Ghostwriting is one of the most valuable skills you can build if you want to monetize your skills as a writer.

We’re (Dickie and Cole) convinced the #1 skill for writers to build for the next 20 years is ghostwriting.

In the last 10 years, we’ve seen a major shift in focus from companies to individuals. And this is only bound to accelerate. After all, people (or, more specifically, customers) would rather work with real people than a faceless organization. Entrepreneur.com reports that 82% of people are more likely to trust a company when its senior executives are active on social media.

As this trend from companies to individuals accelerates, there will be even more demand for good writers who can help others communicate and scale their message online.

But this isn’t just limited to helping employees scale the message of their companies. A good personal brand is an insurance policy against the waves of uncertainty we see sweeping across many industries right now.

• Having a personal brand helps you stand out as a candidate at your next job interview
• Sharing your insights, frameworks, and story help to position them as an authority in your niche
• Writing and publishing ideas online opens up doors of opportunity for you as a business owner and/or industry leader

This applies to you (as a ghostwriter) AND your clients.

For your potential clients, having their own digital presence is a win for both them and the company they work for. More and more people are waking up to the importance of building a personal brand online, moving their customers & audience to an email list, and scaling their ideas on the internet.

This is why there has never been a better time to get started as a ghostwriter.

“But Dickie, Cole… what about the rise of AI? Won’t all of this be farmed out to ChatGPT?”

Ah, the classic AI excuse.

The truth is, most people who need to hire a ghostwriter don’t have the time to tinker with ChatGPT prompts all day. They are far too busy running their business or doing their day job. The opportunity of AI rests in the hands of the ghostwriter. AI will help the top 20-50% of ghostwriters get exponentially better and more efficient. With these AI tools in your hands, you’ll be able to do more work in less time (and increase your prices as a result).

With all this in mind, let’s dive into the 4 reasons why industry leaders, business owners, consultants (or anyone with a public-facing role) need a ghostwriter:

Reason #1: They don’t have the time to write

Let’s look at an example.

Imagine you’re the CEO of an EdTech startup and you’ve just raised $23 million in your Series A funding round.

Flush with cash, you have 100 different priorities:

• Developing the product management strategy
• Helping the business development team sell more
• Dealing with Legal, HR, and other administrative issues
• Ensuring the tech team has everything they need to fulfill your vision for the product

Etc, etc, etc.

With all of this on your plate, do you think you’d have the time to write and publish your ideas on the internet? Unlikely. And even if you did have the time to write, is writing how you get a good ROI on your time as a CEO? Probably not.

This is where the ghostwriter comes in.

The CEO knows they need to be actively promoting their company to attract new customers and make sure they’re making the case for their next round of funding to a network of investors. In short, they need to scale their message online.

Ghostwriters are the people who have the time (and the skills) to help them do this (without wasting hours slaving over a hot keyboard every morning).

Reason #2: They don’t like to write (or don’t want to learn)

This is a simple one, but most people forget about it.

On top of not having the time to write, they don’t even have the time to learn how to write. Or, worse still, they detested writing at school so don’t want to do it. As a Premium Ghostwriter, you know it takes time and reps to hone your skills as a writer. Each platform and medium requires a unique set of skills. Within those platforms, the nuances are always changing too.

Industry leaders have no time to keep up with all of this, let alone sit down and learn how to write.

Instead, as a ghostwriter, you come in and save them hours of learning a skill they don’t even want to learn.

Reason #3: They need help clarifying their thinking

As a writer, you’ll know that great writing just doesn’t appear on the page.

Great writing comes from clear and careful thinking. It’s one of the many reasons you should write for yourself (not just for your clients!). So when someone hires a ghostwriter, they want help in organizing their thinking, stress-testing it, and making sure it’s robust.

As a ghostwriter, you bring numerous skills to the table:

• You’re able to organize and distill ideas down into their core components
• You’re able to structure writing to communicate complex ideas in a simple manner
• You’re able to approach a client’s thinking and stress test it as their ideal reader or target audience and so enhance their ideas in return

And tons more.

In a world that’s increasingly competitive, it’s those with clarity of thought who will stand out so having a ghostwriter to do this for them is a win-win for the client.

Reason #4: They are stuck in old ways of working (and they need help!)

It’s a harsh truth, but most companies (and people leading those companies) are terrible at building their digital presence.

• They use social media as a way to post announcements, not build an audience or community
• They have newsletter opt-ins on their website with a vague promise to get “regular updates and goodies”
• They use intangible language on all their landing pages and website copy, leaving the reader puzzled about what they even do
• They have no understanding of why they need to move their social audience to an owned platform (like an email list)

See a pattern here?

Most people are years behind where they need to be on their messaging. And as a Premium Ghostwriter, you can help them solve this problem (in whichever area you’re an expert in). They know they need help, they’re just waiting for the right person (i.e. you!) to come along and help them!

This is why ghostwriting is the #1 skill for writers to build for the next 20 years.

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