When you hire a ghost

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Call me a ghost. Call me a copywriter. Call me an editor. (And thank you, Entrepreneur Magazine for the mention in your February issue.)  I’ve heard it all, and the debate over this thing called ghost blogging still continues, right? But really, in my opinion, that’s okay. For those of you who don’t write for a living, it takes time.

For those of you who DO write, you get that. One of my problems is actually taking time out for myself to write because as a business owner, my clients get first priority.

I’m always amazed at how authors seem to consistently blog. My friend, Chris Brogan is always writing, always on the road, and always doing amazing things for people and organizations. How he does it, and still manages to knock out a great blog nearly everyday makes me pretty much look up to him in awe. (auhhhh.)

But not everyone can do it like he does it. Not everyone can write amazing books and blogs. However, more and more people are turning to the blogging and social media realm in order to be a part of this community that has been paved for us. Reasons for this can range anywhere from someone just wanting to be heard, to someone who is passionate about their business and has beneficial information for those who need it. Here is the open platform.

That being said, I feel blogging is a necessity. (I know I need to be more proactive in this area for me, which is something I’m committing to.) So, for those of you who don’t have the time, the skill, or don’t understand how this works, here are some tips I have. These are all things I do with my clients.

• Hire a copywriter or ghost writer – If you know you need to do it, and you don’t have the time or energy, hire someone. Outsource this. You can choose to have them write under their name, or yours (and you can do this ethically…and I’ll tell you why in a sec.) Bottom line is, don’t keep talking about it or thinking about it. Get your name out there. Get your ideas out there.  Oh, and as far as budget is concerned, nearly all of my clients put me in the marketing category.

• Teach your writing style – If you are going to have someone write for you under your name, give your ghost writer a sample of previous work. This could be a past blog or a previous presentation of some sort.  This helps in the entire process. The biggest reason it’s so helpful is for little things like, some of my clients prefer to not use conjunctions. Some are way more lax in their writing style. It’s little things like that, that really make a difference.

• Schedule a weekly call – Okay, sometimes it’s not always a phone call. I have clients all over the world, so AIM and email are definitely just as useful. I hold my clients accountable to sending me their ideas. Afterall, it is their blog. I typically get the idea, the main points, and any research thereafter is my responsibility. I am also a huge fan of collaboration and linking. So, if one of my peers out there is talking about something worth continuing to share, I do. Then I give them some link love. (In other words, mention them and link back to where the content is that you’re sharing.) But the main thing…your ghost wants to work for you, so be sure to give them the points so they can craft the post to it’s entirety.

• Turn edits around quickly – (and please don’t be too controlling) Okay, what I mean by this is writers have schedules they adhere to. Or at least I do. I block certain times out for writing and I also have things like business development that still need to happen. The quicker you can get edits to your writer, the quicker we can get things posted, shared, tweeted, and promote what you are saying. I live by my calendar during the week. It’s my checklist. It’s extremely helpful to work with clients who are prompt and responsible. Then you become the dream client. Also, don’t be afraid to say what you like or don’t like. We need to know these things.

There are many great writers out there. Let us help you get your message out if you’re unable to do it. If you’re currently working with a ghost and they’re not up to par, don’t be afraid to go with someone else if you’ve had a conversation and things aren’t getting better.  I hope this list helps. Any questions?