09Dec

Ghostwriting: Hire Ghostwriters To Produce Content For Your Business

Surfing the web is a lot like surfing the sea. In some parts of the sea, you will find a healthy coral reef that is flourish and is full of life. And, in other parts of the sea, you will find dead reefs that stink of death.

  

And man, stink they do!

  

If your website happens to be in the dead part of the internet, you have to begin acknowledging that you do not have the necessary skills to keep your blog beaming with life.

  

And, there is really no shame in admitting that you are not a talented writer. Owning a blog does not magically transform you into a professional copywriter.

  

If you want to resurrect your dead blog, you have to let someone do the work of writing for you. This is what is known as ghost blogging.

  

What is Ghost Blogging?

  

Ghost blogging is where a website or blog owners hires ghost writers to write content for their website. Ghost bloggers and ghostwriters are authors who are hired to write content for clients. Such writers are called "ghosts” because they do all the work but they do not get credit for their work. Therefore, the website owner hires a writer who can do the writing, but they publish the content under their own name.

   

You can hire ghost writers to write any type of content, ranging from blog posts, internet content, newspaper articles, songs and even books.

  

Why Should You Hire A Ghostwriter?

   

Hiring ghostwriters will give you three main benefits:

   


1. Provide you with content around the clock

You need to produce quality content throughout to keep your guests engaged. if you do not have the skills to write the content, you need to hire someone who can do it. Even experienced bloggers require help because they also suffer from exhaustion and need someone to assist them with their content needs.

   

If you are having problems writing content for your website on a consistent basis, a ghostwriter can help you to fill the content supply deficit that your company has.

     


2. It Is Cheaper.

Big companies have in-house copywriters who produce all the content that they need. However, an in-house team of copywriters is not cheap. A full time copywriter can set back your business anywhere from $20,000 to $40,000. By contrast, ghostwriters charge between $150 and $1000 depending on the number of words. In addition, you only hire them when you need some work done, which means you do not have to pay them any benefits.

 


3. Concentrate On Your Main Business

Hiring a copywriter frees up time for you to do other things that matter to your business. Since you are not a professional writer, you should leave the writing tasks to specialists.

 

  

STEPS FOR HIRING A GHOST WRITER

 

Step 1: Figure Out What You Need (Need Analysis)

One of the main mistakes that people make when looking for a Ghostwriter is hiring someone who does everything. This is brought about by the fact that most employers do not know what type of writer they want and so end up hiring a writer who does everything.

  

Nothing good can come from this.

  

If you do not know what you want, you will just end up wasting your money and get crappy content in return. 

  

Thus, the first step in hiring a Ghostwriter is to determine what kind of Ghostwriter is right for your task.

   

Like most professionals, Ghostwriters have specialties. Some of them focus on specific industries such as business, marketing, and technology while others focus on web copy and product packaging copywriting.

  

Ghostwriters fall into one of three general categories:

  

  • Advertising Ghostwriter – most of them come from ad agencies or publishing houses and have worked on taglines, media campaigns or graphic-heavy projects.
  • Non-advertising Ghostwriter – these include content writers for e-books, writers, blog writers, and white paper writers.
  • Direct-response Ghost writer – these writers focus on moving prospects further into the sales funnel. They specialize in writing content for mails and landing pages.

    

Determining what you want to do will help you choose the right Ghostwriter to engage. If you are looking for someone to write a blog post, for instance, you should look for a non-advertising Ghostwriter because their focus is content rather than an advertising Ghostwriter who focuses on more on keywords.

  

Getting the right content writer can also save you money on SEO because most Ghostwriters are also knowledgeable in SEO. Therefore, you can give them a list of keyword that you need to be included in the content and let them integrate those keywords naturally in the content. 

  

You should also make sure that you know what you need to write before trying to find a writer. Most Ghostwriters are good at more than one field, but if you know exactly what you want, you can find one who is good at that specific thing.

  

Highlight your main priorities and let your intended Ghostwriter take them on once they start working for you.


Note that hiring a Ghostwriter who specializes in one thing will cost you more money than one who does everything.

  

Step 2: Determine the Skill Level That You Need 

Some people prefer to look for inexperienced writers and train them, while others prefer to hire established writers.

  

Therefore, determining the skill level you need is vital to getting the right Ghostwriter.

  

It is easy to ascertain the skill level of most writers by asking for a sample. However, do not just ask them for any samples. Make sure they give you relevant samples that are similar to what you want.

  

Consider things like grammar, readability, flow, and spelling when evaluating possible Ghostwriters. In addition, you can evaluate the writing by running their content through Read-Able or Hemingway App to get a readability score and a grammar evaluation.

  

Most importantly, make sure that your Ghostwriter can capture the attention of your readers.

  

If you have a one-off project, consider looking for a contract writer or a freelance Ghostwriter.

  

You can try freelancer marketplaces such as copypeer.com for simple writing gigs or some SEO work. However, if you have a project that might come up again in a few months look for a writer that you can keep on retainer.

  

Step 3: Enquire About the Writer’s Experience Level

Experience level is not the same as skill level. Therefore, make sure you ask them to give you details about their past projects.

  

The best way to see the capability of a Ghostwriter is by looking at the difference he or she made to the companies that he/she has worked with in the past.

  

Some of the questions you can ask the writer are:

  

  • What direction did the copy that you created take the brand?
  • What positive impact did you bring to the brand/companies you worked for?

   

To assist you determine if their experience will create value for your company, make sure you create a very specific job description. This the both of you will be on the same page.

  

You can also ask for referrals from their past clients, which will tell you how many similar projects they have completed. In addition, pay attention to the kind of questions they ask you. An experienced Ghost writer will ask detailed questions about what you need, what your goals are and what success means to you. Consider it a red flag if a writer does not ask any questions.

  

Step 4: Create a Test for the Ghostwriter

It is important to test the writer’s abilities on the real-life things that they will be doing for your company.

  

The tests do not have to be difficult or complicated. Provide a practical application of what you are hiring someone to do.

  

An example of a copy-test:

  

"Our company is creating a new home page. Our goal is to optimize conversions. Write ‘above-the-fold’ copy you believe will optimize the ‘Start Trial’ button click-through rate. Please complete within 96 hours.”

  

Give such a test to anyone that you are considering to hire. You might offend some freelancers by offering the test, but not anyone who is sure of their skills well will mind proving himself or herself.

  

Note that the key to a great copy-test is to keep it relevant and small.

  

Step 5: Determine Your Budget

Naturally, you will end up paying more for an experienced/high quality writer.

  

It is better to spend more money on content that you are sure will convert readers into clients than pay less for content that will not change your business.

  

You can expect to spend at least $50-$200/hour for a highly skilled Ghostwriter. Most Ghostwriters will charge between $75 and $100. You will spend between $50 and $100 for a blog post and up to 5,000 for other specialized tasks.

  

If you choose to get someone who is starting out in the industry, they will cost you less, but you must train them. And, although cheap, this method may prove costly in the end because you might waste a lot of time training someone who may never get any good at copywriting.

  

You have an option to seek cheaper Ghostwriters, but keep in mind that a lower price tag may come with low content quality.

  

Step 6: Try To Gauge A Writer’s Enthusiasm

Selecting the right writer for your project is not merely about choosing the person with the best writing skills. Rather, you should choose someone who has the right skills and experience, but is also excited about your project.

  

The Ghostwriter you choose should like your product and have a desire to promote it. It is important that the writer takes their role seriously and be ready to always give their best to your projects since they will be an integral part of your team.

  

You can set up a phone call or an in-person meeting to gauge their interest level. Apart from telling if they are enthusiastic about working for you, a face-to-face interview will also help you to know if they have done their homework on your product.