The Invisible Goldmine Hiding in Your Newsfeed

Did you know that out of LinkedIn’s 1 billion members, fewer than 3% post content on a weekly basis? While the average user is scrolling through job updates and corporate milestones, a tiny group of strategic writers is quietly earning high-five-figure incomes by pretending to be someone else. I’m talking about executive ghostwriting—a high-ticket service where you manage the personal brands of founders, CEOs, and industry leaders who have the expertise but lack the time to write. It’s not about being a ‘social media manager’; it’s about becoming the digital voice of a high-level decision-maker. Here’s the thing: while freelancers are fighting over $20 blog posts on Upwork, ghostwriters are securing $2,500 to $5,000 monthly retainers for just a few hours of work per week.

📹 Watch the video above to learn more!

What Exactly is Executive Ghostwriting?

Executive ghostwriting is the art of extracting professional insights from a leader’s brain and translating them into engaging, viral-ready LinkedIn content. You aren’t just posting ‘Happy Monday’ updates; you are crafting thought leadership. This involves understanding their unique tone of voice, their industry hot takes, and their professional philosophy. You become their strategic partner, ensuring they remain visible to their peers, investors, and potential hires without them ever having to open the LinkedIn app. The best part? You don’t need a massive following of your own to start. You just need the ability to listen, synthesize information, and write in a way that stops the scroll.

Why This Model is Exploding Right Now

In the current digital economy, people buy from people, not logos. A CEO’s personal profile often has ten times the reach and engagement of their company’s official page. Investors look at a founder’s LinkedIn to gauge their authority, and top-tier talent checks a leader’s feed before accepting a job offer. Because the stakes are so high, these executives cannot afford to post mediocre content. They need precision, consistency, and strategy. Since most CEOs work 60+ hours a week, they physically cannot maintain this presence themselves. This creates a massive supply-demand gap. You are providing them with the one thing they can’t buy more of: time. By charging for the value of their time and the reach of their brand, you move away from hourly rates and into the world of premium value-based pricing.

How to Build Your Ghostwriting Agency from Scratch

Getting started doesn’t require a fancy degree or a decade of journalism experience. It requires a system. Let me show you the exact steps to land your first executive client within the next 30 days. You don’t need to be an expert in their field; you just need to be an expert at the process.

Step 1: Choose Your High-Value Niche

Don’t try to write for everyone. A ghostwriter for ‘everyone’ is a commodity. Instead, position yourself as the LinkedIn expert for ‘SaaS Founders,’ ‘Real Estate Developers,’ or ‘Health-Tech VCs.’ When you specialize, you can speak the specific jargon of that industry and understand the nuances of their market. This specialization allows you to charge 2x or 3x more than a generalist because you understand the specific problems their audience faces.

Step 2: Master the ‘Interview Method’

The biggest hurdle for ghostwriters is getting the content. You shouldn’t be guessing what your client thinks. Instead, set up a bi-weekly 45-minute ‘extraction call.’ Record the session using a tool like Loom or Zoom. Ask them about their biggest challenges this week, their thoughts on industry news, or a lesson they learned the hard way. One 45-minute conversation can easily provide enough raw material for 10 to 15 high-quality posts. This makes the process effortless for the client and streamlined for you.

Step 3: Optimize Your Own ‘Shop Front’

Before an executive hires you to fix their profile, they will look at yours. Your LinkedIn profile shouldn’t look like a resume; it should look like a landing page. Use your headline to state exactly who you help and the result you get. For example: ‘I help Series A Founders build authority and attract investors through strategic LinkedIn content.’ Post consistently for 14 days to show you can walk the talk. Your profile is your social proof.

Step 4: The Strategic Outreach

Avoid the ‘I want to write for you’ pitch. Instead, find a target executive and engage with their content for three days. On the fourth day, send a personalized video message or a brief note. Point out a specific gap in their current strategy—perhaps they haven’t posted in two weeks, or their posts lack a clear call to action. Offer to send them three custom-written posts based on their previous interviews or articles as a gift. Once they see their own voice reflected in your writing, the sale becomes 10x easier.

Realistic Earnings and Timelines

Let’s talk numbers because that’s why you’re here. A standard ghostwriting package usually includes 3 posts per week and 15 minutes of daily engagement management. For this, a beginner can comfortably charge $1,500 per month. As you gain testimonials and proof of results (like increased profile views or inbound leads for the client), you can scale this to $3,000 or even $5,000 per month per client. Managing four clients at $2,500 each puts you at a $10,000 monthly income while working roughly 20-25 hours a week. Most writers earn their first dollar within 14 to 21 days of starting active outreach.

Essential Tools for Your Ghostwriting Stack

• Taplio: The industry standard for scheduling LinkedIn posts, analyzing analytics, and finding content inspiration.
• AuthoredUp: A browser extension that allows you to preview exactly how your posts will look on mobile and desktop, ensuring they are perfectly formatted.
• Otter.ai: An AI transcription tool that turns your extraction calls into searchable text in seconds.
• Grammarly: Essential for ensuring every post is polished and professional before it goes live.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

The most common mistake is writing like a corporate robot. LinkedIn is a social network, not a legal briefing. If your content is too formal, it will fail. Always aim for a conversational tone—write how people actually talk. Secondly, don’t ignore the comments. A ghostwriter’s job often involves ‘seeding’ the comments section to spark conversation. Finally, never post without the client’s final approval in the beginning. Trust is your currency; once you’ve proven you can capture their voice, they’ll likely give you the keys to the kingdom, but you must earn that autonomy first.

Your Next Move

The demand for personal branding is at an all-time high, and the supply of strategic ghostwriters is still incredibly low. You don’t need to build a complex software or manage a warehouse of inventory. You just need to leverage the power of words. Your immediate next step? Identify five executives in a niche you understand, follow them, and leave a thoughtful, value-driven comment on their latest post today. Start the conversation, and you’re already halfway to your first retainer.