What a LinkedIn ghostwriter actually does, and how to work with one

“Ghostwriter” makes it sound like someone sits in a room inventing opinions for you. A good LinkedIn ghostwriter does almost the opposite. The job is to get what's already in your head onto the page, sounding like you on a good day.

What the job actually involves

• Positioning. Working out what you should be known for and who needs to hear it.
• Extraction. Pulling stories, opinions and lessons out of you through calls and voice notes.
• Writing. Turning that raw material into posts with strong first lines and a clear point.
• Editing for voice. Making sure every post sounds like you and not like a writer.
• Planning. A calendar that balances your topics and formats over the month.
• Learning. Watching what works, what doesn't, and adjusting.

The writing is maybe a third of the work. The rest is thinking and listening.

How voice gets captured

Your voice is the sum of small things: how long your sentences run, which words you'd never use, how direct you are, whether you're funny. A good ghostwriter learns these from how you actually talk. That's why we start every engagement with a long intake call and ask for voice notes, and why the first few weeks involve more back and forth than later on.

How much of your time it takes

Less than you'd think, once it's running. A typical rhythm:

• A monthly call of 30 to 45 minutes to talk through what's on your mind
• Voice notes when something happens that's worth a post
• Approving drafts, usually on your phone

Most of our clients spend under 30 minutes a week.

Is it honest?

As long as the ideas, experiences and opinions are yours, yes. Leaders have always had help with speeches, books and op-eds. The line is crossed when a ghostwriter invents experiences or opinions you don't hold. A good one never will.

How to get great results from a ghostwriter

• Be honest in the intake. The specific, slightly uncomfortable stories make the best posts.
• Send raw material. A two minute voice note after a frustrating meeting is gold.
• Give direct feedback. “I'd never say that” helps more than polite approval.
• Approve quickly. Timely posts go stale if they sit in your inbox for a week.
• Stay engaged with replies. Comments are where relationships start, so show up there yourself.

What it shouldn't look like

Posts you don't recognise. Stories that never happened. A tone that changes every week. Engagement bait. If you see these, your ghostwriter is writing for the algorithm, not for you.

If you'd like to see how we approach it, here's our LinkedIn ghostwriting service.