Ghostwriters are the secret weapon of individuals and businesses aiming to consistently create compelling content that resonates with target audiences and delivers results. In the B2B sector, a steady stream of high-quality content is essential to a strategic marketing plan. Ghostwriting services can be especially powerful in helping individuals and businesses meet their content marketing objectives. When leveraged effectively, ghostwriters help create valuable assets that enhance brand image, build trust with target audiences, and establish visibility, credibility, and name recognition within their marketplaces.

Why Use a Ghostwriter?

A ghostwriter is a skilled professional who creates compelling content credited to an individual or business. Whether crafting blog posts, articles, white papers, newsletters, or personal memoirs, ghostwriters bring ideas to life while ensuring the author’s authentic voice shines through. The business or named author retains the credit, and the writer has no rights or ownership of the content produced.

Enlisting the services of a ghostwriter has numerous benefits:

• Saves time and effort. Conceptualizing, writing, and editing valuable content requires hours of focused work. Professional writers can alleviate the burden of constant content creation, allowing you and your team to focus on other priorities. Even with artificial intelligence (AI) writing tools streamlining content creation, personalizing and optimizing copy still requires valuable resources. Dedicated writers are also capable of faster turnaround times compared to in-house team members.
• Provides high-quality content. In a competitive marketplace, quality content helps brands and individuals rise above the competition. According to Semrush’s 2023 State of Content Marketing survey, 53 percent of content marketers prioritize improving content quality. Professional ghostwriters ensure quality standards are met and transform your ideas into compelling copy that outshines the competition.
• Leverages professional writing skills. Being a knowledgeable subject matter expert doesn’t necessarily make you a skilled writer. Ghostwriters excel in grammar, creativity, journalistic style, and SEO techniques. These specialized skills help them produce engaging and optimized content that ranks high with readers and search engines.
• Offers a fresh and objective perspective. Ghostwriters provide objective viewpoints and avoid the limitations of tunnel vision. In fact, a Semrush report found that 19 percent of businesses enlist external writers to gain unique market insights that can add value to their content. “Professional copywriters have their point of view and how they see the market, and they see more from the clients’ side than us,” says Faruk Aydin, head of growth for iAge Technologies. “Because we have our eyes closed sometimes, we only think that our product is the best, our solutions are at the top…. Copywriters, especially when you work with some freelancers, can tell you something different.”

Best Practices

In B2B ghostwriting, thought leaders and subject matter experts have their knowledge and expertise translated into written content and published under their name. The process typically involves interviews, sharing of resources, and collaborative editing. There’s a common misconception that the process will be tedious, the content will require extensive edits, or the material will be too basic. When working with professional ghostwriters, this isn’t the case.

To optimize a ghostwriting relationship, you’ll need to be involved in the process, but you won’t have to do all the heavy lifting. It’s a collaborative effort between you, your team, and your writer(s). And, the process gets easier and more harmonious over time. In fact, when brands work with a ghostwriter consistently, benefits, efficiency, and productivity grow.

Consider the following best practices to ensure the best possible outcomes:

1.  Establish Clear Communication Channels

Effective communication is key to a successful partnership with a ghostwriter. Set up regular check-ins to discuss progress, provide feedback, and address questions or concerns. Determine your preferred methods of communication, whether it’s via email, project management apps, phone calls, or video conferences, and make sure both parties are comfortable with the chosen channels. “Direct communication with a writer is important because we want to explain things in a better way and avoid misunderstandings,” says Aydin. “Personal communication somehow brings more value…content writing is not a mechanical task, it is a task for creativity.”

2.  Provide Comprehensive Briefs

To help your ghostwriter understand your expectations, provide detailed overviews for each project. Include the purpose of the content, target audience, key messages, and any specific points that should be covered. “The less you leave the writers to figure out, the better,” says Emilia Korczyńska, head of marketing for Userpilot. “We use a set of tools to facilitate the process, but we also have a content checklist. We have brief templates right now with certain checkboxes and instructions and all the structure with H2, H3, and places for internal links. Also, writers get the internal document that they need to read through, and that includes SEO guidelines, writing guidelines, and videos of the whole workflow.” The more information you provide to the writer, the easier it will be for them to deliver content that meets your expectations.

3.  Share Background Information and Resources

Arm your ghostwriter with background information about you, your company, industry, and competitors. Share examples of your content, style guides, and other resources that reflect your brand’s voice and tone. This will help the ghostwriter produce content that is consistent with your brand identity. Also, ensure subject-matter experts are prepared for interviews and have specific ideas about the direction of the content.

4.  Set Realistic Deadlines and Stick to Them

Make sure all deadlines allow the ghostwriter adequate time to produce high-quality work. Rushed timelines often lead to subpar content. Plan your content calendar in advance and set clear timelines for each project phase, from kick-off meetings to final approvals. Remember that the timelines aren’t just for the writer. It’s essential for you to hold up your end of the deal by providing input, revisions, and approvals in a timely manner.

5.  Review and Revise Collaboratively

Treat the review and revision process as a collaborative effort. Provide constructive and specific feedback on drafts. Instead of vague comments like “I don’t like this section,” explain what you feel is missing or how it could be improved. This approach will help the ghostwriter make the necessary adjustments more effectively.

6.  Maintain Your Voice and Brand Identity

A key aspect of working with a ghostwriter is ensuring that the content reflects your unique voice and brand identity. Provide feedback on drafts to help the ghostwriter fine-tune the content to match your style. Offer specific examples of how you would like certain sections to be revised to better align with your vision and brand.

7.  Respect the Ghostwriter’s Expertise

While it’s important to provide guidance and feedback, respect the ghostwriter’s expertise. They bring a professional writing skill set to the table, and their insights can enhance the final product. Be open to their suggestions and trust their judgment.

8.  Provide Consistent Feedback

Consistent feedback is crucial for refining a ghostwriter’s understanding of your expectations and preferences. Review their work regularly and provide detailed feedback to help them improve and align content more closely with your vision. A feedback loop ensures that each subsequent piece of content gets better and more aligned with your brand over time.

9.  Ensure Confidentiality

Ghostwriting often involves sharing sensitive information about your business, its products, and services. Asking writers to sign a confidentiality agreement will protect proprietary information. This agreement should outline the terms of the relationship and the confidentiality of the work produced.

10.  Foster a Long-Term Relationship

Building a long-term relationship with a ghostwriter can be incredibly beneficial. Over time, the ghostwriter will become more familiar with your brand, industry, preferences, and style. This contributes to more constructive collaborations. Consider establishing an ongoing partnership for continuous content production.

Partnership for Success

The contributions of ghostwriters have long been recognized and appreciated in popular culture and in business. If you ask a Hollywood talent agent, PR executive, Fortune 500 CEO, or political leader what a ghostwriter does, they can tell you not only exactly what they do but also the value they deliver. The fact is, the executives and thought leaders who have stories to tell are incredibly busy and often don’t have the time or skills necessary to produce blogs, articles, books, and other forms of content. The good news is that they don’t have to.

Partnering with a ghostwriter or ghostwriting team can significantly elevate your content marketing efforts. Mutual respect and collaboration are key to unlocking the full potential of your relationship. Collaborating with a professional writer allows you to share your story, original ideas, and expertise in new and exciting ways. It’s you on the page—writers just help bring it to life.