Behind many successful small businesses, ghostwriters play a crucial yet unseen role. From crafting compelling content to shaping your brand’s voice, discover how these invisible professionals can elevate your business, streamline communication, and enhance your marketing efforts.
What is ghostwriting?
Ghostwriting is when a professional writer creates content on behalf of someone else, allowing them to take credit for the work. Ghostwriters produce everything from articles and blog posts to books and speeches, helping individuals and businesses communicate effectively without needing extensive writing expertise.
Benefits of using a ghostwriter for a small business
Ghostwriters can be a game changer for small businesses looking to maintain a strong content presence while balancing day-to-day operations. There are several key benefits of using a ghostwriter.
Frees up valuable time
Small business owners juggle countless daily tasks, from managing operations to handling customer relationships. Ghostwriters save time by taking on the responsibility of creating content and allowing owners to focus on growing their business. Rather than spending hours writing blog posts or newsletters, owners can rely on a professional to deliver content more efficiently.
Enhances content quality
High-quality content is essential for building a professional brand. Ghostwriters bring expertise in crafting well-written, engaging content tailored to a business’s target audience. They enhance the professionalism and polish of blogs, articles, and marketing materials, ensuring that every piece of content reflects the brand’s image. Targeted, high-quality content helps build customer trust, portraying the business as a reliable source of information or services.
Maintains a consistent voice and tone
A business's voice is its personality. Maintaining consistency in tone is crucial across all communication channels. When writing is done by different team members or in a hurry, the voice can shift and confuse readers. Ghostwriters are skilled at capturing and maintaining the brand’s voice, ensuring consistency. This consistency helps reinforce the business’s identity and message.
Facilitates large-scale projects
Ghostwriters can handle large-scale efforts such as books, white papers, or comprehensive marketing campaigns, from initial research to final drafts. By taking on these time-consuming projects, ghostwriters ensure that businesses can produce high-quality content without sacrificing other essential responsibilities.
Expands your business's thought leadership
Establishing thought leadership—sharing expert knowledge, insights, and innovative ideas to influence others and shape industry trends—is vital for small businesses aiming to stand out in competitive markets. Publishing insightful, authoritative content positions a company as an expert in its industry. However, creating such content can be challenging. Ghostwriters help by drafting books, blogs, or opinion articles that showcase the business’s expertise. These well-crafted pieces help boost credibility and attract customers looking for trusted advice and solutions.
Types of ghostwritten content
While ghostwriters may be best known for writing books, they also develop blog posts, case studies, articles, and speeches. Each content type supports different aspects of your marketing strategy.
Books and white papers
Books, whether e-books or printed hard copies, and white papers are valuable tools for businesses looking to establish thought leadership and provide in-depth information to their audience. Whether it's an autobiography of the company's founder or innovative industry reports, these longer documents help demonstrate expertise and can be used as lead magnets, offering potential customers detailed insights. Ghostwriters specialize in distilling complex information into clear, engaging narratives, helping businesses convey authority and trustworthiness while saving time and effort.
Blog posts and articles
Ghostwriters can produce regular, high-quality content that keeps a business’s website fresh, engaging, and visible to search engines. From how-to guides and industry news to opinion pieces and customer success stories, ghostwritten blog posts help businesses connect with their target audience, drive traffic, and establish credibility within their field.
Email newsletters
Crafting an email newsletter that is both informative and engaging requires time and skill. Ghostwriters can ensure that newsletters consistently and professionally drive conversions or foster customer loyalty. Well-written email newsletters keep subscribers informed and engaged with the brand.
Speeches and presentations
For business owners or executives who speak at conferences or events, ghostwriters can write speeches and presentations that are clear, impactful, and aligned with the company’s messaging. A well-written speech or presentation leaves a lasting impression on an audience, and a ghostwriter ensures that the content is tailored to the speaker’s style while delivering a strong and cohesive message.
Seven steps to successful ghostwriting partnerships
Finding a ghostwriter and building a solid partnership requires clear communication and collaboration. Follow these 7 steps to ensure a seamless process that delivers high-quality content aligned with your vision and goals.
Step #1: Create a project brief
The foundation of any successful ghostwriting partnership starts with a clear project brief. A project brief provides the writer with essential information, including content objectives, target audience, tone and voice, content format, key messages, and goals. A detailed brief helps potential ghostwriters determine if they're a good fit for the job, gives the writer you hire a strong starting point and sets the tone for the rest of the partnership.
Step #2: Understand payment options
A ghostwriter's rates depend on factors like their experience level, the complexity of the work, and the project's urgency. Ghostwriters typically use several different payment structures.
Per word
Paying a ghostwriter per word is a popular option for short-form content like blog posts or articles. Writers charge a set amount per word, making this model easy to calculate and budget based on content length. The per-word rate may vary depending on the writer’s experience and the complexity of the subject.
Per project
A per-project rate provides a flat fee for the entire deliverable, which is more common for larger projects like books or white papers. Paying per project is helpful for businesses that want to know the total cost upfront. This method works well when the scope and timeline are clearly defined.
Per hour
Hourly payment is for when the scope of work may change over time or the business wants the flexibility to add tasks as needed. This option works well for ongoing or open-ended writing assignments.
Step #3: Identify where to find potential writers
Once the project brief is ready and payment options are understood, the next step is to find a ghostwriter who matches your needs. There are several places to look for qualified writers.
Online freelance platforms
Websites like Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer offer access to a wide range of freelance ghostwriters. These platforms allow businesses to review writer profiles, check reviews from past clients, and compare rates. They also provide built-in tools for managing projects and payments.
Writing agencies and content services
Writing agencies and services specialize in matching businesses with experienced ghostwriters. Working with an agency can save time and money on hiring, as they typically vet writers and provide quality guarantees. However, agency services often come at a higher cost.
Referrals from other business owners
Word-of-mouth recommendations can be invaluable when looking for a reliable ghostwriter. Ask other business owners or colleagues if they have worked with a ghostwriter they would recommend. Referrals come with the benefit of personal insights into the writer's style, communication, and reliability.
Step #4: Evaluate possible writers
After identifying a few potential writers, it’s time to ensure that you choose a writer who can produce high-quality content and work well with your business's unique needs.
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Make sure the writer understands the subject
A ghostwriter must be able to grasp your industry, audience, and subject matter. Ask about their history and experience writing in your field or for similar businesses. While a skilled writer can adapt to new topics, it's helpful if they already have some background knowledge or are willing to do the necessary research.
Look at writing samples
Reviewing writing samples allows you to assess a writer's style, tone, and attention to detail. Ensure the samples reflect the type of content you're looking for and that the writer's experience is relevant to your industry. If your business sells parts for heavy machinery, a former writer for the Hollywood Reporter might not be the ideal match. Someone with experience in science or engineering writing could be a better fit.
Check testimonials and references
Testimonials from previous clients can provide insight into the writer’s professionalism, ability to meet deadlines, and overall work quality. Ask for references or contact previous clients directly for more detailed feedback.
Step #5: Communicate your brand voice and goals
Effective ghostwriting requires clear communication, especially regarding the business’s brand voice and content goals. Provide examples of previous content that accurately reflect your brand’s voice and tone. Examples help the ghostwriter mimic your business’s voice so that all content feels cohesive and on-brand.
Be clear about what you hope to achieve with each piece of content. Whether it’s increasing website traffic, driving conversions, or introducing your new CEO to the industry, the ghostwriter needs to understand your goals to create pieces that align with your broader strategy.
Step #6: Establish a content calendar
A content calendar organizes all your upcoming projects, ensuring the writer meets deadlines and content is consistently published. Set specific deadlines for each post or draft and revision to keep the content production process on track.
It’s also important to plan out when each piece of content will go live and decide how often you want to publish new content. Whether weekly, biweekly, or monthly, ensure the schedule is manageable. For longer projects such as a book, consider deadlines for smaller sections like individual chapters to ensure that the project meets your needs and stays on schedule—especially if subsequent steps, like designing a book cover, are waiting for the finished draft.
Step #7: Provide detailed feedback and revisions
Even the best writers may need guidance or revisions to align their work with your vision. When providing feedback, be as specific as possible. For example, for a blog article, instead of saying, “This doesn’t sound right,” explain what aspect of the content needs improvement, whether it’s tone, structure, or clarity.
View the feedback process as a collaboration. Be open to the writer's suggestions. If a draft needs significant revisions, communicate these changes as early as possible to avoid delays in the project timeline. You can ensure the final content aligns with your expectations by maintaining clear and open communication with partners throughout the feedback and revision stages.
Alternatives to hiring a ghostwriter
While ghostwriters can benefit small businesses, they aren’t the only option for creating high-quality content. Several alternatives are worth considering depending on your needs and resources.
In-house writers
In-house writers offer the advantage of being deeply familiar with the company’s products, services, and internal culture, allowing them to produce content perfectly aligned with the organization or business’s goals and messaging. They can also collaborate more easily with other departments, ensuring consistent content strategies. However, maintaining in-house writers can be costly, especially for small businesses without the content volume to justify full-time team members.
Freelancers for occasional projects
Freelancers bring specialized skills and can work on a project-by-project basis. This flexibility allows businesses to manage their content needs without committing to long-term contracts or the overhead of full-time employees. However, freelancers can still require time and oversight, as they may need direction to ensure their work aligns with the company’s voice and tone. Finding reliable freelancers who deliver consistent, high-quality work can be challenging.
Content creation tools and artificial intelligence (AI)
For businesses with limited budgets or those looking for faster, more automated solutions, content creation tools and artificial intelligence (AI) platforms offer another alternative. These platforms can assist with everything from blog posts to social media updates, providing a cost-effective and efficient way to generate content without human involvement.
However, while AI tools can produce basic content, they lack the nuance, creativity, and strategic insight that human writers bring. AI-generated content often needs significant editing to ensure it aligns with the brand’s messaging and avoids sounding too generic or robotic. This content also requires fact-checking since it can include inaccurate information. AI can help produce simple, straightforward content, but it may not be ideal for more complex projects requiring a personal touch or in-depth knowledge.
Ghostwriters may remain behind the scenes, but their impact on your business is undeniable. Like the best friend of the title character in a great story, they drive your brand’s success, crafting content that resonates with your audience while letting your business shine.