I’m sitting on a campaign that went really well—solid results, interesting learnings, the kind of thing that makes a great case study. Problem is, I didn’t execute it alone. A partner agency brought the client, I brought the UGC strategy and execution, and the results are kind of ours together.
Now I’m wrestling with: do we both publish it? Does one of us take the lead and credit the other? Do we make it a co-branded asset and use it to attract more partnerships?
I’ve seen agencies do this really well—they publish joint case studies that benefit both sides and actually attract better partners who see they know how to collaborate. But I’ve also seen it turn into a mess where both agencies are claiming credit or the case study feels diluted because nobody wanted to take a strong point of view.
What’s your approach? When you’re working with a partner and the work is genuinely collaborative, how do you turn it into proof that actually helps you both? And do you worry about giving away competitive advantage by publishing partnership work—or does the network effect actually pay off?
Also curious: have you used co-created case studies specifically to attract better partners, or is it mainly for client-facing proof?
This is actually one of my favorite parts of partnerships. Done right, a co-branded case study is marketing gold for both sides.
Here’s how I approach it: we decide upfront (before the project even starts) whether this is a candidate for co-publication. If yes, we align on what the story is—and this is key—we each own a section.
So it might look like: Partner A (who brought the client) owns the “client brief” and “challenge” sections. I own the “approach” and “execution” parts. Partner B owns “results” and “learnings.” Each of us writes from our perspective, which actually makes it feel more authentic than if one person tried to tell the whole story.
Then we publish it on both websites with full credit. We’re not diluting our reputation; we’re showing that we can execute complex work with partners, which is actually a competitive advantage now. Clients want to know you can scale.
I’ve found this attracts exactly the kind of partners I want to work with—other agencies that are confident enough to share credit and sophisticated enough to understand how partnership case studies actually work.
One guardrail: make sure you own your client data. Even in a co-created case study, your financial performance, margin data, internal strategy—that stays private. You can share campaign results (impressions, conversions, whatever)—but the business side stays between you and the partner.
Let me ask a different question: what’s the actual business impact?
I’ve seen agencies create beautiful co-branded case studies that look great but don’t actually move the needle on new business. They spend 40 hours producing it, it gets 200 views, generates zero leads.
Before you invest in this, think about: where will this case study live? Who’s going to see it? Does it speak to a specific type of client or partner you’re actively targeting?
If you’re trying to attract agencies in the Russia-to-US market, a case study showing successful cross-border influencer work is incredibly valuable. You should absolutely co-create it.
If you’re just making a case study “because case studies are good for business,” you might be wasting effort.
So the framing question: what’s the business outcome you’re hunting with this co-branded case study? Client acquisition? Partner attraction? Industry credibility? That should drive the format and where you publish.
Oh, I love this! I’m actually a huge advocate of co-branded case studies because they’ve legitimately helped me find better partners.
Here’s what I’ve noticed: when I see another agency that’s published solid work with their partners, I immediately trust them more. It signals that they: (1) deliver consistently, (2) play well with others, and (3) are confident enough to share the spotlight.
My advice: don’t overthink the “who gets credit” piece. If the work is genuinely collaborative, say that. Some agencies co-publish, some do separate versions (you highlight your role, partner highlights theirs), and some do a “featured partnership” model where both logos are prominent.
What matters most is the story. What was hard? What did you learn? What would you do differently? Those details make it real.
I’ve actually used co-created case studies as conversation starters when reaching out to potential partners. Like, “Hey, I noticed you did this work with [Agency]. We’ve done something similar and I think we could collaborate.” It opens doors because both agencies are already in “collaboration mode.”
Quick data perspective: I track which types of case studies actually generate leads.
Solo case studies: average 5-8 qualified leads per quarter.
Co-branded case studies: average 12-15 qualified leads per quarter, but they take 50% longer to produce.
So the ROI question is: is a 100% increase in leads worth 50% more effort? In my experience, yes—especially if the co-branding puts you in front of a partner’s audience that you couldn’t reach alone.
One tactical thing: make sure your analytics can track which case studies drive which partnerships. Otherwise, you’re flying blind. We tag all our inbound with “source,” and co-branded case studies consistently drive higher-intent partnership inquiries.
Just make sure you publish it somewhere both audiences will see it. Publishing on both agencies’ websites is good. Publishing on a hub or platform where partners actually look? Even better.
From the startup perspective: co-branded case studies have been how I’ve actually proven we can execute at scale.
When I’m raising money or talking to strategic partners, showing that we’ve successfully collaborated with another solid team is huge. It’s social proof that we’re not a one-person shop, that we can integrate with other players.
The tricky part: make sure the case study actually shows your impact clearly. If you’re a co-author, readers need to know exactly what you did, not just that you were involved.
I’d structure it like: separate sections per partner so each of us can own our narrative, then a joint “results and learnings” section. That way, we’re telling one story together, but everyone’s contribution is clear.
Question from someone who’s been featured in agency case studies: does the partner actually help amplify it, or do you just both publish it and hope people find it?
I’ve been in co-branded stuff where one agency really pushed it—shared it in their community, their email list, their social—and I saw real engagement. Other times, it just sat there.
If you’re co-creating, I’d say include a promotion plan. Who’s going to share this, when, and where? Whose audience needs to see it? If you’re not agreed on amplification, half the value is lost.