Testimonial vs case study vs success story vs customer reference: what's the difference?

Marketing teams use these words as if they mean the same thing, and it doesn't matter much until you're briefing an agency, planning a sales process or trying to work out why the "case study" you commissioned arrived as a two-minute video. They overlap, but they do different jobs, and knowing which is which makes it much easier to decide what you actually need.

These are working definitions rather than dictionary ones, based on how the formats are used in B2B sales.

What is a testimonial?

A testimonial is a named customer, in their own words, saying something in a supplier's favour. It can be a line of text on a web page, a quote in a proposal or a film of the customer talking.

Its job is persuasion. A buyer hears a peer describe a problem they recognise and an outcome they want. Delivery matters here: in a set of experiments published in Communication Research, testimonials were more persuasive heard as audio than read as text (Braverman, 2008), which is a big part of why video testimonials exist.

What is a case study?

A case study is the detailed written account: the customer's situation, the problem, why they chose the supplier, what happened and what changed, usually with quotes and numbers. It's often a few pages long, as a PDF, a web page or both.

Its job is to give the detail to the person who wants to read it properly. The same Braverman research found that for people who are highly involved in a decision and like to think it through, detailed information outperformed a testimonial. A study of UK small and medium-sized businesses found they preferred more elaborately written references to short ones (Tóth, Nieroda and Koles, 2020). That's the finance director, the technical evaluator, the second person in the room.

What is a success story?

Mostly, a friendlier name. "Success story" is a marketing label for a case study or a customer story, chosen because it sounds warmer than "case study" and less salesy than "testimonial". There's no separate format behind it. If someone offers you a "success story", ask what actually arrives.

What is a customer story?

Also a label, and the one we use. We call it a customer story when we invite someone to take part, because people are comfortable telling the story of a decision they made and much less comfortable being asked to "endorse a supplier". The finished story typically becomes both a video testimonial and a written case study.

What is a customer reference?

A reference is a real customer a prospect can contact directly, usually by phone, late in a sale. Unlike a testimonial, the prospect chooses the questions.

References are powerful because they're a conversation rather than a piece of marketing, and costly because every call uses up a busy customer's goodwill. They work best late in a deal, with a customer who is still happy and still a customer. A reference from a client who has since left isn't a reference any more; it's a risk.

What is a referral?

A referral is one buyer recommending a supplier to another, usually unprompted. It's the most trusted form of proof there is, and the one a supplier controls least. Research on business buying found that when a buyer is considering a supplier they haven't used before, an all-positive referral carries more weight than a balanced one (Hada, Grewal and Lilien, 2014).

What is a review?

A review is feedback left on a platform the supplier doesn't own, such as Google or an industry review site. Because the supplier doesn't control it, it counts for more. A study of purchasing professionals found that reviews from an external professional community carried more weight than a supplier's own scorecards (Steward, Narus and Roehm, 2018).

Where does each fit in a sale?

• Before they talk to you: reviews tell a buyer you're safe to shortlist, and testimonials on your service pages start persuading.
• After a first conversation: the video testimonial and case study go to the people involved, the film for the person who needs convincing, the case study for the person who needs detail.
• When a deal stalls: a short testimonial clip that answers the specific objection.
• Just before signing: a reference call with a current customer.
• All the time: referrals, which you earn rather than send.

Do you need all of them?

Most businesses benefit from a mix, and the good news is that several come from the same place. One recorded interview gives you the video testimonial, the written case study and quotes for your website, word for word. Reviews and references then come from asking the right customers at the right moment. There's more on choosing between formats in video testimonial vs written case study vs Google reviews.

Questions people ask

Is a case study the same as a testimonial?

No. A testimonial is a customer's own words in a supplier's favour, often short or on video. A case study is a longer written account of the customer's problem, decision and results, usually including testimonial quotes.

What's the difference between a testimonial and a review?

A testimonial is chosen and published by the supplier, with the customer's permission. A review is left by the customer on a platform the supplier doesn't control, such as Google.

What is a customer reference in B2B sales?

A current customer who agrees to speak directly with a prospect, usually late in a sale, so the prospect can ask their own questions.

Is a success story different from a case study?

Not really. "Success story" is usually a friendlier name for a case study or customer story.

Related reading

• Video testimonial vs written case study vs Google reviews
• What you get from one testimonial interview
• How sales teams use a testimonial every week