2 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Ghostwriting
The soaring popularity of content marketing throughout professional services and beyond has bolstered the need for quality ghostwriting. That increased demand means more professionals, from interns to executives, are now being asked to write original content on behalf of others.
Writing can be a struggle in and of itself. If not in the right state of mind, a blank page can be an intimidating foe. But writing in someone else’s voice can be downright dreadful without the right mindset.
To achieve that mentality, ghostwriters should ask themselves the following questions:
1. Who am I? Many make the mistake of separating themselves, the writers, from the people they are ghostwriting for. They ask questions like “who is he?” and “what would he say?” From there, they think they can imitate that person’s voice and perspective throughout the piece. The result, however, is often a flimsy forgery.
A great ghostwriter will get inside the head of the person and ask the question “who am I?” As actors often do, they’ll get into character and view the world through a new lens.
Research is at the very core of this process. The writer should hop on Google and find all relevant background information on the person and the topic. If they can interview the person, even better. It might sound tedious, but if it helps to inspire one killer line in the piece, it’s worth it.
2. What am I fighting for? Once in character, the ghostwriter should clearly define their motivation for writing the piece. They often write on behalf of subject matter experts, so their responsibility is not to report the news (journalists already do that), but to share their experience, expertise and unique perspective with the audience.
Asking “what am I fighting for?” adds an element of conflict to the work, and conflict attracts readers. It means asserting a firm angle or stance on a particular issue. This approach allows passion to surface. It brings out honesty and authenticity that would otherwise evade the piece.
A ghostwriter should never settle for work that can pass as something written by the intended author. Instead, they should strive to capture that person’s reality and inspiration for writing.
Brian Hart is the founder and president of Flackable, LLC, a national public relations agency supporting the communications needs of registered investment advisors (RIAs) and other forward-thinking financial services firms. To learn more about Flackable, please visit www.flackable.com.
Brian Hart is founder and president of Flackable, a national, full-service public relations agency headquartered in Philadelphia. The agency, which he bootstrapped in 2014 at the age of 27, represents a national client base of financial and professional services firms. His professional recognition includes Irish America Magazine’s 2019, 2018 & 2017 Business 100, PR News’ 2017 Rising PR Stars 30 & Under, Lehigh Valley Business’s 2016 Forty Under 40 and Adweek’s 2015 PR Industry 30 Under 30.
As founder and president of Flackable, Brian is committed to helping clients reach a new level of growth by emboldening them with superior communications counsel and services. His team’s efforts bolster brand engagement and routinely land clients in top news outlets including The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Fox Business, Bloomberg, Forbes, Barron’s, US News & World Report, The Associated Press, Reuters and various industry trade press.
Brian is a Temple University graduate with a B.A. in Strategic Communication and a Political Science minor. He began his career as a licensed life and health insurance professional at a broad-based financial services firm in King of Prussia, PA. Prior to founding Flackable, Brian represented a number of leading financial services firms at a public relations agency in New York City and New Jersey.
