Are Ghostwriters Worth It? How To Make A Decision

Ghostwriting is the practice of one person, or a team, writing in another’s voice. It’s almost always anonymous, since the person or entity commissioning the ghostwriting is the star, not the ghostwriter.

People who employ ghostwriters do so for a variety of reasons. Perhaps they don’t have the time or are not confident in their writing skills. Perhaps their project requires the kind of polish, SEO optimization, or quality that only a good ghostwriter can provide.

The kinds of people who work with ghostwriters vary, from actors to comedians to CEOs to sports figures to politicians. Many successful memoirs are cowritten by ghostwriters. As Ronald Reagan once said about his presidential memoir, An American Life: “I hear it’s a terrific book. One of these days I’m going to read it myself.”

Different types of and use cases for ghostwriting

Hiring a ghostwriter can save you time. For example, orbitmedia.com reports that the average blog post takes nearly four hours to write. Imagine doing at least one a week and you’ll see how the time adds up, and why hiring a ghostwriter for your CEO or company blog might be a good idea.

Generally, ghostwriters are skilled in research, interviewing, and writing across platforms. Many have journalism backgrounds, which means that they have experience finding angles and ideas, constructing a narrative and engaging readers.

Whatever their background, a good ghostwriter can be depended upon for supplying consistent content that aligns with a company’s values.

Services provided by ghostwriters include:

• Articles and op-eds. To position themselves as thought leaders and/or boost their company’s profile, CEOs and executives need to build credibility and influence within their industry. One of the best ways to do this is through articles on industry trends and insights and op-ed pieces sharing perspective on relevant issues.
• Blog posts. Usually found on a company website, blog posts are valuable for SEO (organic traffic) as well as for building a solid foundation of thought leadership material. They typically range between 500-1200 words in length. One ghostwriter describes the experience of blogging for a leadership training company thus: “Using topics she [the leader] has already conceived, I take notes, and then later ‘translate’ them into a blog post.”
• Press releases and newsletters. When companies launch a new product or service, or mark a milestone, a ghostwriter can provide the written content to alert customers, stakeholders, and the media. The announcements often come via a press release or newsletter. Depending on the size of the company and the importance of the announcement, the announcements may be written by a third party to make them look as though they came directly from the desk of the CEO themselves.
• Social media posts. One of the worst-kept secrets of CEOs is that many of them use ghostwriters to update their social media accounts. This makes sense when we consider the time and effort necessary to consistently post quality content and engage with followers.
• Biographical content. CEOs often need profiles for company websites, press releases, industry publications, and social media. While these might seem easy to write, a ghostwriter can bring nuance, structure, and detail to the sketch that might otherwise get missed. Common #fails include a boring (or nonexistent) headline, clichés (“team player,” “detail-oriented,” “self-motivated”), and outdated information.
• Email communication. While most CEOs are perfectly capable of firing off an email about a company picnic, sometimes messaging requires clarity and consistency, along with alignment with the CEO’s communication strategy. The ghostwriter can deliver these qualities.
• Book projects. Many leaders want to write a book—it’s a necessary step to thought leadership, as well as a chance to share personal stories, insights, wisdom, eureka moments, origin stories, and childhood pet names. But few have the time and skills to see the project through to the finish line. Many ghostwriters specialize in writing memoirs for business leaders.
• Other CEO ghostwriter duties. The gamut runs from writing landing pages, e-books, instructions, and how-to-guides to crafting buying guides and product reviews.

Typical CEO ghostwriting costs and cost range

Ghostwriting services vary depending on project size, experience of the ghostwriter, and timeline.

If a ghostwriter charges hourly, the cost of e-books may be anywhere from $30 to $200 per hour. Per-word rates for this type of work typically range from $1 to $3.

According to the American Writers & Artists Institute, writers typically charge at least $450 to create the home page of a website and $250 to $750 for an information page. For blog posts or articles, ghostwriters earn between $150-$500 and up per piece.

Prices for ghostwriting on LinkedIn range from $2,500-$10,000 a month, according to digital content strategist Emily Standley-Allard. Samantha McKenna, who formed a content strategy company after leaving her post as head of enterprise sales at LinkedIn, charges nearly $700 an hour.

For a book, a top-tier ghostwriters can make hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, unless you’re determined to crack the New York Times bestseller list, you can probably hire one for a good deal less. The actual cost will depend greatly on the length of the book you want to be written and the writer’s level of experience.

How to go about vetting and hiring a ghostwriter

Some businesses work directly with ghostwriters. Others hire separate marketing firms, like McKenna’s, that manage a team of ghostwriters. Working with an agency eliminates the need to advertise, screen applications and conduct interviews, freeing up a lot of your time. However, going to an agency will likely be more expensive than finding and hiring a freelance ghostwriter on your own.

If you decide to look for a business ghostwriter, advertising online is a good place to start. Screen applications of respondents, review work samples, and meet with them via phone or in person until you have the right fit. Remember, you or the CEO will likely be working closely with them for however long the project requires.

When reviewing samples, look for work that demonstrates the writer has at least some knowledge of your industry or at least of the type of messaging and content you want them to generate.

Once you’ve found someone whom you think you can work with, clarify the requirements of the assignment as well as deadlines, expectations, and a feedback process. Determine the kind of research the ghost is going to do and how they plan on capturing your voice. Clarify ownership and confidentiality. Sometimes this will require the ghostwriter to sign an NDA. Some clients also request a trial or sample project.

Last but not least, negotiate payment.

How to work with a ghostwriter

The ghostwriter’s job is to get the subject’s message across in the subject’s voice. A good ghostwriter will require some time with the leader to learn about their goals, values, and personalities.

CEOs and business leaders often have strong ideas of what they want. The ghostwriter will take note of these but will ask questions that will open up whole new avenues of thought and possibilities. They will also encourage you to consider your idea from other perspectives and perhaps introduce other examples that may influence it.

It’s important to establish a process of feedback in the beginning. Figure out a timeline whereby the ghostwriter submits the work for review, receives the revisions in a timely fashion, and is able to turn around the revised copy for final approval in time for your deadline.

How common working with ghostwriters is in business

Ghostwriters in business have become quite common as more organizations, corporations, and startups jockey to dominate space online. In fact, one literary agent for ghostwriters said that at least 60 percent of non-fiction books on the bestseller list have been written with the help of a ghostwriter.

Staying on top of social media can be a full-time job, as leaders and companies have learned. It’s no longer enough to leave an Instagram account in the hands of a junior employee in marketing. Expert ghostwriters are agile and knowledgeable enough in the social media space to meet your goals, whatever they may be.

In addition, as more CEOs entertain the notion of thought leadership, they are realizing that they need a team to help them. A ghostwriter is almost always a necessary part of that team. In fact, the higher up the food chain you go, the more likely that a CEO, entrepreneur, or thought leader is working with a ghostwriter.

For CEOs and businesses who are strapped for time, who want to build their brand, and who want to position themselves as thought leaders, ghostwriters are well worth hiring. A professional ghostwriter or agency dedicated to executive ghostwriting has the skills and experience to deliver consistent, quality content that aligns with a leader or company’s values and voice, saving them time, money, and resources.