Make ghostwriting a win for you and the published author.

If you are writing content under another person’s name, you are among a growing number of people who consider themselves ghostwriters. The term was once reserved for a small group of writers who penned the stories of our most famous non-writers. Immersing themselves in another person’s world, these writers produced works like full-length autobiographies and memoirs. Today, ghostwriting has become far more common as experts across industries compete to be heard in a world of fast content and instant publishing. 

For communications pros, especially those who love writing, ghostwriting for thought leaders can be a career boost, but also a career roadblock. It is possible to make this kind of work a win for all involved, but you need to plan ahead. Here’s how to enjoy the upside and manage the limitations of ghostwriting for thought leaders:  

Expect zero credit.

Like the proverbial tree that fell in the forest, if you write something that gets published without your name, did you write it? To make your time as a ghostwriter successful, it is important to go into this endeavor fully aware of the limitations. Most importantly, you will never get credit for your work. That might seem obvious, but you may eventually find yourself needing to demonstrate the caliber and quality of your writing to the outside world. The cannon of your ghostwriting pieces, no matter how critical your contribution may have been, will not and cannot count. 

Always maintain confidentiality. 

As tempting as it may be to share your ghostwriting work, don’t. With this type of writing, your reputation for maintaining and respecting confidentiality is as valuable as your writing talent. It should go without saying not to include links to these pieces on your personal website or portfolio. But in today’s hyper connected world, even sharing a given piece in a 1:1 job interview could be damaging to the thought leader and ultimately, to you. Imagine, for example, you are eager to show off your best piece that was just published in FastCompany. The hiring manager just happens to be your thought leader’s old college roommate and cannot believe that they don’t do their own writing! A scenario like that does not end well, but is easily avoidable.   

Lean into the upside of ghostwriting. 

Ghostwriting is an incredible opportunity to expand and improve the value and marketability of your own writing.  For example, writing can be lonely. But as a ghostwriter, you have the opportunity to co-create and collaborate with thought leaders on how to best represent their ideas and connect with their audience. Another advantage to ghostwriting is challenging yourself to step outside of your usual style and write in someone else's voice.  Often overlooked is also the ability to develop “secondary expertise” by concentrating your ghostwriting in a certain industry. For example, you may not be an AI developer, but you can quickly become well versed, expanding your opportunities in that industry. 

Reserve time for your own writing.

The best way to get out of the shadows and establish your own footprint is to set aside time for your own writing.  Even if you don’t aspire to be a published writer, having a set of easily accessible, finished pieces is important as you balance the anonymity that goes along with ghostwriting with the need to build your own reputation. Keep it simple. You don’t need a full blown content strategy with an integrated theme. What is most important is having a set of pieces that represent what you hope to be known for. Are you great at telling stories with data? Is your gift in highlighting what gets overlooked in the mundane? Do you draw attention to the emotional side of a story? Whatever you hope to demonstrate, there is a growing set of tools to professionally self-publish your work, including your own blog, Medium, Substack or LinkedIn. 

No matter what you ultimately hope to achieve with your own writing, ghostwriting is a great way to earn money, make connections and stay on top of the changing world of content creation. With a little bit of planning, there should be plenty of room to boost the careers of the thought leaders you work with along with your own.