Millions of people worldwide develop writing skills for several reasons. Some want to write as a hobby, others want to pursue it as a career. Everyone knows that when used correctly, good writing skills can help you in achieving many dreams.
Although there are many fields of work that need writers, many people are turning toward ghostwriting. After all, every individual or business needs someone to create their content in many forms such as books, blogs, scripts, articles, and much more.
If you write as a profession, you may have heard about the benefits of ghostwriting every now and thing. When it comes to becoming a ghostwriter, it’s not an easy journey. But, it does not mean that it’s not achievable either.
Before you get overwhelmed by the competition in the field, here are a few essential tips that can help you in becoming a ghostwriter.
1. Read More
Every writer understands that reading can improve your writing skills. It can help you see and absorb the patterns from other writers and understand what sets them apart. That is one of the main reasons that reading stays on top of the best ghostwriting tips.
For example, if a ghostwriter undertakes the job of writing a fiction book, reading from well-acclaimed writers from the past can make their journey easy. You can learn from their writing style, use of tone, character development, and much more.
Make sure that you do not just stick to books to improve your writing skills. Try adding a range to this activity. Make sure that you read blogs, research papers, and scripts to understand the way different voices and tones work.
2. Try Freelancing Platforms
Everyone is looking for ways to make passive income for their own reasons. And that is why millions of people work as freelancers. The case is similar when it comes to ghostwriting. Freelancing can help you become more marketable. And over time, you can consider becoming a full-time freelance ghostwriter.
When you try advertising your skills on different freelancing platforms, you receive a lot of constructive feedback from your clients. This feedback can become constructive criticism for you and can help you improve your ghostwriting skills over time.
Every ghostwriter understands the competition in the field and hence the need for good marketing skills. Hence, freelancing helps you improve not only your writing skills but your marketing skills too. A combination of both can help you rank on top of your competitors.
3. Add Variety to Your Work
Ghostwriting is a field in which you never stop learning. There are several niches of ghostwriting and it’s best to not stick to one. When you have the skill of writing by your side, it’s not the worst idea to grow these skills by learning more niches.
For example, if you write guest post blogs, you can learn a lot about pitching concepts and writing in a distinct tone. Of course, these are amazing skills but you might be missing out on learning how to write in different tones if you have not worked on a fictional work yet.
Hence, it is important for every writer to try a variety of different niches. It also helps you in learning from different niches and understands their jargon. This way, you can get a grasp of many concepts and make them easier to be understood by the readers efficiently.
4. Strengthen Your Portfolio
Everyone understands the importance of a great portfolio in today’s day and age. Your portfolio has the potential to make or break your reputation in front of your client. As an aspiring ghostwriter, this part of your journey needs a lot of attention.
Every portfolio is different depending on the job in question. For example, if you want to ghostwrite non-fiction books, it’s best to share your longest-written works in the same genre to let the next person know about your expertise.
This practice also lets your client know that you can maintain a literary voice in longer works and can deliver quality work. As a result, your chances of being hired increase significantly. And you get to show off your skill set to everyone as a bonus.
5. Practice Someone Else’s Voice
If you have been a writer for years, it may not seem like a tough job to write a blog or articles. However, when it comes to being a ghostwriter, you need more than apt grammatical skills and a consistent tone. You need to learn how to be invisible in your own work.
In most cases, companies or individuals will give you a guideline to ghostwrite for them. These guidelines can be very helpful in understanding the needs of your client and working accordingly. But, if they don’t you need to get to work by yourself.
Try to familiarize yourself with what they want. You can visit their social media account, read their content, or join their email list to get to know the type of content they use. Then, you can provide your client with a sample of their work.
It is a big undertaking to adopt another person’s voice. After all, you do not want to complete the project, especially the big ones, just to be rejected. Therefore, it is wise to share a sample and get their approval before proceeding.
6. Cold Pitch to Small Businesses
When you are new to a business, everyone understands the importance of cold pitching. Yes, it may not be the most successful way to get more clients, but sometimes it can open big doors of opportunity for you as a beginner ghostwriter.
You need to understand that small businesses are always in need to promote their content. You can look for new businesses, visit their website and access their need for a ghostwriter for blogs, email marketing, and landing pages.
Looking at their existing content, especially email marketing can help you see how they strategize their content. In addition, this practice can also help you while pitching your services to them. You can tell them why exactly they must hire your services to grow their business.
