Most case studies that never publish were not badly written. They were written in a way that made approval hard, then sent to someone whose only incentive is to say no.
Ask before you interview, not after you write
Approval asked for at the end reads as a request to disclose. Approval asked for at the start reads as an invitation to participate. Same information, entirely different response rate.
Offer the anonymised version first
A leading NBFC in western India with 400 field agents is a usable case study. Many clients who will refuse a named study will approve an anonymous one immediately, and you can always ask to name them once they have seen the draft and liked it.
Write around the numbers they cannot share
Revenue is usually off-limits. Percentages, ratios and time-to-value rarely are. Cut approval time by six weeks by asking for cost per qualified lead fell 38 percent rather than the absolute figures behind it.
Send a draft, not a request
Reviewing a finished draft with the client quotes marked takes twenty minutes. Answering can we write a case study about you takes a meeting nobody schedules. Always send the artefact.
Name the review path
Ask who else needs to see this before you publish, in the first conversation. Discovering at week eight that legal and a compliance officer both have to sign is what kills these projects.
General information, not legal advice. Rules current as of July 2026.