Playbook · Content
Your portfolio photos aren't case studies. Here's what a real one looks like.
Luxury clients don't buy from portfolios. They buy from case studies that prove you've solved a problem like theirs. Here's the exact template we use to turn every finished project into a sales asset.
Why portfolios under-perform case studies by 3–5×
A portfolio shows what you built. A case study shows how you think. When a prospect is evaluating you for a $150k+ project, they're not buying your installation skills — they're buying your judgment. A portfolio of pretty rooms doesn't prove judgment. A case study with a named constraint and a named tradeoff does.
Across the integrator sites we've audited, pages labeled "Portfolio" or "Recent Work" convert at 0.4–0.8%. Pages labeled "Case Studies" with the structure below convert at 2.5–4%. Same projects. Same photos. Different frame.
The 7-section case study template
Every case study follows the same seven sections. Once you have the template memorized, you can draft a new case study in a couple of hours per project. Consistency also helps SEO — Google learns your case studies have a recognizable structure and indexes them more aggressively.
- 1. The client archetype — one sentence describing who this project was for ("new-construction homeowner, 12,000 sqft, Austin hill country"). Specificity wins.
- 2. The problem — 2–3 paragraphs on what the client was trying to solve. Not "they wanted a smart home" — the actual constraint or frustration.
- 3. The approach — how you scoped the project, broken into 2–4 phases. Shows your process, not just your output.
- 4. The deliverables — a precise list of what was installed/delivered. This is where the tech spec belongs, not in the problem section.
- 5. The results — measurable outcomes if you have them, qualitative if you don't. A pre-wire timeline hit, a builder testimonial, zero service calls in year one.
- 6. The tech stack — a clean grid of the brands/products used. Great for SEO (people search for "Control4 automation installation") and for qualifying future prospects who already know what they want.
- 7. The next-step CTA — a tailored "If you're planning a project like this, book a strategy call" ending. Not a generic contact-us footer.
The opening line matters more than the photos
The first sentence of every case study needs to name the archetype. "When a Dallas hedge fund principal bought a 14,000 sqft lake house and wanted a theater his grandkids would use as much as his business partners..." — that opening does more qualifying work than 10 photos.
Compare to the default opening: "This project was a beautiful 14,000 sqft home in the Dallas area." The default opening converts nobody. The archetype opening convinces the right prospect to keep reading.
Photos to take before, during, and after (in that order)
Most integrators remember to take photos at the end — the beauty shots. The case study that actually closes needs photos from earlier in the project too. Before: a blueprint markup, a rough-in photo, a demo day. During: cable management in progress, rack assembly, a pre-wire walkthrough. After: the finished space, the rack room, the control interface.
Tell your project managers to take 5 photos per site visit with their phone. You'll have more content than you need and the "during" photos are what make the case study feel real. Beauty shots alone feel like stock imagery.
Get on-camera quotes from named humans
A written testimonial from "Homeowner in Dallas" is worth less than a 30-second video clip from a named person. The video doesn't need to be polished — a phone video with decent lighting converts better than a slick, professional-looking testimonial because it feels real.
Ask the homeowner at the final walk-through: "Would you be willing to say a sentence on camera about how this project went?" Most will say yes. Two questions: "What were you worried about before we started?" and "What surprised you about how it went?" Twenty seconds of raw answer to each is more compelling than anything you could write.
Publish one every month — and link them from service pages
A single case study is a marketing asset. A library of 12 case studies organized by project archetype is a compounding sales machine. Set a cadence of one new case study per month. On a typical integrator project timeline, that just means documenting your current work as you go.
Once published, link each case study from the relevant Services page ("See a recent whole-home automation project →"). This is where the conversion rate lift comes from: the prospect reads your Services page, clicks into the case study that matches their archetype, and by the time they click your Book a Call CTA, they've already decided.
Takeaway
If you take one thing from this playbook
Photos don't sell integrator projects — specificity does. A 7-section case study with a named archetype, a stated constraint, and a real outcome will outperform any portfolio you can build. Publish one a month, link from your Services pages, and watch your conversion rate double.
More playbooks
Keep reading
Websites · 7 min
The 5 pages every custom integrator website needs (in this order)
Forget the 40-page mega-site. A high-converting integrator site needs exactly five pages done right. Here's what each one needs to contain — and the order to build them.
Read →
Websites · 8 min
The 5 mistakes every custom integrator's website makes (and how to fix them)
After auditing dozens of custom integration sites, the same five failure modes show up every time — and each one is costing you six-figure projects you should be winning.
Read →
Want this applied to your business?
Request a free 48-hour audit or book a strategy call. Either way, we’ll come ready with an opinion.