Look, I get it. You want to build a personal brand on Linkedin that attracts and builds relationships with your audience. But if and when you decide to hire a ghostwriter, a part of me would be skeptical. Why?
Many ghostwriters churn out commodity content that won’t boost your brand and may even damage it.
In other words, the content they create would probably resemble what all other experts in your industry are already producing. Before you know it, you will be lost in the sea of sameness. And trapped in the commodity content trap.
Luckily, there are methods to determine whether a ghostwriter will produce generic commodity content or craft authentic material that truly captures your voice and brand.
In this piece, we’ll explore three warning signs that suggest a ghostwriter might not be the right fit for you. Let’s begin.
You should reject a ghostwriter if…
- He wants to make you a typical ‘LinkedIn Thought Leader’
That’s right. We don’t need another LinkedIn thought leader who starts their writing with “In the ever-changing landscape of technology.” With bland, boring writing like this, you lose trust with the audience. They see through you.
They know you are either scared to express your real thoughts or have hired someone lazy who uses ChatGPT as a content-producing engine.
Thought leaders like these get lost in the noise. Commodity content.
We need you and your authentic voice.
Your content needs personality. It should feel like it’s coming from a real person, not a robot. Let the content have a little bit of personality and a lot of humanity.
There are multiple avatars to choose from. Can you be funny? Sure.
Can you be super-serious? Sure.
Can you be somewhat inspirational? Why not?
Can you be sarcastic? Go for it!
But, please, I urge you to be human with your content and not Arnold Schwarzenegger from ‘The Terminator.’
Okay, let’s move to the second point. You should reject the ghostwriter if…
- They don’t understand your unique POV
Our unique point of view is fundamental to our brand and is perhaps our greatest asset that distinguishes us from the competition.
What is a POV, you ask?
A point of view is a unique lens through which you see your industry. It’s your unique take on the situation and how it could be better. Yes, the point of view is usually polarizing. Here’s an example –
I am working with a client who is the CEO of a design company. He believes “The success of UX Design should be measured only with data.”
Now, many others might not agree with this POV. For them, design is more gut and intuition. And that’s really okay. They probably won’t work with his design agency anyway.
This CEO should rather focus on creating content for the ‘believers’, than trying to win over others who don’t agree with his point of view.
Read this article to learn more about having a unique point of view. You won’t regret it.
Okay, let’s move to the last point. You should reject the ghostwriter if…
- They optimize your content for virality
Everybody wants attention to their content on LinkedIn. Most believe that without attention, without the likes and comments, the business would wither.
Unfortunately, ‘Likes’ don’t get us revenue (shocker, I know).
Most ignore this fact and write LinkedIn posts optimized for reach and vitality rather than substance. Click-baity hooks are prioritized over authenticity.
“99% of business owners make this mistake” is a popular hook.
Ugh, just writing that sentence made me feel nauseous.
LinkedIn content creators also like to keep their posts short and pithy and format them for readability. Their hope and dream is for the post to go viral, meet Kim Kardashian, and live happily ever after. One small problem, though…
You are not Buzzfeed
Or Justin Welsh. You sell a high-ticket product/ service. You do not need your post to go viral. What you need instead is deep trust with a specific audience. A post optimized for virality gets more likes but may not deeply resonate with your ICP.
Depth, over width, baby.
The ghostwriter needs to dig deep and create nuanced content. He needs to do the hard work of creating something meaningful. It’s a myth that long-form content doesn’t do well on LinkedIn.
Here’s a valuable, nuanced LinkedIn post from Wes Kao –
To summarise
When you hire a ghostwriter, there is a threat of falling into the ‘commodity trap’. Thankfully, there are signs that can show whether a ghostwriter will help you stand out with your authentic, true voice.
The ghostwriter should:
- Infuse personality in his writing
- Ensure it presents a unique point of view
- Avoid focusing solely on optimizing content for virality
Work with me:
If you want to work with me as a LinkedIn ghost-writer, write to me at pranav@pranavkale.com or pranavkale120@gmail.com