Most entrepreneurs and business leaders don't have the time (or skills) to develop their online presence on their own.
There's money on the table for anyone who can pick up the slack.
My 5 best tips work for all freelance writers. I applied them to my own business, and several of my coaching students went on to make $50,000+ per month after doing the same.
If you're just dipping your toes into the freelance writing business, ghostwriting is one of the most underserved (and profitable) niches. For someone with the right skills and dedication, $10,000 per month within the first year is entirely achievable.
Most ghostwriting clients spend somewhere between $3,000 and $12,000 per month. So landing (and retaining) three or four monthly clients is all you need to make well into six figures.
When you factor in the fact that you can...
...ghostwriting jobs actually earn you more than just a living.
You have the flexibility to spend more time with family. You can hit the gym at 2 PM in the afternoon (when all the equipment is empty). You can book a frickin' doctor's appointment without taking PTO.
On the surface, ghostwriting services are all the same: You're creating content in your client's writing style and publishing it under their name. They take all the credit. You invoice them.
Ghostwriting a book is a lot different under the hood, though.
With social media ghostwriting work, you're paid on a monthly basis. You have a one-on-one relationship with your clients.
And, since your ideal client is an online coach with 1,500 followers and not Kanye West, it's a lot more approachable.
I wrote an article dedicated to social media ghostwriting where I go into this more in-depth.
Twitter ghostwriting is my bread and butter. It's what took me to $50,000 per month as a freelance writer.
Twitter is heavily community-focused. Since following can be a one-sided relationship, it's all about reach.
As a Twitter ghostwriter, you'll write tweets, threads, and video scripts that sound like your clients wrote them.
If you've ever seen a viral tweet or thread and thought "I could have written that," then this is the gig for you.
LinkedIn ghostwriting is a lot like Twitter ghostwriting in the sense that you're posting content on your client's behalf using text-based social media.
People like this guy:
Generally speaking, LinkedIn's growth algorithms are focused on creators who have:
In other words, you'll be creating in-depth content that drives discussion.
Writing articles is the OG form of ghostwriting. You write for another company as if it were your own blog.
The author looks like it's someone else (usually someone senior in the company).
The biggest difference between blog writing jobs and Twitter / LinkedIn writing is that you're usually getting paid per project.
One-off blog posts are generally priced between $500 and $1,500 for an expert, but ongoing blogging contracts are where the big money is made ($5k - $10k/month).
On social media, you probably notice online coaches, influencers, agency owners, etc., have websites in their bio.
Most of them have newsletters.
Some handle things themselves. But I know of plenty who pay $3,000 to $5,000 per month to have someone else manage their email marketing.
Being a freelance ghostwriter is about so much more than writing skills. You need to learn how to write for your specific platform.
If you want to become a ghostwriter, you have to...
Don't know what to write about? Here's my best advice:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"I don't know what to create content about."<br><br>• Learn a skill in public<br>• Solve your past problems in public<br>• Pursue and document a goal in public<br><br>Stop rewording other people's posts.<br><br>Do more interesting things and you'll create more interesting content.</p>— Dakota Robertson (@WrongsToWrite) <a href="https://twitter.com/WrongsToWrite/status/1728721515577852018?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2023</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Success in business is about momentum. If you try a bunch of different writing services, you'll never get into a rhythm.
To choose the right ghostwriting niche:
Most ghostwriters who find success have a system. You won't in the beginning, but after a few ghostwriting gigs, you'll have a better idea of how to structure things.
This is easier than you think.
Efficiency is the only way to maximize your income.
Hourly rates don't reward productivity. You can write a tweet in 10 minutes, or an article in an hour. Plus, as you get better at writing, your output will increase.
Charge per project or per month.
Other freelance writers highlight their writing expertise online, build in public, and network on Twitter and LinkedIn. If they do, they're recession-proof.
When you do this, you can:
Followers on social media = free money as a ghostwriter.
I show you how to build a high-paying creative business without doing work you hate.
