Case studies are a powerful resource that can be leveraged to gain editorial coverage – especially in vertical industry publications.

At Communiqué PR, we work to ensure that case studies depict an actual problem and then provide a rich, detailed resolution. Providing such an editorial package to the media, we’ve found, can be valuable in reaching key decision makers and generating new sales leads.

Consider our work for Tecplot. In March 2010, we developed a case study about researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and how they are using Tecplot’s computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, Tecplot 360, to improve the safety and effectiveness of medical stent implants.

The advancement of stent technology is a major topic on the medical front. In the U.S., more than one million patients with heart disease receive stent implants every year. In fact, as you may recall, former President Bill Clinton was recently admitted to a New York hospital for chest pain. On February 11 of this year, he underwent an hour-long surgery and walked away with two new stents that successfully reopened a severely clogged artery. Since this is an area of medicine that affects so many Americans, we felt a case study on the topic would be a compelling read in a variety of publications, and of interest to a number of editors and journalists.

After the development and approval of the case study, we reached out to journalists with publications in the engineering, medical, and related fields to raise their awareness of the challenges surrounding stent research, and explain how CFD modeling and visualization is helping researchers today.

The story appealed to several journalists. Articles are in development with the following news outlets:

• Medical Design Briefs – July 2010
• Design World – July 2010
• Desktop Engineering – September 2010

As newsroom staffs continue to shrink, we’ve  discovered that providing editors with well-researched, pre-packaged materials such as case studies, white papers or surveys can help generate significant coverage for clients.

Don’t underestimate the power of a well-written case study. The next time your company plays a role in helping people or businesses solve a tough problem, consider developing a case study. The return will be worth the investment.