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Case studies vs. Testimonials...what do you think?

by scrofford
16 replies
Hey everyone,

I have been doing some reading about testimonials and using case studies in place of testimonials...especially if you have a product that didn't have enough people that had used it yet to get good testimonials...Well thinking about this, wouldn't this be a good way around the FTC rules that are out now about testimonials?

Case studies can be powerful. A good case study would capture your prospect's attention and help to create that belief and trust wouldn't it?

I think that case studies also give the opportunity to engage the emotions of your readers and cause them to identify with your subject's pain, problem or predicament and be able to see the solution you offer.

I also was reading you can elevate perceived value of your product in your own words, as compared to someone else's testimonial. According to what I have been reading, a case study also appears more factual and objective than a testimonial.

Is this a good way to go instead of having to claim the average result with a testimonial?
#case #studies #testimonialswhat
  • Profile picture of the author duellsy
    IMHO I've always given more credits to case studies than testimonials, as they are factual mini stories about a project including how a problem was solved, rather than a snippet of what someone (apparently) said about the product.
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  • Profile picture of the author Adrianne_
    yeah, I agree that case studies are the way to go. I don't even read testimonials because I don't know if they are fabricated or true. Some of them seem so fake.
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    • Profile picture of the author scrofford
      Originally Posted by Adrianne_ View Post

      yeah, I agree that case studies are the way to go. I don't even read testimonials because I don't know if they are fabricated or true. Some of them seem so fake.
      Well and with the new FTC rules in place, I think case studies are a good way to still get the same results as testimonials if not better.
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  • Profile picture of the author Marian Berghes
    FTC rules apply to case studies too...as long as you make or anyone makes a claim of X result without revealing the typical results is illegal.

    That means that if you want to use case study X about Y who made Z money...you have to say the typical result.
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    • Profile picture of the author scrofford
      Originally Posted by Marian Berghes View Post

      FTC rules apply to case studies too...as long as you make or anyone makes a claim of X result without revealing the typical results is illegal.

      That means that if you want to use case study X about Y who made Z money...you have to say the typical result.
      Yeah but if you are in a niche that is not related to how to make money online which I am not right now...a case study would be great. Not to mention, case studies are stories, not testimonials so I really don't see how it would apply to the FTC ruling.

      And I don't see really how a case study could really be put in the same arena as a testimonial. Case studies are stories of something that happened. You are not saying that the person in the study made x amount of dollars. You would say something like that person was successful and whatever the product was worked well. That is not a testimonial.
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  • Profile picture of the author scrofford
    Anyone else have an opinion about case study vs. testimonial as far as the FTC ruling goes? I would really like to hear.
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  • Profile picture of the author ishan
    Right now, I am in favor of case studies. Marketers have made testimonials so common that they seem to lose effect!

    A good case study with solid stats will definitely inspire someone to buy!
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  • Profile picture of the author Desmond Ong
    I used case studies on all of my niche sites on ClickBank until FTC rules came out where changed most of them to testimonials.

    Yes, case studies do convert much better (ever since the change, my average sales conversion dropped from 3% to 1.76%).
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  • Profile picture of the author scrofford
    Why did you change them to testimonials? I would think that a case study would be better and more accurate than a testimonial. So the FTC ruling covers case studies too? I don't see how.

    I was reading through the FTC's guidelines tonight and couldn't find anything on case studies. Testimonials yes, but not case studies. From what I understand, if worded right, a case study is much safer now days to use.

    Can anyone shine some light on this subject? I really don't see how a case study would really be affected by the FTC unless you were really blatently lying about the story you were telling.

    I also read in the FTC guidelines PDF that if there is a testimonial that for some reason cannot give what the average result is of whatever product is being offered, that the testimony could read something along the lines of "this is the best product I have ever used", or "I had the best results with product xyz." As long as the testimony didn't say something specific like "I made x amount of money in a week." or "This system made me thousands of dollars within the last two months." I hope I am interpreting this right.
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  • Profile picture of the author scrofford
    So I guess using case studies instead of testimonials should be ok as far as the FTC Goes?
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  • Profile picture of the author Marian Berghes
    It doesn't matter if you are in the make money niche or not.

    Case studies, even tho they are like stories, they STILL "show off" what somebody could achieve with your product...so you still have some kind of result: lost weight, got healthier, learned to swing better, learned to play better, life improved etc...

    So unless you can show the typical result that people have got by using your product it is still against the FTC rules, because you are doing the same thing as you would have done with a testimonial...you are or your client is, claiming to have gotten the X result by using YOUR product, no matter the result you still have to mention what the typical result it.

    Unless you can make a case study without telling any specific numbers, like lost x pounds, improved long shot by x yards etc...you still have to mention the typical result.
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    • Profile picture of the author scrofford
      Originally Posted by Marian Berghes View Post

      It doesn't matter if you are in the make money niche or not.

      Case studies, even tho they are like stories, they STILL "show off" what somebody could achieve with your product...so you still have some kind of result: lost weight, got healthier, learned to swing better, learned to play better, life improved etc...

      So unless you can show the typical result that people have got by using your product it is still against the FTC rules, because you are doing the same thing as you would have done with a testimonial...you are or your client is, claiming to have gotten the X result by using YOUR product, no matter the result you still have to mention what the typical result it.

      Unless you can make a case study without telling any specific numbers, like lost x pounds, improved long shot by x yards etc...you still have to mention the typical result.
      I don't know where you get that because when reading the FTC guidelines, case studies aren't even mentioned. In fact, there is nothing even close to anything about case studies mentioned by the FTC. And with my niche, I could show what a typical result is anyway. But the point I'm making is that if you have a case study instead of a testimonial, you are the one writing it, you are the one explaining what happened, and you don't have to write it in such a way where as to make it show any results.
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  • Profile picture of the author scrofford
    So nobody has any other opinions about case study vs. testimonials and what also about the FTC ruling concerning them? What do you think about using a case study in place of a testimonial? Do the FTC rulings cover case studies?
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by scrofford View Post

      So nobody has any other opinions about case study vs. testimonials and what also about the FTC ruling concerning them? What do you think about using a case study in place of a testimonial? Do the FTC rulings cover case studies?
      Steve, first the usual CYA...

      By my reading of the guidelines, you can use the case study if you have proof on file to back it up. If you are relying on what a customer tells you, and you are simply passing that along in your own words, you can call it whatever you want, but it will be viewed as a testimonial. If you were in court, it would be discounted as hearsay.
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      • Profile picture of the author scrofford
        Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

        Steve, first the usual CYA...

        By my reading of the guidelines, you can use the case study if you have proof on file to back it up. If you are relying on what a customer tells you, and you are simply passing that along in your own words, you can call it whatever you want, but it will be viewed as a testimonial. If you were in court, it would be discounted as hearsay.
        Ok thanks John...so its basically the same as using a testimonial. That's fine though. At least it keeps the scumbags that give the false testimonies from being able to do that anymore.

        I just think a case study might be better to use and a nice change from seeing all of the testimonials out there.
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