No Logos? No Problem. Building Case Studies Designed for NDAs That Still Close
Summary:
Citation Labs had strong results but no fast way to prove them. With no case studies in play, sales depended on referrals and long calls to explain their value. We created NDA-friendly case studies that earn trust and give their team a faster way to close.
Results Snapshot
- Launched new AI services in 60 days
- Rebuilt GTM to support dual offerings
- Website drives sales and follow-up
- Clearer messaging across all buyer touchpoints
- Improved visibility with partners and referrals
The Challenge
Citation Labs delivers 1000s of links to key sales pages for enterprise organizations, making a clear impact on revenue in hyper-competitive spaces. Internal documentation was solid, and the team could talk through the numbers with confidence.
However, they didn’t have public-facing case studies that made those results easy to see or share.
This gap created sales friction.
Sales conversations had to start from scratch. Without clear proof, the team had to explain their value from the ground up every time.
At the same time, LLMs were reshaping how buyers vet vendors and discover expertise. Citation Labs needed more than internal proof. They needed case studies that showed the business impact of their work in ways future buyers (and AIs) could immediately understand.
Our Solution
Lead Comet ran a focused case study sprint to turn Citation Labs’ strongest client work into usable sales assets.
The process was interview-driven: we sat down with the people closest to each project to unpack what happened, what was at stake, and what impact it had through the lens of what concerns future buyers.
We weren’t there to fill out a template.
Each story had to earn its place by surfacing real friction, clarifying the business problem, and showing exactly how the work moved the needle.
Citation Labs already had the foundation: clean documentation, strong results, and a clear understanding of where they created value. We provided the outside lens and a defined process to turn that into credible, NDA-safe assets that could drive sales conversations.
Our Process
This was a focused case study sprint designed to turn high-impact client work into credible, NDA-safe assets that support sales conversations—not just awareness.
- Identified the strongest stories based on measurable results, strategic relevance, and fit with Citation Labs’ positioning
- Conducted 60-minute interviews with key project leads, people who understood the full arc of the work, not just their piece of it
- Used our methodology to extract pressure, friction, and transformation (the factors that actually move a deal forward)
- Drafted and pressure-tested each case study to ensure it could support real sales conversations, not just marketing awareness
- Suggested design assets for the team to create and provided feedback on design, ensuring every element supported the sale
- Facilitated client review for branded case studies, managing approvals, collecting testimonials, and editing to meet compliance requirements
- Delivered distribution assets, including LinkedIn posts and newsletter copy, to help the team get more value from each story
Roadblocks
Not every case study candidate made the cut. Some lacked a clear angle or measurable outcome. But that was part of the process.
One interview revealed that the project was better suited for a partner-led case study, which meant pivoting mid-process, developing a new story, and looping in the partner for branding and approvals. The original topic wasn’t lost. It became a different story that highlighted the value of their partner.
Even when the results were strong, the story wasn’t always obvious. It took active workshopping with the team to uncover the angle that would resonate with a buyer: what was at stake, what made the work difficult, and why it mattered. In several cases, the challenge wasn’t the result. It was framing the story to reflect their new positioning.
There were also tight constraints around what could be published. Much of Citation Labs’ work is protected by NDAs, meaning we had to showcase expertise without naming names.
We raised the bar for storytelling—doubling down on detail and data to prove impact, even when names had to stay off the record.
The Results
The sprint produced seven new case studies, each designed to illustrate the complexity of Citation Labs’ work and the outcomes they drive.
These assets are now used to open cold conversations, support mid-funnel sales calls, justify budgets, and strengthen partner materials—without needing logos or testimonials. One of the stories is used by two separate organizations to drive co-selling momentum.
Internally, the process gave the team a repeatable lens for spotting stories—along with a clear structure for how to tell them. Seeing their work documented sharpened internal messaging and reinforced the impact of the team’s contributions.
It also changed what was possible.
What started as “we can’t tell stories under NDA” became a set of assets the team could confidently share across channels (social, email, and internal enablement).
Key Results
- 7 case studies delivered tied to active sales opportunities
- Assets used in live deals, call prep, and partner engagements
- Increased visibility across sales, marketing, and partner teams
- Sharpened internal messaging and story alignment
- Navigated NDA constraints without losing credibility
- Deployed across LinkedIn, email, and internal enablement channels
Examples of Our Work
What’s Next
Case studies are now part of how Citation Labs sells and builds trust. With a clear structure for surfacing wins, they can capture impact even in complex, NDA-bound environments.
What started as a sprint has become a broader collaboration.
We’re now helping their team turn cutting-edge work into thought leadership—position the team as the go-to experts for enterprise SEO and LLM visibility.
The Client
Citation Labs is a leading link-building agency that helps enterprise teams increase visibility and drive revenue through large-scale campaigns.
Their work supports some of the most competitive search environments online, targeting product and revenue-driving pages across industries.
Industry: SEO/Digital Marketing
Size: 50 employees
Location: Louisville, KY
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