What can a ghostwriter do for you?
So, you recognise the importance of getting content out into the hungry mouths of the internet gods (remembering, of course, to please your readers first and Google second). Optimal blog post length sits around the 2000-word mark, for search engine optimisation purposes—though it does depend on the type of blog. And, obviously, not every single post has to be quite that long.
But, between running a business, and juggling the ever-competing demands of work, family, friendships, and wellbeing, you really don’t have time to be trying to write copious quantities of content yourself, particularly if writing is an arduous process for you.
Enter, the ghostwriter.
Or, you have been blogging for years and have amassed a mountain of quality content larger than Mount Vesuvius which you’d like to develop into a business book. But the task of transforming your articles into a logically structured, saleable book seems titanic.
Enter, the ghostwriter.
Your ghostwriter will work with you to understand more than just what you want written. A good ghostwriter will spend time getting to know you, your brand identity, including its background.
This is in order to accurately write in the tone of voice consistent to your business or brand.
Whether you want a series of blog posts, white paper articles, or a full-length book written, a ghostwriter is an excellent way of outsourcing the pen-to-paper work to ensure you can still get the content to your consumers.
Still not sure? Read our previous article in this series for more detail on what a ghostwriter actually does.
How is ghostwriting different to copywriting?
There are lots of similarities.
But the key difference lies in the use of tone of voice. Pieces penned by a ghostwriter must successfully adopt the tone of voice of the person or brand they are writing for.
Copywriters do this too, of course. But they don’t always.
For instance, a copywriter could complete a project writing the copy for a sales landing webpage; an overall sense of the product and organisation’s voice is still necessary to do this well. But not in depth.
A ghostwriter might be hired to write a letter on behalf of a CEO to be included on a company website. For this project, they are required to absolutely nail tone of voice, down to placement of commas and word selection, so the letter sounds exactly like it has been actually penned by the CEO themself. And the ghostwriter is invisible in the final copy.
It’s a slim difference (some may argue that there is no difference at all) but it is there.
What types of content does a ghostwriter write?
Often ghostwriters will specialise in certain genres and types of content, as well as the specific industries they write for. However, you can hire a ghostwriter to produce content, including:
- Books—memoirs, business books, corporate storytelling, motivational and coaching books, fiction
- Digital marketing content—blogs, articles, email newsletters
- Feature articles—for magazines, newspapers, trade publications
- Corporate communications—white papers, trend articles, sales letters
- Training documents—manuals, student guides,
Advantages of hiring a ghostwriter
- Leaves you with more time
When you outsource the writing of your book/blogs/other content to a reliable, trusted ghostwriter, you can rest assured a professional hand is penning your words and you are free to focus on other things.
- The sharp eye of an external observer
Hiring a freelancer can be an effective way to improve the overall consistency of your brand’s voice and story. An external writer is often best placed to spot inconsistencies in branding and can help you smooth them out.
- You have the choice – a ghost, or not (or just a partial ghost)
You get to choose the extent to which your writer remains a ghost. A ghostwriter often expects to have no byline (it is the nature of their work, after all). But, depending on the nature of the piece they write for you, sometimes clients have chosen to acknowledge their ghostwriter with a note in the front of the book, or even including their name on the front cover as a cowriter. Ultimately though, the choice is yours.
So, how can you be confident hiring a ghostwriter who will be the best fit for you and your brand or business? Try asking our
3 key questions to engage the right ghostwriter
- What is your niche?
It helps to hire a writer with knowledge and experience writing in your industry. It will ultimately be easier to communicate what you need written since they understand terms, processes, and any industry-specific jargon.
- Who have you written for?
Depending on confidentiality clauses, your potential ghostwriter might not be able to fully answer this question if, for example, they have written on behalf of high profile individuals. But sometimes your ghostwriter might be able to provide you with examples of brands they have written for, or even some writing samples you can read and see whether you would work well together.
- What is your process?
Clarity around process is very important. It ensures you and your writer are both on the same page, from the start. Ask about research and interviews, drafting, editing, right through to publication.
Ultimately, a ghostwriter can be a great asset to you and your brand identity, often helping you not only produce content but also better understand and articulate new aspects of your business you didn’t even realise existed.