Can I hire a ghostwriter for that?
Or 9+ ways to delegate the writing you hate.
You likely know that some of the biggest names hire ghostwriters. Whether it’s a musician who needs to write a story about their life or a politician who uses a speech writer, non-writers often lean on professionals to write the words that matter.
When I started ghostwriting many years ago (more than a decade, in fact, but let’s not date ourselves), the most common projects people like me worked on were mainly long-form: memoirs, self-help books, and business books. I also helped write the book proposals that became those memoirs, self-help books, etc.
In 2024, though, when “content is king,” there’s writing everywhere. And you’d be surprised how much of it is ghostwritten. Here are a few ways to hire a ghostwriter (like me!) to help you build your business or personal brand.
01. LinkedIn Ghostwriting
If you’re seeking to become a thought leader on LinkedIn (or you’re just trying to get the word out about your business), constantly posting can quickly become a drag — especially since most experts recommend you should be publishing to LinkedIn at least 4-6 times per week. Some experts recommend even more. You can hire a ghostwriter for that.
02. Substack Ghostwriting
There’s an art to the Substack, and you’d be surprised to hear how many top influencers use ghostwriters to publish their weekly newsletters. A great ghostwriter can help you write content that grows your following and also enables you to monetize.
03. X / Twitter Ghostwriting
Tweets may be short, but that writing adds up. If you have a social media assistant who doesn’t have excellent writing skills, you can hire a ghostwriter to help create better X ( but I still prefer Twitter) content. That ghostwriter can deliver a package of tweets weekly or monthly that you can then load into a social media scheduling app.
04. E-books and Business Books
Maybe you’re not looking for a massive publishing deal, but you’d love to publish a book you can sell on your website or Amazon for some passive income. Ghostwriters are fast — if they’re anything like me, they’ve been doing this for a while — so hiring them for a one-time project can be a godsend.
05. Book Proposals
I mentioned this in this article’s intro, but if you want to put out feelers to potential book agents about whether an idea has wings, a ghostwriter can help you write the proposal in a way that feels true to you. There’s an art to proposal writing, so it’s often easier to outsource rather than trying to write it yourself.
06. Blogs
There’s still a place for blogs in 2024 (hence why I’ve got one!), whether that's for SEO purposes or for amusing your email list, but you must publish regularly to reap the benefits. If you’re not a writing fan, a ghostwriter can help you create content for an editorial calendar. I’ve worked with clients in several ways — either writing a set number of articles per month or delivering a batch of articles they can publish over a business quarter or calendar year.
07. Guest Blogs
I can’t tell you how many columns I’ve ghostwritten for Forbes contributors. I’ve also written articles published regularly in local newspapers and op/eds for people who care deeply about their local community — but not so much about perfect grammar.
08. Speeches
Speech writing is actually a distinct form of writing from ghostwriting, and I admire the many professional speechwriters I know. But ghostwriters can also help, especially when you need a one-off or something ASAP. And I don’t just mean public speeches for politicians — I’ve ghostwritten wedding speeches!
And so much more
Last week, I wrote several quotes for press releases on behalf of an internationally famous influencer who doesn’t speak fluent English. I also wrote a letter from a business owner to her followers to celebrate Mother’s Day. As you might have guessed, where there are words, there can be ghostwriters. It's great news if the idea of writing often gives you chills.
Written by Kit Warchol, founder of Nunc Studio. Kit has nearly 15 years of experience as a writer, content strategist, and editorial director for brands big and small. Past clients and content partners include the University of Southern California, Squarespace, KonMari by Marie Kondo, RMS Beauty, Buck Mason, and Current/Elliott. She also has a robust freelance writing career with personal essays and articles published in/on ELLE, Fast Company, Coveteur, ARTINFO, The Rumpus, Food & Wine, and more.