It depends…

Ideally, you want to ask for the case study as part of the contract itself.

But this may not always be possible - Unless you’re confident they’ll say yes when you reply “Oh, the case study? It’s how we do it for all our clients, it’s pretty much standard procedure” with a slightly bewildered look on your face if they raise an objection about it, don’t put it in the contract.

You have two more opportunities to ask - in the middle of the project, or at end of the project.

There are two schools of thought here - Account Managers think it’s best to ask for a case study in the middle of the project when everything’s going well, since there are too many things to discuss after project completion. PMs think it’s best to keep eyes on the project in the middle, and talk case study only at the start or towards the end.

Both have their merits.

In the middle - An account manager’s take

Certain opportunities will present themselves in the middle of the project when everything’s going well, where you can ask for the case study.

Here’s an example.

Imagine you’re on a monthly feedback call with the client. The PoC mentions they need additional features that weren’t part of the scope, that would require a few extra hours from your team.

This is your chance to get approval for a case study. Throw in the extra hours for free.

Tell them: “We value this relationship and the work we’re doing, so we’ll be happy to accommodate this request… By the way, sometime down the line we’d like to showcase this work, so we might request you for a case study…” Just give them the hint. Throw it in the air like it came up organically.

This works because they don’t want you to create a change order, because that means they may have to talk to their superiors, and likely catch flak for not scoping the project properly.

The key is to offer something that’s big for them but doesn’t cost you much - then ask for the case study.

For SMBs you’re usually working with decision makers. In larger organizations you might be working with decision influencers.

Decision makers will usually give permission right away.

When you’re not talking to decision makers, they’re a bit anxious. If they say “I’ll need to get permission,” that usually means no, but it’s okay, you tried.

At the end - A Project Manager’s take

Getting case study approval depends on successful delivery of the project. If everything has gone well and the client’s happy with your work, the PM can easily ask for case study approval. Say: “It’s been great working with you too! I’m so glad I got the opportunity to work on this project. Quick question, we’d love to do a case study, I hope that’s alright.”

In any case, whoever’s most tight with the PoC should bring up the topic (Hey, we’re humans - we tend to listen to people we like). This doesn’t necessarily have to be the Project Manager or the Account Manager, it could be someone else too. Whoever has the most chances to get a ‘yes’ should do it.