Should You Use Ghostwriting Services?
If you have read any of my articles over the years, you know that I am a firm believer in 
entrepreneurs, especially solopreneurs, writing their own articles and content. I believe that you lose a level of authenticity and unique voice when you allow someone else to write content for you. Especially when it is content that is suppose to represent you in your marketplace.
I know in this age of “outsourcing” madness, a lot of professionals would disagree with me, but I can assure you that among your competition, your marketing message is what is going to set you apart from the rest. And it’s not about how well you dotted your i’s and crossed your t’s. It’s more about if what you say in article after article resonates with the reader. Do you stand out? Do you have something different to say? Or do you say it in a unique way?
Having said that, I rather you write SOMETHING then fall prey to perfection paralysis and write nothing because you don’t think that you can write. If you don’t think my beginner’s article marketing training course would work for you — then and only then would I advise you consider looking into ghostwriting services.
What Is A Ghostwriter?
A ghostwriter is a writer who writes articles, reports, and even books for you – under your author name. Ghostwriters are not given any credit. They are paid for a service and you take all the glory. Yet that is why most “good” ghostwriters are paid well. It’s not an easy job.
Sure they have experience writing, but they have to be able to work well with you, and be able to give your vision life in ink.
How Do I Find Ghostwriting Services?
There is some criteria you want to consider when selecting ghostwriting services:
First – You want to make sure that you don’t just select someone based on price point. There are people out there who say they will ghostwrite articles for you for 99 cents an article, but you will get what you pay for. I have tested out that theory from several reputable freelance sites and received inferior writing. So be willing to pay several dollars per article. The ghostwriter has to research your topic, add related info if necessary, and then write the article based on your specifications.
Second – Try to get a referral. If you are on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or you are an active member of some sort of writing or marketing forum – ask for a referral. There are many people that have worked with ghostwriters and would be willing to give you a referral and direct you to a sample of that person’s work. You’d be amazed what kind of information you can get if you just ask. If you don’t get at least 5 referrals from just asking on major social media outlets like those – then I’d be amazed.
*Side note – Going to writer’s forums are a great idea because there are oodles of writers looking to make extra money.
Third – Be willing to try a few writers out at first. Ghostwriting use to be a very niche profession, but with the development of the web and so many freelancing websites out there, anyone can say that they are a ghostwriter for hire. So you have to be willing to go into this knowing that you may have to try a few writers out at first until you find someone who really “gets” the type of content you want to produce for your community.
Fourth – Know what you want. A ghostwriter is not a mind reader. You have to be very sure about what you want from him/her in order for writing project to be successful. Things like: word count, topic, keyword terms, links, style of writing (corporate, fun, storytelling, how-to, etc.)
Fifth – If you are working with an unknown ghostwriter, make it clear that you will be running their articles should be able to pass the copyscape test – and be 100% original work. You would think it would be pretty self-explanatory, but you need to put it out there so that everything is crystal clear. Many writers will steal content to write your articles out of shear laziness, so it’s a good idea that you do really check: http://copyscape.com
Sixth – A good place to start posting your ghostwriting jobs is: http://www.freelancer.com/projects/by-job/Ghostwriting.html
You can also always go to the other well-known freelance sites and try your luck with them: Elance, Guru, Craigslist, etc.
Lastly, you can do a google search for “ghostwriting” “ghostwriting services” or “ghostwriters” and see who pops up. Take a look out their sites and samples of their work. Truthfully if someone has taken the time to set up a site and samples of their work – I may try them out before I hire someone off of a freelance site.
Conclusion
As time marches on and people find this article on the web, it would be great to get a list of ghostwriting service referrals going for folks to check out. So if you are a ghostwriter or worked with one that you thought did an excellent job, go ahead and list them in the comment section below.
