Is there a story you’re dying to tell, but can’t seem to find the words? Perhaps you’re an entrepreneur trying to turn your ideas into a confident pitch—or a politician struggling to coax your sentences into a streamlined speech.

No matter who you are, it can be difficult to write as eloquently and effortlessly as we sound in our heads. But before you give up the ghost, allow me to introduce you to another solution: hiring a ghostwriter.

A ghostwriter is a professional writer hired to step in and tell your story in your own words. That means they won’t just slap your name onto any old document draft. A good ghostwriter will take the time to learn your voice and essentially “channel” your spirit, so they can effectively write a piece that sounds like you.

At INNOVATIVE, we’re in the business of providing the best possible marketing for our client, while simultaneously taking the least amount of time from their busy schedules. And ghostwriting is often the simplest way to do that, working with our clients to hone their identity and help their messaging stand out from the crowd.

Over the years, I’ve embodied countless voices for our clients, writing thought leadership blogs for CEOs, scripts for government officials, and just about everything in between. So, if you’re looking to learn more, let me give you a crash course in the foundations of ghostwriting—and how a good ghostwriter could be exactly what your business needs.

What’s the value in ghostwriting?

In the creative marketing landscape, people often underestimate the value of having a good ghostwriter. Not everyone feels comfortable with the idea of someone else writing on their behalf. But the benefits are undeniable.

For starters, ghostwriting empowers you to put your best foot forward. As ghostwriters, we leverage our years of experience to consider your audience and then marry your personality to your messaging. This combines the authenticity of your voice with the quality of writing necessary to impress in the professional world.

Think of it this way: if your power’s out, would you rather call an electrician trained to solve the problem or try to fix it yourself? With ghostwriting, you get to attach your name, your brand, and your reputation to the words of a professional writer, providing you with custom-crafted copy made to match your voice.

Ghostwriters can also save you a lot of time. The truth is that good writing is hard work, and it can take rounds of revision to get it right. But a professional can transform an hour-long interview into a written masterpiece—faster and better than you could on your own. So, if there simply aren’t enough hours in the day, a ghostwriter could be the solution to your writing woes.

But even if you don’t need a “ghostwriter,” those skills are still the building blocks of good marketing. In fact, all brand writing truly is a form of ghostwriting, as we try to capture their brand voice.

So, if you’re a client looking for a marketer, it really is to your advantage to work with someone who already has the ability to write in other voices. Because they can make your brand identity feel unique—not just a carbon copy of corporate buzzwords.

Creating connections is the key to good ghostwriting.

For every ghostwriting project, the first step is listening to your subject, learning about their work, their opinions, and—most importantly—their voice. That’s why my process always starts with interviewing the client directly.

I set aside hours of time to ask them questions and record answers straight from the horse’s mouth. This helps build a strong relationship of understanding with the client, while providing a database of words, phrases, and sentence structures to study.

Of course, if a client is too busy to be interviewed, your best bet is to research their voice. Articles they’ve written, interviews they’ve done, even scripted videos will all give you a better idea of how they carry themselves.

After you’ve gathered your voice samples, you must take the time to dissect your subject’s dialect.

• Pay attention to their diction and syntax.
• Notice the cadence of their sentences and how they communicate their opinions.
• Do they talk in short sentences, use idiomatic phrases, or have a tendency to meander from topic to topic?

It’s also important to listen to their tone and style. Because chances are, the tone they use with you is the same way they present themselves to the world. As a ghostwriter, our job is to bottle that energy and help readers understand both the story and the personality behind the message. If you can hear their voice as you write, that’s when you know you’re on the right track!

Trust the professionals to know their trade.

As a ghostwriter, clients will depend on you to be the expert in the room. They rely on your writing experience to represent their ideas and opinions, and that means it’s your responsibility to ensure they sound both articulate and knowledgeable. But it can be tricky to balance the principles of “good writing” with the authentic voice of your subject.

My recommendation is to find the middle ground between your writing style and the subject’s unique personality. Use their words as the foundation of your draft—and then take the time to polish it to your professional standard. Ideally, the finished product should sound like your subject could have written it, assuming they had your experience!

However, just as clients rely on you, ghostwriters must trust their clients to know what they’re talking about. They are the subject matter expert, which means your opinions and vision must take a backseat to the client’s insight on the topic.

That’s why every ghostwriter should collaborate with their clients, allowing them to review their work and make revisions as they see fit. You can certainly advocate for your creative choices, but every client should leave feeling their personality is captured on the page.

This also helps you build a lasting relationship with your client. Here at INNOVATIVE, our clients come back again and again because they know we take the time to understand them and meticulously carve their identity into the marketplace.

In the digital age, nothing compares to handcrafted communication.

Modern technology allows you to generate words at the click of a button, but artificial intelligence still can’t replicate the skills of a ghostwriter. Why? Because you can’t prompt your way into a piece of writing that captures your unique voice.

No matter how much context you provide, the machine can’t hear your voice, ask thoughtful questions, or help you determine the best way to reach your audience.

Ghostwriters are editors first and foremost. Our job is to streamline your stream of consciousness, while adding the context and nuance necessary for readers to follow your train of thought. We listen to your story, cut the fat, and refine your message into a clear and compelling narrative—without losing your personal flair.

And most importantly, ghostwriters provide a valuable outside perspective. Clients are often too close to their subject matter, unable to see how readers will perceive their ideas. This can lead to confusing prose, strange tangents, or just a jumble of jargon that’s hard to understand.

But a good ghostwriter can help you find your angle. We don’t just regurgitate information. We carefully consider how to craft your message, so your words resonate with your audience—and deliver meaningful results.

Ghostwriting is an invitation to invest in your identity.

One last piece of insight before I go. There is no shame in hiring—or being—a ghostwriter!

Ghostwriting is actually a lot more common than you may think. While exact statistics are hard to come by, publishers estimate that up to 70% of nonfiction books are written by ghostwriters, including the majority of books from major celebrities.

Because hiring a ghostwriter isn’t a shortcut. It’s an investment in telling the story you’ve always wanted to write.

That’s why it’s important for aspiring ghostwriters to check their ego at the door. Young writers are often taught to promote their own personal style, but big egos are the enemy of collaboration. As ghostwriters, we aren’t writing for the name recognition. We’re here to help our clients bring their vision to life.

For me, nothing feels better than seeing a client react to a finished piece and excitedly say, “You know my voice better than I do!” I’ve even had clients who fancy themselves writers go out of their way to tell me that INNOVATIVE showed them what a “real” writer can do—which is the best kind of compliment to receive.

And at the end of the day, ghostwriting is fun! Too often we get caught up in our own perspective. So, it’s exciting to step outside of yourself for a bit and see the world through someone else’s eyes. I feel especially fortunate to work at a place like INNOVATIVE, where storytelling is the backbone of everything we do. Because with my job, there are always more exciting stories to be told!

Blog illustrations created by Jeff VerWayne.