How Repositioning Myself As A Ghostwriter Changed The Trajectory Of My Career

Ever watch a video and think, “That person is talking directly to me”?

That’s what I thought minutes after clicking on a LinkedIn post from Nicolas Cole and PGA. In the video, Cole broke down the pitfalls that most writers fall into:

• Calling yourself a “freelance writer.”
• Taking whatever you can get—writing anything for anyone (whatever a company needs from you).
• More or less being powerless over your work and income, and being frustrated as hell.

“This guy is right—that’s totally me,” I thought to myself. “Damnit.”

I Was An Old Dog With Old Tricks

By that point, I’d been a professional writer for over 20 years.

I wasn’t struggling in my career—I’d built a solid niche in fitness writing. I spent 12 years on staff at Muscle & Fitness magazine, published close to a thousand articles, and co-authored multiple books. I’d also spent the last decade in digital writing, creating content for sports nutrition and supplement brands.

On paper, my resume looked strong. But I’d been bumping up against a ceiling for years.

The problem? I had no pricing power.

I was stuck accepting whatever the going rate was for freelance writers. Twenty years ago, when print magazines thrived, that rate was around $1 per word. Now? Basically pennies.

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but I needed new tricks.

And everything Cole laid out in that video were the new tricks.

What I Learned Through PGA

Long story short, I signed up for PGA and went through all the modules.

It completely shifted my mindset—and my career—even though it took a few months to land my first paid client. When PGA ended, I joined Liftoff because I knew I needed ongoing support to keep pushing forward. I had tried doing it all myself for too long, and it wasn’t working anymore.

Before PGA, I already had a steady writing gig in my niche, and I still have that. But now I have two more recurring clients—one for social media ghostwriting, another for a weekly newsletter.

I’ve come a long way in nine months.

The writing itself has never been the problem. But learning the 1-3-1 structure and Cole and Dickie’s atomic essay template was a game-changer.

The two biggest game-changers for me, though, have been the following:

1. Having An “Offer”

It seems obvious now, but it never occurred to me before to have my own “offer.”

Prior to PGA, when I wanted to drum up more work I’d just email my connections and say, “Hey, let me know if you need any writing done.” This was a position of weakness. Someone would reply, “Sure, here’s an assignment, and it pays $XXX.” (And yes, it was always three Xs, never four, much less five.) 

So I would have to take it or leave it.

What’s interesting is that the two new clients I’ve gotten since PGA are connections I’ve had for years. The key is that I approached them differently this time—I had an offer. The outreach went something like this:

“Hey so-and-so, long time no speak. I’m doing premium ghostwriting now, specializing in educational emails and social media as a vehicle for better lead capture for brands like yours. Here’s the package I offer, and it costs $X,XXX.” (Four figures, never three.)

So now it was me naming the price and them taking it or leaving it.  

This changed everything for me. It gave me pricing power.

2. Getting Paid To Learn 

My two new gigs have been new territory for me, and it’s still a little intimidating.

Dickie’s right when he says, “Imposter syndrome is real.” Even after 20+ years of writing—including ghostwriting books for well-known people—I’d never done a weekly newsletter or social media ghostwriting for a paying client.

And if I’m being honest, half the time I feel like I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.

When those feelings creep in, I remind myself that I’m getting paid to learn.

Shifting the focus from outcomes (likes, followers, open rates) to learning makes all the difference.

Since October, I’ve learned a ton through these two ghostwriting clients. That knowledge will carry me forward.

Where I’m At Now, And Where I Still Need To Grow

I’m at a pretty good place now, so I can’t complain.

But there’s still a long way to go, and expect some churn in the coming months. I’ll be honest, my outreach numbers are terrible. And I still need to hone and gain confidence in my offer.  

I look at my writing career in three phases, over roughly three decades:

1. Print publishing phase (my late 20s to around age 40) — I was a fulltime staffer at a major print magazine, until I got laid off after 12 years.

2. Digital publishing phase (basically, my entire 40s) — The day I got laid off from the magazine, I got a job offer to be the editorial director for a company with a subscription-based fitness website and supplement brand. (I had worked with the two co-owners of the company for 10 years at the magazine, which is how I landed that gig so quickly). I still have this job. 

3. Premium Ghostwriter phase (50s) — I’ll be 50 this summer (2025), and my plan for PGA/Liftoff is for it to carry me through the next decade. This was never a short-term play. Always long-term, always a 10-year plan (give or take).

I’m Moving Into My Next Phase In A Stronger Position

My PGA journey has been all about repositioning. 

I’m not a freelance writer anymore. I’m a premium ghostwriter, a premium copywriter, a content strategist.

I have a specific offer. I don’t just do whatever the client wants me to do on a given day. My offer is very clear: X number of posts/emails per week. Take it or leave it. 

I name my price. I don’t wait for the client to tell me how much they pay. If they say my fee is too expensive and that they can just do it themselves for free, I say, “Great, go ahead.” 

I love having the support of the PGA team and Liftoff community, with Andrew Madison as a great 1-on-1 mentor and Cole and Dickie as ghostwriting/marketing geniuses.

Let’s f—ing go.