Episode 68Mar 7, 2025· 24:39
Replay: The Not So Wild World of Ghostblogging
About this episode
Never met 90% of your clients? Making money in your yoga pants? Welcome to the surprisingly lucrative world of ghostblogging, where your words get famous while you stay behind the scenes.
Join me as I pull back the curtain on my writing career path. From landing your first client without a fancy website to pitching PR agencies when work dries up, discover the insider tips that helped me build a sustainable…
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Full transcript
00:00
When I started ghost blogging, I did not have a traditional or typical writer's website.
00:04
Sure, I had clips of pieces that I'd written and I had a blog that I was writing on, but
00:09
I didn't actually have a writer's website.
00:14
Welcome to the Bloggy Friend Show!
00:27
What's up guys, Famous Ashley Grant here and welcome to the ghost blogging episode of the
00:32
Bloggy Friend Show.
00:34
Before I dive into today's content, I just want to thank everyone for their reactions
00:39
to my first episode.
00:41
It's no secret I was terrified to release this podcast.
00:45
For years I've wanted to do an online show and you guys, every single time that I started
00:50
to write an outline or record audio, I would catch myself tucking it away, pushing it to
00:56
the side.
00:57
And to be honest with you, it's the reason that my first episode dropped on April Fool's
01:02
Day.
01:03
I wanted to release episodes weekly on Fridays, but I chose a Wednesday for the inaugural
01:09
episode just so it would fall on April Fool's Day.
01:13
That way I figured if it sucked, I could just say it was a joke.
01:17
But to be honest with you, everyone so far has been so supportive.
01:22
You guys have been so awesome with your messages, your comments, your words of wisdom, your
01:27
attagirls.
01:28
I just, I really want you to know how much I appreciate the feedback.
01:32
I know I'll probably keep being scared for a while, but I'm going to keep trying and
01:37
keep powering through the fear because I have big plans for this show and future projects
01:42
and I finally realized that my goals just aren't going to accomplish themselves.
01:47
Anyway, I just, I wanted to reiterate how much I appreciate every word, every comment,
01:52
all the, all the wonderful messages that you guys have been sending me.
01:56
I really, really appreciate it.
01:59
And I want to let you know that I'm going to keep going and keep chasing my dreams.
02:03
I'm so grateful to have such amazing people in my corner rooting me on.
02:07
All right, enough of this sappy show of emotion.
02:11
What I want to talk about today is ghost blogging.
02:14
You know, this episode is going to serve as a little bit of a time capsule in a way, because
02:19
right now in 2020, I can't believe that I'm saying we're living through a pandemic.
02:25
I mean, something like this was never even on my radar because of Ms. Coronavirus.
02:32
So many people are losing jobs and having to transition their nine to five jobs to stay
02:36
at home work.
02:38
And many of the entrepreneurs I know, they're still working, but even they have been taking
02:42
pay cuts and had struggles as a result of these insane times.
02:47
And obviously, like many of us, I hope that things get back to normal soon.
02:52
And I hope we all come out stronger on the other side for it.
02:55
I have to say, I'm incredibly grateful that I've worked from home for more than a decade.
03:00
I mean, sure, I've had nine to five stints here and there, but for the most part, I've
03:05
been a work from home writer since 2007.
03:08
And as I've been watching the workforce change, especially now, I've gotten so many questions
03:13
from people over the years about how I'm earning a living and how they can do it too.
03:18
And so that's what I want to talk about today, the not so wild world of ghost blogging.
03:23
So what is a ghost blogger?
03:25
Odds are, you know what a ghost writer is.
03:27
But just in case you don't, a ghost writer is a writer who pens content on behalf of
03:33
another individual in their voice or as close to it as possible when you don't share a
03:37
bloodline.
03:40
And they might never have even met in person.
03:43
They might not have met in person, but they write for this person and give them the byline.
03:48
Ghost blogging is very much the same thing, only instead of writing books or pamphlets
03:53
or press releases or even landing pages, you focus on blog posts on behalf of someone else.
04:00
So the person who pays you and strokes your fragile self-confidence by telling you how
04:05
amazing you are, that's your boss.
04:07
That's your client.
04:09
And I focus strictly on blog posts, both short form, short and long form, but only blog posts
04:16
nonetheless.
04:17
And the reason for that is I have found over the years that those are the things that I
04:22
specialize in.
04:23
It's what I'm best at.
04:24
Yes, I've written books in the past and I've written, you know, press releases and all
04:27
that kind of stuff, but I found that blog posts are my absolute favorite to write.
04:33
So why did I choose ghost blogging?
04:36
As I mentioned in the last episode, I got into ghost blogging in about January 2014
04:42
when it literally landed in my lap.
04:44
A lady I had met asked me if I would be interested in writing her blog posts because her writer
04:50
was going to be quitting and she simply didn't have time to produce her own content.
04:55
Now because I was losing work at the time under my own name, I jumped at the chance
05:00
to write under someone else's.
05:03
And that first year, I got to tell you, it was a whirlwind of chaos and complete learning
05:07
curves.
05:08
I had to learn the client's voice.
05:10
I had to figure out how to gain new clients.
05:12
And then as I gained new clients, I had to learn their voices too.
05:16
But it ended up being an amazing year.
05:19
And I earned enough that first year to go on my first vacation that I'd been on in years.
05:24
We went to Thailand and while we were there, I realized that I could turn this idea of
05:30
working for other people under their names into an amazing business working from anywhere
05:35
in the world.
05:36
And though my name wasn't on the blog posts anymore, I was making good money and I knew
05:40
I could keep working on my own blog under my name in my free time.
05:46
Like I said, I've ghost written books and press releases and all that stuff, but blogging,
05:52
no matter what, continues to be my favorite type of content to create.
05:56
In fact, I've turned down offers for other work just so that I could focus on ghost blogging.
06:02
And you might find whenever you start ghost writing for someone that you prefer to stick
06:06
to a niche as well.
06:07
I know some writers who only want to write books for others or they want to only do press
06:13
releases or only do landing pages and all of that's totally fine.
06:17
You have to figure out what works best for you and then do that.
06:21
So I figured because of all the questions I get about ghost writing, now's the perfect
06:26
time to completely lift the curtain and tell you everything I know about breaking into
06:30
the world of ghost blogging.
06:33
So obviously, for starters, you need to be able to write a blog post.
06:38
There are plenty of places to learn copywriting and I'm not going to share any of that with
06:42
you in this episode because that would take an entire episode, maybe two or three or four.
06:48
But with practice, you can fine tune your process of researching and writing both short
06:52
form and long form pieces.
06:54
You do have to be a pretty decent writer.
06:57
I mean, after all, you wouldn't go to a hairstylist who gets lots of complaints online that they
07:01
don't know how to style hair, would you?
07:03
Wait a minute.
07:05
Am I the only one getting flashbacks to the movie Grease when Frenchie accidentally mismatched
07:09
the colors and turned her hair pink in Beauty School?
07:11
I don't know about you, but I can suddenly hear Frankie Avalon singing Beauty School
07:15
Dropout.
07:17
Just me?
07:18
Okay, never mind.
07:19
Moving on.
07:20
Back to the importance of being a decent writer.
07:22
Now notice I didn't say you have to be the greatest writer who ever lived.
07:26
That's why we have editors.
07:28
Imagine you and another person are being chased by a bear.
07:31
All right, stick with me.
07:32
I know this sounds crazy, but just imagine for a moment that you're both being chased
07:35
by a bear.
07:36
You don't have to be faster than the bear.
07:38
You just have to be faster than the other person who's also being chased by a bear.
07:42
It's the same thing with writing.
07:44
All you really need to do is be better than the person you're writing for.
07:48
So the number one question I get whenever people consider being a ghostwriter is do
07:53
I need a website?
07:54
To this I can honestly say no.
07:56
Not exactly.
07:57
But what you do need is what's called clips.
08:00
Proof that you can write.
08:02
Now interestingly enough, when I started ghost blogging, I did not have a traditional or
08:07
typical writer's website.
08:09
Sure I had clips of pieces that I'd written and I had a blog that I was writing on, but
08:13
I didn't actually have a writer's website.
08:18
In fact, my first ghost blogging client found me because she saw stuff that I had written
08:24
in newspapers and in local magazines.
08:28
But how can you break into ghost blogging?
08:30
In other words, how can you prove you know how to write without a website, especially
08:34
if you haven't had anybody that you've written for before?
08:37
So if I was starting right now, what I would do is I would jump on medium.com.
08:40
I mean, that's one of the first places that you can easily grab some clips.
08:44
You can write about anything you want to on medium.com.
08:47
You could write on other people's blogs.
08:49
This is called guest posting.
08:51
And I plan on doing an entire show about that in the future.
08:54
But basically you can write on someone else's blog to prove that you know how to write.
08:58
Or you could start a blog of your own.
09:00
I mean, it's really simple to start a blog to be honest with you.
09:04
You can start one in less time than it takes to order a pizza.
09:07
Or if you didn't want to do any of that and you just really wanted to get some content
09:12
quickly, you could write mock posts, what's called mock posts on Google Docs that you
09:17
can share with potential clients.
09:19
The key is that you need to write something on a platform that gives you a link that you
09:24
can send to someone when and if they ask for clips.
09:27
And they probably will because they want to see that you can write about what you're saying
09:31
you can write about.
09:33
And here's the thing, I get it.
09:35
Building a writer website can be time consuming and most people that are looking into ghost
09:39
blogging, they want to start working right away.
09:42
Building a website, that can take a long time and it might take a lot longer than you have
09:46
time for right now.
09:48
So if I was starting over again today and couldn't build a website, here's what I would
09:53
do.
09:54
I would create a Facebook fan page and call it something simple like Ashley's Ghost Blogging
09:58
Business because it's free.
09:59
I'd grab a Twitter account, a LinkedIn page, that kind of stuff.
10:03
I would write a post or maybe a few posts on Medium.com about the type of content that
10:08
I wanted to be hired for.
10:09
Now yes, I'm talking about niches.
10:13
Here's the cool thing about blogs that are out there.
10:16
There are loads of topics.
10:17
So you can set yourself apart by becoming an expert in one topic and get loads of work
10:23
in this area.
10:25
When I first started ghost blogging, I was writing almost exclusively for travel agents
10:30
and I got pretty good at knocking out posts quickly because of how many assignments I
10:35
had in the travel niche.
10:37
Now the cool part was that I started learning how to come up with blog post ideas that I
10:44
was writing simply because I had been writing so much about travel.
10:48
I was going to so many different websites and researching all of the content and so
10:53
quickly I was able to see what was trending, what was working, what wasn't, and what was
10:58
helping my travel agent clients.
11:01
And within a year, I wrote more than a hundred posts on travel.
11:04
You know, and it's crazy to think about how much I've grown just since that first year.
11:09
So what you want to do is start thinking about what topics interest you because odds are
11:15
there are businesses related to your favorite topics.
11:18
For example, let's say you love jewelry.
11:22
Perhaps you could work on blogs for business owners that run Etsy type businesses or homemade
11:27
jewelry businesses.
11:28
Or if you're all about fitness, maybe you could write for a personal trainer or even
11:32
a gym franchise.
11:34
Maybe you could talk until you're blue in the face about homeschooling.
11:38
Believe it or not, there are virtual business owners that actually need writers who can
11:41
write content about that kind of stuff too.
11:45
So if you can't find businesses that are related to your topic exactly, believe it or not,
11:50
there are ones out there that can interest you just enough and the possibilities are
11:55
really endless.
11:56
They're virtually endless.
11:57
You wouldn't believe the types of things that you can find to write about.
12:01
I mean, some of my background, yeah, I did a lot of travel writing, but I also have written
12:07
for everything from foot fungus to the best diamond you can choose for your jewelry.
12:13
So there's a lot of variety that's out there.
12:16
But let's get back to what I would do if I was starting today.
12:20
So once I had my Facebook page up and a few posts about the topic that I want to write
12:24
about published on medium.com, what I would do next is I would create a PayPal account
12:29
if I didn't already have one.
12:31
I would create a contract for my clients and then I would decide on my pricing strategy
12:36
and I would then go to a place like Canva.com to develop some graphics announcing that I'm
12:41
a writer for hire.
12:44
After all the business sides of things was handled, then I would start going about trying
12:48
to find my first clients because after all, you need clients if you're going to make money,
12:53
right?
12:55
Where are these potential clients you ask?
12:57
They're everywhere my bloggy friends.
12:59
They're online, they're offline, they might even live next door.
13:02
In fact, they might not even have a blog yet.
13:05
Odds are you already know someone or you know someone who knows someone who needs a writer.
13:11
So to start, I would go to my current network of friends and family.
13:14
I would share my clips and ask them if they know anyone who needs a writer for content
13:18
similar to this.
13:19
If I didn't get any bites in the initial phase, I would start searching for businesses I'd
13:23
like to work with.
13:24
I'd grab my local Chamber of Commerce directory, join networking groups in person and online,
13:31
join Facebook and LinkedIn groups and basically tell everyone and their brother that I'm open
13:35
for business.
13:36
All the while, I would continue writing on Medium and other platforms, maybe even my
13:40
own blog about the topic that's similar to the one I want to go splog about.
13:45
Each time I would share any of those links on Facebook or Twitter or LinkedIn, I would
13:49
add a simple message that says something like, if you need content like this, DM me or private
13:54
message me.
13:55
Now, I'm going to let you guys in on a little secret that I don't think I've shared anywhere
14:01
else.
14:02
When I'm in a pinch for client work and leads are drying up, the place I go to to get work
14:07
is PR and marketing agencies.
14:10
So public relations and marketing agencies, because here's the thing, all of their clients,
14:14
they need content and they know it.
14:16
They can have in-house staff do it sometimes, but there are times that they'll bring on
14:21
an outside contractor to knock out the work that much faster.
14:24
That's where people like me come in.
14:26
This allows them to get the job done, look good to the client, and I still get paid.
14:31
Everyone wins.
14:32
Most of the work I've gotten has been via referral, but when I really need work, I often
14:37
will go back to the list of agencies I haven't pitched yet or even the ones that I have and
14:41
just throw my hat in the ring.
14:43
Because the more I can keep people remembering who I am, they might throw me some work.
14:48
More often than not, I'll get a message back that they either don't need someone right
14:51
now or that they'll consider me in the future, but they often will say that they'll keep
14:56
my information on file because they like to have a pool of writers.
15:00
So follow up when you need work, reach out to new places as often as you can.
15:04
You never know when a pitch will yield work.
15:06
Could be immediately, could be far down the road.
15:09
That's why you have to keep pinching, pitching yourself.
15:12
I will tell you, I've also gotten work on websites like Upwork and Fiverr, and I know
15:17
these websites get a really bad rep.
15:20
And yes, there are a lot of jerks on there that are looking for cheap labor and that
15:24
are just a pain in the ass to work with.
15:26
But you can actually secure work on these platforms.
15:29
You just have to be careful.
15:31
Still, I do agree with you.
15:33
I know what you're thinking, and I do agree these platforms are more of a last resort
15:37
than where you should begin your hunt for clients.
15:40
Other places I found writing gigs have been on job boards by attending conferences like
15:45
blogging conferences or marketing conferences, and even by being a guest on radio, television,
15:51
and other podcasts.
15:52
In fact, one of the podcasts that I was a guest on yielded more than $400 on a single
15:56
day of writing work.
15:57
I got to promote my business.
15:59
I landed an easy 400 bucks, and all the while I was providing content to the podcast host.
16:04
It was a wonderful experience.
16:06
And I have to say that since then, I've been on other podcasts and I just keep getting
16:10
my name out there.
16:11
Because again, you never know where your next gig will come from.
16:14
So you have to continually be marketing and promoting yourself.
16:18
So one of the places that some of my writing friends have found success in landing gigs,
16:23
which actually surprised me, was Facebook Marketplace and in Facebook groups where you
16:28
can sell your content.
16:29
I didn't even know these groups existed, but you can go onto them and if you get approved
16:33
by the admin, you can add information about your writing and content that you have for
16:40
sale.
16:41
It can either be new content or you can pitch to write custom pieces.
16:47
So it might be something that you want to look into whenever you're just starting out.
16:51
But if you're like me and you hate having to put anything on but yoga pants for the
16:56
day, you'll likely want to do most of your search online.
17:00
And believe it or not, I've never met 90% of the people that I've worked for.
17:04
We literally handle all of the elements of our business completely online.
17:08
And it's awesome.
17:10
I love ghost blogging as a business because I get to make my own hours.
17:14
I work at my own pace.
17:16
I negotiate my rates and then I do the work and I get paid.
17:19
It's truly been the most fruitful work of my writing career.
17:23
Now let's talk about what to do once you land your first client.
17:28
You'll first negotiate and agree on the terms of your writing gig.
17:31
Do yourself a favor, save every email, get everything in writing.
17:36
If they want to chat on the phone or via Skype, sure, that's fine.
17:39
But do yourself a favor and send them a recap email of everything that was said and get
17:43
confirmation that they understood and you guys are on the same page because you want
17:47
to get everything in writing so that you protect yourself and the client.
17:53
Before you write a single word for them, agree to details like the date of delivery, whether
17:57
or not your fee will include a rewrite, whether the tone will be friendly or professional,
18:03
the keywords they want included in the post, approved places for research, and so on.
18:09
You also need to agree in advance on the method of payment and how invoices and payments will
18:14
be handled.
18:16
Some of the writers I know they charge non-refundable deposits up front.
18:19
Others charge the full amount once the job is done.
18:22
You'll just have to decide what works best for you.
18:25
So after everything has been agreed to and it's time to get to work, here's my suggested
18:29
workflow for your writing assignments.
18:33
Step one, get the topic the client wants along with the keywords they would like you to include
18:38
in the post.
18:39
If they have any research they've already done on the topic, go ahead and get that from
18:43
them as well.
18:46
Step two, remember only after agreeing to the terms, topics, word length, etc. should
18:52
you begin writing.
18:54
Now it's time to start researching your topics.
18:57
Do you want to understand jet lag so you can go splog for travel specialists?
19:01
Fly to Thailand like I did.
19:03
It'll make you a better blogger.
19:05
I swear.
19:06
If you're writing for a photographer, you might need to research their photography style,
19:10
their website, the photography topics that they want to discuss on their blog posts.
19:16
Got to look at everything so you can write with their authority.
19:19
Because remember, their byline is going to be on the post and that means their reputation
19:23
is the one that's on the line.
19:25
So I suggest going after clients who need the type of content that you already know
19:29
about in the beginning.
19:30
It'll make your life so much easier.
19:33
When I started writing for travel agents, I have to be honest, I didn't know much about
19:37
travel.
19:38
I had to do a ton of research that might not have taken so much time if I'd initially known
19:43
more about the travel industry other than how to book a ticket online.
19:47
After years of working with them, I'm still learning and I'm still doing quite a bit of
19:52
research.
19:53
I have a much better grip on the subject.
19:56
My industry specific know how helps me assist in coming up with blog post ideas, knowing
20:01
where to go and where to even begin the research process.
20:05
Step three, write the post by the date you said you would and send it to the client either
20:10
as a Word document, a Google Doc or in the body of an email.
20:13
How you submit your work will obviously depend on what you and your client agreed to ahead
20:17
of time.
20:18
I personally prefer Google Docs because I can access them anywhere with Wi-Fi and both
20:22
I and the client can add comments directly into the document for edits and ideas and
20:27
all that stuff.
20:28
Now I have to take a quick moment and just reiterate something of great importance.
20:34
Always meet your deadlines.
20:36
Trust me, the fastest way to lose your blogging clients is to be late and or drop the ball
20:41
completely.
20:42
If they want a post every Friday by 5 p.m., you better make sure they get their posts
20:47
every Friday by 5 p.m.
20:49
But bonus points if you're early because then they really know they can rely on you.
20:52
Here's the thing.
20:54
In the past 13 years, I have written a lot of content.
20:58
I've also been an editor and a manager and someone who fires and hires writers.
21:03
And nothing irks me more than a writer who can't meet their deadline, especially if they
21:09
don't communicate with me that they will be late with a good reason.
21:13
I personally have blacklisted writers who can't communicate, follow instructions or
21:17
meet deadlines, and I don't want that to happen to you.
21:20
So just please communicate with your clients and try to be on time.
21:23
Okay, and rant back to my suggested steps for your workflow.
21:28
Step four, rewrite the piece if necessary.
21:31
This may be needed a lot in the beginning as you learn your client's voice.
21:35
It's not uncommon for me to spend a long time writing the first post and do up to three
21:39
revisions just because I'm trying to learn their voice in that initial post.
21:44
And this can happen with a couple of posts, so don't freak out if you have to rewrite
21:47
occasionally in the beginning.
21:50
Now remember, the whole point of ghost writing is to allow your client to take the credit.
21:55
If they would never use certain quotes or say things like, dude, or awesome, or put
22:00
a pin in it, you'll need to adapt to their way of writing.
22:03
For example, one of my clients, she hates the phrase, not so much.
22:07
And another doesn't like any references to tofu in her healthy eating blog posts.
22:13
So in the beginning, what you'll need to do is interview your client thoroughly to learn
22:16
how they talk and what they want to get out there to their readers.
22:20
Both your credibility and your profit margin will shrink every time you have to revise
22:24
a draft because the voice is off.
22:27
Step five, invoice the client for the work provided.
22:32
Add terms and conditions for when you want to be paid.
22:35
Set this precedent in the beginning so there are no surprises.
22:38
You need to communicate thoroughly with your client.
22:40
For example, every invoice that I send out states terms net 30 days and past due amounts
22:46
are subject to a $10 or 10% late fee, whichever is larger.
22:50
Because I'm clear on this, there isn't a surprise when a late fee invoice is submitted
22:54
if they are late.
22:56
Now for the hardest part about being a ghost blogger.
22:59
Well, at least it is for me.
23:01
Maybe it's just me.
23:03
You have to keep your work a secret.
23:05
If you can't handle keeping mum about what you've written, ghost blogging might not be
23:10
a good option for you.
23:12
I personally have trouble with this sometimes because I'm one of those vain annoying writers
23:16
who can't wait to tell everyone about my latest work.
23:18
I know, surprising.
23:20
Someone calling themselves famous, Ashley Grant, can't wait to tell.
23:23
But here's the thing.
23:24
If your client is not okay with going public about the fact that they use a ghost blogger,
23:29
you have to keep your mouth shut.
23:31
In fact, don't be surprised if you have to sign a non-disclosure agreement, which means
23:35
you could face legal ramifications if you don't keep quiet about your work.
23:40
Don't end up in court.
23:43
The truth is, ghost blogging requires a lot of work.
23:46
But when you're willing to put in the effort, you can develop a pretty decent stream of
23:50
income before you know it.
23:52
You will have to pitch to a lot of people and you will get a lot of rejection.
23:56
But the more you do it, the more yeses you'll get, and the more writing that you do, the
24:01
more you'll be able to prove that you know what you're doing.
24:04
So the question now is, what are you waiting for?
24:07
Get your clips together and start looking for work today.
24:10
That's all I really have for today's episode, but I hope this was inspiring and gave you
24:14
a glimpse into what it's like to be a ghostwriter.
24:16
Thank you for listening, and until next time, may your page views be high and your bounce
24:21
right below.
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