[Describe here what you did. Such as - the process, steps, or framework you used to help your client, plus any small factual details that would make the story clearer without adding hype.]

Input: [Paste the testimonial here]

Output: a 300-word third-person micro case study suitable for use on a website or proposal.

Prompt End

If you have strong testimonials, this prompt can help you turn them into bite sized case studies that you can publish on your website, in proposals, or on social media.

• When running a full case study interview: ask a question that invites a real testimonial
• When you already have a strong testimonial: consider turning it into a micro case study using the prompt above
• Both approaches help you move beyond generic praise and towards genuine proof

If you try this, I would genuinely love to hear how you get on.
Reply and let me know.

P.S. If improving the quality of your testimonials is a priority for you, I have a simple method that helps you ask better questions and get clearer, more story driven responses. Reply with "Tell me more" and I’ll send you the details.