🌟 Hello - it’s me, Kev - The Case Study Guy
How to Organise Your Customer Proof So It Actually Adds Value
My first big project of 2026 had nothing to do with case studies or proof. At least not initially.
It was a full website rewrite for a web development agency. Over 40 pages. Plus new associated content. All in all - a proper big project.
And yes… that’s my pitiful excuse for being quiet on the newsletter front so far this year. Can you forgive me?
The Starting Point
The original copy had been written by another copywriter. Then it had been edited. Tweaked, adjusted and improved by the client. The result? The content simply wasn’t fit for purpose. There was no clear hierarchy, no consistent voice and no real flow.
But there was one requirement we agreed on from day one:
Every single page needed contextually relevant proof.
500+ Google Reviews… And Now What?
The client has over 500 Google reviews. Plus testimonials and quite a few case studies.
An abundance of proof. And yet, without structure, abundance becomes chaos. It quickly became clear this wasn’t just a writing job. It was a sorting job.
The Real Work: Organisation
At the last two companies I worked for, I built frameworks for gathering, sorting, arranging and managing proof. So I did the same here.
I created what I now call a Proof Points Spreadsheet.
Simple. Practical. Boring. But very powerful. Because once proof is organised, it becomes deployable.
What I Did
Here’s the exact process:
Reviewed a handful of Google reviews - five or six to start.
Created a spreadsheet.
Defined meaningful columns.
Built a dummy version with a small sample.
Tested it.
Created an AI prompt to see if it could extract themes automatically.
Recorded a Loom explaining the system so the team could manage it going forward.
The AI part? Hit and miss. It was useful for spotting patterns but not reliable enough to run without human refinement. But once the structure exists, scaling becomes easy.
And once someone internally owns the sheet, matching the right proof to the right page becomes simple.
Why This Matters
I see this mistake constantly:
Proof exists.
But it’s underused.
Not deployed.
Not executed.
Just… sitting somewhere.
In Google. In email threads. In a CRM note. In someone’s inbox.
If your SDR can’t easily find the right quote for a prospect in fintech…
If your sales rep can’t quickly pull proof relevant to a 50-person SaaS company…
If your customer success team can’t reinforce value with real outcomes…
Then the proof might as well not exist.
If You Haven’t Created New Proof Yet…
Start here. Not by asking for more but by organising what you already have.
Here are the steps again:
Gather all sources of proof - reviews, testimonials, case studies, emails, awards.
Decide how you’ll categorise them - sector, company size, problem, outcome, product used, etc.
Create meaningful columns.
Build a dummy sheet with five or six entries.
Test whether the structure works.
Experiment with AI to speed up tagging or theme extraction.
Then execute at scale.
Yes, the organising phase is uncomfortable. Yes, it feels like an administrative chore. And depending on how much proof you have, it can absolutely feel ‘Groundhog Day’ level slow.
But once it’s set up? You’ll thank yourself every single time someone says:
“Do we have proof for this?”
So here’s the nudge:
What proof do you already have that you’re not properly using?
And what would change if your whole team could access the right proof at the right moment? Start with the spreadsheet.
Yes, you might want new proof, but what I think what you really need is a system to help you make the most of your current proof.
I’ll be back next week… I PROMISE…