Reasons to Hire a Ghostwriter (and why you should hire me)
One of the services that I am glad to offer to my clients is ghostwriting, which is pretty much just writing content under someone else’s name. At first, it can seem a little shady to have someone else author content that you’re pushing as your own, but I assure you that ghostwriting is a perfectly legal and common practice. Many of your favorite celebrities, business leaders and politicians have hired ghostwriters to help pen books, articles, speeches and more. There are quite a few reasons as to why someone would seek out the assistance of a ghostwriter, so let’s discuss a couple of the most common ones.
Lack of Time
This is probably the most common reason that people hire ghostwriters, and this has been the case for some of my clients. Writing takes time. You could spend hours writing an article, days or weeks writing a speech, and months or even years writing a book. Depending on your schedule between work, family and other commitments, you simply may not have the time to devote to writing content on your own. In that scenario, hiring a ghostwriter can prove very beneficial. You’ll be able to have a skilled writer take your ideas and insights and package them into a compelling piece of copy that conveys your messaging clearly in your voice, and the best part is that you don't have to spend hours laboring over your laptop trying to do it on your own. My ghostwriting clients are smart and capable people who, if they had ample time, could crank out effective and engaging copy for their personal projects. But these smart and capable people are also busy people, so they turn to me to help them with their writing needs.
Lack of Experience or Ability
We all have strengths and shortcomings, and part of being successful is knowing how to capitalize on the things that you do well and how to seek help for the things that you don’t do as well. For some, writing a blog post, a podcast script or a white paper can be a difficult and daunting task. Lacking confidence in your writing abilities isn’t anything to feel bad about. No one is good at everything. While I’m a solid writer, I’m absolutely terrible at science and would definitely need a great deal of assistance if, by some unfortunate turn of events, I was asked to give a dissertation on biomedical engineering. And even with help, I’m sure I’d still fall flat on my face. If you know that writing isn’t your strong suit, there’s no shame in hiring someone to help you. A ghostwriter can help you come across as polished and professional, establishing your credibility as a knowledgeable authority on the subject at hand.
My Process
When I ghostwrite for a client, I like to involve them in the process every step of the way, so as to ensure that they are actively engaged in the copy that is being produced. It’s a team effort, and in doing so, the client ends up happier with the finished product because their desires are considered from the very beginning. It starts with the initial consultation where the client tells me about the content they need created. We discuss the purpose, the target audience, the voice, and the mode of publication among other things. If the client has authored content before, I like to read it to get a feel for their voice. Then when it’s time to begin drafting content, I engage in an interview process where the client expresses their thoughts and what they want to convey. Here I’m paying attention not only to what they say, but how they say it to pick up on those cues and quirks that make that person sound like themselves. Although I’m ghostwriting on the behalf of my client, the goal is always to ensure that the copy still sounds like them and has their unique style and personality.
From there I transcribe the interviews, organize the thoughts into logical and compelling structure that flows well, and begin the draft, staying true to the client’s voice while also optimizing the copy for clarity and cogency. I send the draft to the client for their feedback and make necessary adjustments. By integrating the client into each stage of the ghostwriting process, it ensures that the resulting product is a collaborative effort that we both feel good about. At the end of the day, the client is happy because they now have a polished piece of content written in their voice that achieves their objective. And I’m happy to help the client by ameliorating the stress associated with writing and crafting up something they can be proud of. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.
If you have trepidation about writing your own article, speech, book, whatever it may be — barring academic assignments — consider working with me. I would love to help you on your next big project. Complete my contact form on the homepage to get started, and let’s do this thing together!