Creative Solutions for Handling Case Study Restrictions in Public Sector

Liza McGraw · 2025-08-01 22:35:30.645552+00

Has anyone done anything creative when they receive the dreaded message from a pub sec customer that we can't publish their case study? "Unfortunately, we are not able to allow you to publish the case study as we are a public institution and it may look like an endorsement. CA has some very strict laws pertaining to this." I am going to suggest we anonymize the case study, but don't know if theres really anything else I can do without feeling like we are forcing it?

Creative Solutions for Handling Case Study Restrictions in Public Sector | CMAweekly Customer Marketing and Advocacy Slack

Shannon Howard
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In those cases, I would anonymize. But I'm also wondering if you could get to the "no" faster for future case studies so you haven't put all that effort in. Like a pre-approval before you get started, then an approval on the actual content?
Becky Scott
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Yeah, I ran into this at times. If there were concerns I started asking up front, or we asked if anon would work, like Shannon says ^^.
Liza McGraw
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smart thinking!
Emily Coleman
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You can ask to anonymize the case study (many public sector prospects and customers understand this and don't mind reading them anyway). You can also ask if you can at least use the quotes they provided anonymously or internally only. Also, I agree with Shannon that it's better to get to no upfront before the case study interview happens or it's drafted. We require a signed release agreement for case studies upfront for this reason.
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Daniel Palay
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I know it doesn't help for the case study itself, but if you can get them to speak on a stage, they seem to be more open to that type of reference as they can be careful about 'endorsement' language. Or if you can use that case study to apply for a governmental industry award and then they win, that type of thing is public and you can use it going forward.
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Evan Jacobs
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hey Liza McGraw!! how are you??? Another option is that in addition to the above, I feel like you can use the video for internal Sales Enablement, to educate your teams. WDYT? Thanks and talk soon.
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Evan Huck
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yea blind/anon it a good approach (helpful if you have some independent, 3rd-party validation/verification of course but not necessary) the other angle similar to daniels direction is to convert it more into a thought-leadership type highlight of their work (may not even mention Motive) - that's not an "endorsement" but at least is brand association. One way to frame that is a "playbook" post - e.g. you get them to talk about how awesome their process is (and of course it may includes some elements of your product/offering) shaped in a more learning/showcase way
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Charlotte Weiss
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I used to say that it wouldn't be endorsement if it's all just facts with zero quotes. Got the US Army and NASA JPL to agree via that
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Dan Kalmar
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I personally think Evan Huck’s approach here is the best way forward. Anonymized is fine—and way better than nothing—but finding some way to keep a name attached is the better angle. Also, with asking for permission upfront: while it can mitigate this somewhat, you'll still run into this all the time. Often, people THINK they can do customer stories, only to find out later on that they can't. At that point, even a signed release form isn't much value. What are you going to do, piss off the customer just because you'd legally be allowed to release it?
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Jaz Cuevas
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Liza McGraw Hi there! I’ve had the same issue in the past and we’ve asked to anonymize but along with that, we’ve asked if we could use the original internally for sales enablement. Alongside that, we’ve asked if we could pull anon quotes for demos so you don’t have to go back and ask for permission. And also ask them, how much info are they willing to share. Like maybe it’s not their name or logo but a description of the company that doesn’t necessarily allude to who they are but allows readers to believe that it’s an actual customer. I hope that made sense - I ranted there a bit lol
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Liza McGraw
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Thank you all so very much!! Truly! PubSec is a new industry and sales motion for us, so these insights are incredibly valuable as I navigate the stricter regulations
Liza McGraw
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Evan Huck I took your great idea and transformed the case study into more of a playbook, keeping it brand-neutral without mentioning Motive. Based on your experience, would this type of content typically be published on the customer page, like a case study, or instead as a blog? Also, how have you approached customer approvals in these situations, given that it’s still tied to our brand when published publicly on our website? Hope that makes sense!
Evan Huck
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nice! we did our blog b/c customers page generally has a more rigid/particular format - blog we can kinda do whatever (and it's let "case study" ish) HackerOne: https://userevidence.com/blog/how-security-vendor-hackerone-uses-customer-evidence-in-every-gtm-function/ Gong: https://userevidence.com/blog/how-gong-constantly-finds-happy-customers-and-shares-their-stories/ I think we still got light approval nods from our users but much less formal and much less red tape than a trad case study
Evan Huck
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Funny timing our marketing team just posted this today - https://userevidence.com/blog/what-to-do-when-your-customers-wont-go-on-the-record/
Rose Fried
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Emily Coleman would you be willing to share the release agreement you use? I am having our mops team build me a landing page with a consent form for this very reason but legal was looped in and we now have about 3 pages of legal jargon to add. Previously we just received an email with permission.

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