Ghostwrite For Your Freelance Peers

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Credit: Yuri Arcurs on Photodune

“I find it painful to write.” That’s the first sentence in an e-mail I received from a training consultant, asking me for editing help on a guest column she was asked to contribute to an e-zine. That column would put her in front of hundreds of prospects, with the endorsement of a leading trainer in the field.

And the training consultant is not the least bit reluctant to make presentations, do coaching, step into the classroom or into the room to engage, educate, and inspire. She’s terrific at working with people.

But she needs help to create written content that is equally engaging and inspiring. She either puts it off indefinitely, giving up many opportunities to promote her business, or she forces herself to do it, but the results are not so great.

This Is a Very Common Story

There are many, many people who simply can’t stand writing, and it does not matter why they hate it. The simple fact is that anyone who either avoids ever dealing with written content, or who puts out a lot of mediocre content, is missing opportunities to interact with clients and prospects.

In previous articles in this ghostwriting series, we’ve looked mainly at corporate clients: ghosting presentations and speeches, internal communications to employees, marketing materials, and so on. But freelancers can be an excellent target market for the skilled ghostwriter.

Training consultants are a classic case — many people who don’t even blink at standing up in a room full of highly paid executives and telling them what to do are completely paralyzed by the prospect of writing a page or two — but they are hardly unique.

Web designers can often create beautiful on-line spaces to hold content … and then struggle to create good, effective content for their own beautiful spaces. If it makes sense that a professional copywriter might need a web designer’s help, it makes just as much sense that a professional web designer might need a writer’s help.

And even writers themselves can need help for specific purposes. You may be a great technical writer: does that mean you can write a good sales letter? You may be good at writing promotional/sales copy, but when it comes time to document the process you use with your clients, or to offer a white paper to help prospects see the light, are you the best person for the job?

Get What You Are Worth

Many ghostwriters only think of corporate clients because they believe that smaller operations will not pay for good writing. And sometimes they are right. But that does not mean you should lower your writing fees for freelance clients.

First of all, there are some very successful freelancers out there, one-person operations generating six-figure annual income. You only have to find a few of those to nicely supplement your writing business.

And the most successful freelancers know when they need to invest in their marketing efforts to generate results. Do not worry about the ones who cannot, or will not, make that investment. Find those who can, and will.

Finally, your freelancing peers offer unique opportunities for barter arrangements. Obviously, a writer and a web designer could exchange services to mutual benefit. And there are many other combinations that work, if only you explore them. What’s more, if you make another freelancer happy with the content you provide, you are likely to pick up frequent referrals to other clients.

Big companies are wonderful places to peddle your ghostwriting services.

But individual freelancers, who look a lot like you, offer an excellent market as well. Explore that market a little and you may be pleasantly surprised by what it does for your bottom line.

Photo credit: Some rights reserved by Yuri Arcurs.