Turning a Finished Sponsorship Into a Case Study for Your Next Pitch

Sooner or later a brand asks, "Who else have you worked with?" Most streamers answer with a row of logos. That tells the brand who paid you. It doesn't tell them what they'd get.

A case study does. It's one page about one finished deal: what the brand wanted, what you delivered, what your numbers were, and what happened next. A brand deciding between you and three other channels can read it in a minute, and it answers the question they're actually asking, which is "what happens if we book this person?"

This page covers how to build one from a deal you've already finished, how to get permission, and where it goes once it exists.

Why one page beats a logo wall

A logo wall has two problems. First, it can't show anything about the work. A logo from a one-off read and a logo from a six-month ambassador deal look the same. Second, the brand can't tell whether the deal went well. A logo could mean "they renewed twice" or "they never came back."

A case study fixes both. It shows the shape of the deal, the delivery, and the outcome. And it gives you something specific to point to in a pitch: "Here's a deal like the one I'm proposing, and here's how it went."

You don't need a big deal to write one. A single sponsored stream that ran cleanly is a perfectly good case study for a channel pitching its next single sponsored stream.

Ask before you name the brand

Your contract may already decide this. Many sponsorship contracts have a confidentiality clause, and some brands send a separate NDA. The confidentiality and NDA post covers what those usually include. The fee is almost always confidential. Whether you can name the brand or describe the campaign varies.

Even if the contract is silent, ask. It costs one email, and a brand that finds itself in your pitch deck without warning is less likely to book you again. The best time to ask is at wrap-up, when you send the post-campaign report and the campaign is fresh. Something like:

I'd like to write up this campaign as a one-page case study for my media kit. I'd include the deliverables and my own stream numbers, not the fee or anything from your side. Are you OK with me naming [Brand], or would you rather I describe you as "a peripherals brand"? I'll send you the draft before it goes anywhere.

Get the answer in writing. There are three usual outcomes:

• Named. You can use the brand's name, and maybe its logo. Ask about the logo separately; using a name and using a trademark aren't always approved together.
• Anonymized. You describe the brand by category ("an energy-drink brand," "a mid-size indie publisher"). Most of the value of a case study survives this. The brand evaluating you cares more about what you delivered than who it was for.
• No. Respect it. Don't publish a version with the name "blurred" in a way anyone could guess.

What goes on the page

Keep it to five parts. If it runs past one page, cut.

1. The brief

One or two sentences on what the brand wanted, in their terms: "Launch a new headset to a PC-gaming audience in the two weeks before release." If you don't know what the brand was trying to achieve, that's worth asking at wrap-up anyway.

2. What you delivered

The concrete list, the same way it was written in the contract:

• How many streams, on which dates, and how many sponsored hours
• Which read format and assets: a live read, an overlay, a chat command, a link panel
• Anything extra: a clip, a post, a giveaway

This is the part a new brand reads most closely, because it's what they'd be buying.

3. Your numbers

Use only numbers you can show from your own analytics. For a live sponsorship, that's usually:

• Average concurrent viewers (CCV) on the sponsored streams
• Sponsored hours and viewer-hours delivered (CCV × sponsored hours), next to what the deal promised
• Chat activity during the sponsored segment, if you track it

The Twitch analytics and YouTube analytics posts cover where each of these lives and how to export it. If you already sent the brand a proof-of-delivery packet, the numbers are in there.

Clicks and code uses are trickier. If you ran your own tracking link or promo code and can see the dashboard, those are your numbers. If the brand shared its sales or conversion data with you, that's the brand's data. Don't put it in a case study unless they've agreed to that specifically.

What doesn't go here: anything you can't source. No "drove a 40% sales lift" unless you have the brand's written number and their OK to publish it. A brand that later sees a number it never gave you won't trust the rest of the page.

4. What happened next

One line. Did the brand renew? Extend? Book a second campaign? Refer you to another team? This is the strongest single line on the page, because it's the brand's own verdict. If the deal was a one-off, that's fine. Just leave this part out rather than spin it.

5. A quote from the brand (optional)

A sentence from your contact at the brand is worth asking for. Brand managers are often happy to give one when the campaign went well, especially if you make it easy: "Would you be up for a one-line quote about working together? Totally fine if not."

Using a brand quote honestly

A brand's quote in your own pitch works like a testimonial. The FTC's Endorsement Guides set the rule for testimonials in advertising: you don't have to use someone's exact words, "unless the advertisement represents that it is presenting the endorser's exact words, such as through the use of quotation marks." And either way, the quote "may not be presented out of context or reworded so as to distort in any way the endorser's opinion or experience with the product."¹

In practice:

• If you use quotation marks, use their exact words. Trimming is fine if it doesn't change the meaning. "Easy to work with" is not a fair trim of "easy to work with, though the VOD was late."
• Send them the final version of the page with their quote on it before you use it. That covers both the permission and the wording in one email.
• Use their name and title only if they agreed. "Marketing manager at a peripherals brand" is fine if they'd rather not be named.

A one-page template

Copy this into a doc and fill it in:

CASE STUDY: [Brand or category], [Month Year]

          The brief
          [One or two sentences on what the brand wanted.]

          What I delivered
          - [Number] sponsored streams, [dates], [number] sponsored hours
          - [Read format, overlay, chat command, link panel]
          - [Any extras: clip, post, giveaway]

          The numbers
          - Average CCV on sponsored streams: [number]
          - Viewer-hours delivered: [CCV × hours] (deal promised [number])
          - [Chat activity, tracking-link clicks or code uses, only if they're yours]

          What happened next
          [Renewed / extended / booked a second campaign / referred me to ...]

          "[Exact quote, if they gave one]"
          [Name, title, or "Marketing manager, peripherals brand"]
          

Notice what isn't on it: the fee. A case study is about delivery. Your price belongs on your rate card, and the fee for a past deal is usually confidential anyway.

Where it goes

• Your media kit. The media kit post lists "past work" as one of the things a kit needs. One or two case studies make that section concrete. Link to them, or put a short version on a page of the kit.
• Your pitch emails. Add one line and a link: "Here's how a similar campaign went with a headset brand last spring." In the pitch email templates, it goes as one line next to the media-kit link.
• Rate conversations. A case study that shows you delivered more viewer-hours than promised is the evidence behind raising your rate with the next brand, or with the same one.
• Renewals. The renewal pitch to the same brand uses the post-campaign report. The case study is the polished version for everyone else.

Write it up within a week or two of the campaign ending, while you still have the VOD links and the brand contact still remembers the details. A case study written six months later is harder to get approved and easier to get wrong.

FAQ

What is a brand deal case study?
A one-page summary of a finished sponsorship: what the brand wanted, what you delivered, your own stream numbers, what happened next, and optionally a quote from the brand. You use it in your media kit and pitches to show new brands what booking you looks like.

Do I need the brand's permission to write a case study?
Check your contract first, since many sponsorship contracts have a confidentiality clause. Even if it doesn't say anything, ask in writing before you name the brand. If they'd rather not be named, describe them by category instead.

Should I include the fee in a case study?
No. The fee for a past deal is usually confidential, and a case study is about what you delivered, not what you charged. Your current prices belong on your rate card.

What numbers should a streamer's case study include?
Your average concurrent viewers on the sponsored streams, the sponsored hours, viewer-hours delivered next to what the deal promised, and chat activity if you track it. Include clicks or code uses only if they come from your own tracking. Don't publish the brand's sales data without their specific OK.

Can I edit a quote from the brand?
You can trim it as long as the meaning doesn't change. If you put it in quotation marks, the FTC's Endorsement Guides say it should be their exact words, and it can't be reworded or taken out of context to distort what they said. Send them the final version before you use it.