How much does a LinkedIn Ghostwriter cost?

You've probably noticed the rise of ghostwriters on social media. Ghostwriters are exactly what you'd imagine, someone who write content for you.

If you're strapped for time but you see the opportunity of LinkedIn - a ghostwriter can be a good option. So how much does a ghostwriter cost? 

Well, it depends of course, on experience, location and service levels, but I'll give you some pricing to consider.

For the purposes of this comparison, I'll work on the basis of three pieces of content per week.

Option 1 - Upworker - $500 - $750 a month

Hiring a freelancer from upwork or similar you'll get someone with some experience but often at the lower end of the market. This is not bad, it's an affordable option, but you'll compared to the other options, you'll have to lead the process more. You'll also have to edit as some may use AI or not have topic knowledge. Often Upworkers have a mix of skills and so they are not specifically content writers - a good option for a limited budget, but maybe 6/10 writing.

Option 2 - Experienced Writer - $1,000 - $1,500 per month

Hiring an experienced writer, will likely mean you will have less oversight and they will drive the process. This can be a great option as often experienced writers can draw content ideas out of you and find interesting ways to share your message. Hiring a writer means you're getting someone with real experience and so the quality will be strong.

Option 3 - Experienced LinkedIn writer - $1,500+  per month.

The price variance for a LinkedIn writer can be huge because many of the experienced writers will have a track record in creating content which is optimised for engagement on the platform or will have niche expertise. Writing for a platform is different than writing blogs or other types of copy - these writers will have experience with hooks, key points and will have nose for what will work and what won't.

There are a couple of things to consider before you decide what level of ghostwriter you'll hire...

• Niche expertise: Does the writer have any experience in your industry or market. This can make the whole process more successful if they come to the table with a good understanding - it will reduce the learning curve and amount of editing.
• Existing writing: Do they have a body of work you can review and past clients you can look at? Looking at the past work will allow you to see how their work performed and see how diversified their writing is.
• Process: Many writers will have their own creative process. Knowing how they create will help you see if they are a good fit. Some writers will interview you to get ideas, others will review your past work, some might just draft based on instructions.
• Success: You need to set your goals clearly for your ghostwriter - how will you judge the success of their work. Setting this out and deciding together what success looks like will avoid any problems down the road.
• No quick fix: It can take 3-6 months to really feel the benefits of a writer. It's commitment not something you try out - if you want to build and audience that will take time and require learning from every post.
• Your voice: If you want to grow your audience, it's important you don't over optimise and risk losing your voice and your POV - It can be easy to drift into "doing what works" which makes total sense, but can also drift so your content is not authentic to you.
• Repurposing: If you're going to invest in a ghostwriter for your LinkedIn, it makes sense to repurpose those pieces of content into other posts and blogs - check to see if your writer will do this and if they would have any issues with you doing that.
• AI: As I write this LinkedIn is pushing back on some low quality AI content. It's highly likely that your writer will use AI in their process. Get clear how they use AI and what you expect in the final output - you don't want people reporting you or your content being labelled as AI.

Ultimately a ghostwriter can help you if you're inconsistent, but choosing the right one is not a quick choice - your asking someone to help you take your message to the world but you also need to balance the budget. Take your time to find the right persona.