Many writers get into blog writing because they want to have their work published online. However, if you have started blogging for a living, you will quickly learn that the benefits of not having your name published on something can far outweigh the name recognition you’ll get on a piece of content written under your name. Here’s one of many tips for freelance writers: consider being a ghostwriter.
Writing content that isn’t going to be published under your name (and is instead published under someone else’s name) is called ghostwriting. Published authors have been using ghostwriters for years on their books, and now the market for digital ghostwriters is stronger than ever. Higher rates, more work, and better guidelines are all things you can look forward to as a ghostwriter.
Better Pay
Most bloggers charge higher rates for ghostwritten pieces over those published under their name. This is understood by most clients, as not having your work recognized as your own carries a higher cost (as you can’t usually use it in your portfolio). For ghostwriting assignments, I usually charge 15-30% more per word or per piece. This rate usually varies wildly per industry and takes some experimentation before settling into a steady ghostwriting rate.
More Opportunities
Many clients are specifically looking for ghostwriters for their own marketing/blog content or to for their clients. Because the quality of content has a significant impact on a website’s traffic and search rank, companies are looking for great bloggers that can craft unique and engaging content. As many companies begin to realize how important blogging can be a website’s ROI and engagement, they will begin to hire more writers as well.
What does this mean to bloggers? The fact that there will be more ghostwriting assignments available to go around. If you are okay with ghostwriting, this can allow for more clients than you might have received had you been adamant about your name being published to any work you produce.
More Structure
More rules and guidelines might be a negative aspect of ghostwriting, but many bloggers see it as a benefit. For writers that are given free rein on assignments they attach their name to, it can be difficult at times to continuously come up with new blogging topics, due to that pesky writer’s block.
However, many ghostwriting assignments have specific guidelines for content length, topic, and frequency, which can help a blogger’s creative process when it comes to composing posts. We all need a break from idea generation, and more structure can help.
photo credit: klepas via photopin cc
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