I built the first ghostwriting agency for founders and executives and have sold over $5 million worth of ghostwriting services.

But if you’re at the very beginning or close to the start of your ghostwriting journey, you’ll have questions like:

• Who needs a ghostwriter?
• How do I pick a (lucrative) niche?
• And how do I land my first paying client?

Answering these can be tough, especially if you’re not part of a ghostwriting community or have any trusted mentors.

So I asked my 190,000 𝕏 audience for any questions they have about landing their first ghostwriting client and I recorded a special Q&A episode of my podcast, Coffee with Cole, to answer them.

Watch the full video here:

Let’s dive in!

‍

Q1: How do you find the best clients in your niche?

Who needs a ghostwriter?

Ghostwriting clients are EVERYWHERE.

So here’s my simple, 4-part checklist every ghostwriter should use to spot clients in their niche:

1. Does this person have a business? It doesn’t matter how many followers a person has, if they don’t have something for sale, they won’t be able to rationalize investing in a ghostwriter. Beginner ghostwriters make the mistake of gravitating to the creators with huge followings, but no offer, instead of looking for those who are crushing it with a smaller following.
2. How long has this person been in business? If they’ve been making money for a while, it’s easier for them to rationalize investing in you. If they’ve just started selling digital products, offering consulting, or started their agency only 2 months ago, it might be too early for them to invest.
3. How digital is their business already (on a scale of 1 to 10)? Don’t go after people who are already doing a great job with digital marketing. You aren’t going to get very far telling Ali Abdaal his landing page copy could be optimized. Instead, the bigger opportunity is to look for people who don’t have a strong digital presence. Taking them from 0 to 1 is a lot easier (and easier to sell, too) than trying to take Ali Abdaal from 9 to 10.
4. Where do I have an Information Advantage? Instead of asking, “Which niche is the most profitable?” look for a niche or industry that has money AND you know a lot about. You will be able to make more money from ghostwriting in an industry you have specific knowledge about rather than ghostwriting in a “popular” or “trendy” niche you know nothing about.

Alright, onto the next question.

‍

Q2: How do you pitch yourself to potential clients when you have no prior experience in the field?

Again, your first niche (not your forever niche) should be where you have an Information Advantage.

• Worked in pharma for 5 years? You’re in the Pharma niche.
• Obsessed with trading cards as a kid? You’re in the trading card and gaming niche.
• Ran a marathon every year for the last 5 years? You’re more than qualified to ghostwrite in the running niche.

But here’s something you need to hear:

It doesn’t matter how much experience you have. The client only cares about whether you understand their business, you can articulate a problem they’re experiencing, and you can give them a unique way to solve it.

If the client doesn’t trust you, then it’s not because of your lack of “experience.” It’s because you haven’t articulated the above well enough.

‍

Q3: Who should I DM to land my first client?

In the beginning, every ghostwriter thinks they need to go and pitch someone they don’t know:

• A creator with 1 million followers
• A CEO for a Fortune 500 company
• An Executive Coach who’s worked with Mark Zuckerberg

What are the chances of you landing these people as your first client?

Exactly.

In reality, it’s much easier to find your first client in your network. There are 10 people in your life right now who either need your help or know someone who needs your help. You already have relationships (and have built trust with) these people, so they’re more likely to say yes to your services.

But beginners don’t do this because they are held back by faulty beliefs:

• “I don’t want to pitch people I know”
• “I won’t be able to handle it if they reject me!”
• “What if they think I’m weird for talking to them about business?”

Don’t think like this.

If someone is sitting there and they have a problem they need solving, they’ll be glad for your help.

So, in the beginning, your Niche Is Your Network.

‍

Q4: How can you still work with someone when they can’t afford your services?

There will always be clients who claim they can’t afford your services.

Here’s how this usually plays out on a sales call:

• You talk to the client, giving them free consulting on their problem
• You explain the solution they need, positioning your service as the obvious option
• You drop the price you charge for your services, and then the awkward silence hits

And the silence hangs there.

As a writer, your mind starts to spin: “Maybe they won’t take the deal. Should I discount? Yeah.. I’ll discount…” So, before the client can even respond, you offer to do the work for 50% off.

This is a horrible mistake.

Why? Because “Whoever speaks first, loses.” (Yup, that’s the legendary line from The Wolf Of Wall Street.)

Instead, let the potential client speak first. Then, if they still don’t accept your price, end the call (politely!) and wait. The vast majority of the time, people will wait 48 to 72 hours and then decide to work with you.

This happened to me countless times when I was building my ghostwriting agency.

But, if you still want to work with someone (because they are a dream client, you want to tap into their network, or you can learn from them), you have 4 options:

1. Do the project for 50% off your normal rate in exchange for a testimonial or referral.
2. Do the project for free in exchange for something of value (more referrals, being part of their network, etc.).
3. Negotiate a payment plan (useful for startups who are trying to raise their first or second round of funding).
4. Do a revenue share deal if your service drives sales (but only do this with people you trust and there is potential for the service to make money!)

But what happens if you’ve already been working for free?

On to the next question!

‍

Q5: How long should you work for free before charging for your services?

A lot of ghosts in our Premium Ghostwriting Academy start by charging $5,000 for an Educational Email Course right out of the gate (and we give you everything you need to do this).

But some start for free because they don’t feel comfortable charging that amount yet, want to get some practice in, and want to nail the delivery of the service first. It really helps psychologically to do 1 or 2 projects for free, first.

Free work, though, never goes away.

To this day, I do work for free.

• Perhaps I want access to their network
• Perhaps I want some mentorship from them
• Perhaps I want to be able to cash in a favor with this person in the future

They know I’m worth the money. I know I’m worth the money. But there are some things in life more valuable than an initial, upfront project fee.

Free work is a powerful strategy you can keep in your back pocket for when the need arises.

‍