How a Good Ghostwriter Can Help Your Company

In this day and age it seems we're all pressed for time. There's not enough hours in a day to get everything done we need to get done. This is probably the number one reason that more and more businesses are delegating their company writing projects to professionals. Writing can be time consuming for those who aren't skilled or practiced in it. But another reason is simply the level of quality. When it comes to reports, marketing materials, or articles with your company's name on them, you just can't afford to be sloppy.

Some companies hire a copywriter full-time for just such projects. Others don't have the resources to keep somebody employed on a full-time basis, nor the amount of writing projects to justify the expense. For these companies, an affordable, efficient solution is to contract out their work on a project by project basis to a professional writer.

Most people think of copywriters as skilled in writing copy for marketing materials. And although this is true, a good copywriter can also act as a ghostwriter for projects to which a specific name needs to be attached. A report for the board of directors, a whitepaper, an internal document, even a letter, are all things a ghostwriter can produce for a specific individual within a company.

Sometimes the question arises, isn't this in some sense deceitful, like asking somebody else to do your homework? The answer is, no, not at all. All a good ghostwriter does is take a person's ideas and put them on paper. The person the ghostwriter is working for is the driver; the ghostwriter is merely the vehicle. We don't expect that a well-dressed executive has done his or her own dry cleaning. Why would we expect that same executive to wordsmith every sentence regarding an idea he or she is trying to convey? Wordsmithing is a specialty and smart companies don't think twice about delegating it.

A relationship with a good ghostwriter can be extremely valuable. A good ghostwriter will get to know your company, get acquainted with your industry, and become familiar with your style. All of these things will help him or her to write your projects in an appropriate and authoritative voice, making you look professional and expert in the process.

Freelance writers aren't difficult to find, but really effective freelance writers are a different story. Be prepared to talk to at least a few before you commit a project. Ask for references. A good idea is to throw a small project the writer's way to start, maybe a letter, for example. Get a working relationship going and a level of trust before sending him or her all your projects. And be prepared to spend some money. With writing, as with most things in life, you really do get what you pay for.

Obviously, especially when starting out with a ghostwriter, you'll want to get all the terms clear up front. How is the writer to be paid? By the project? Hourly? Most freelance writers (good ones anyway) will give you a per-project price. This cuts down on the guesswork for both sides. Just make sure revisions are included. If you want the writer to reword something he or she has written for you, that should be a part of the arrangement. Also, make sure to get the ghostwriter to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Your company secrets need to be safe. Most ghostwriters will have one available to present to you.

Saving time while looking good. That's a pretty good goal for any company, and a good ghostwriter can help you accomplish it.

Copyright 2009, Jerry Payne