It’s worth saying from the start, this is a bit of a ‘how long is a piece of string’ question. For some executives, a ghostwriter is a non-negotiable and an essential part of their personal PR. For others, they might have never thought of hiring a ghostwriter before.
Those two groups will have very different perspectives on whether it’s worth hiring a ghostwriter!
You’ll have your own perspective and measures of value and success, as well. So, while this article will help you make an informed decision, it can’t make it for you.
Now that the necessary asterisks and caveats are sorted, let’s look at whether it’s worth hiring a ghostwriter.
The financial value of ghostwriting
Let’s start with the hard numbers. Our ghostwriting services start at £1,495 pcm and you will find a range of prices from other providers, from freelancers to the biggest PR agencies. We’re somewhere in the middle, free from the management and outsourced bloat of PR pricing, while still being priced in a way that reflects our expertise and achievements.
We’ve written in greater detail about the different options for ghostwriting and how to decide which is right for you. Take a look if you’re curious.
For some executives, this will be a great investment and for others it will seem hard to stomach. That’s fine with us — we get it and we’ve had more than enough conversations about pricing to not take it personally!
Personal PR and reputation management are difficult to value, as results cannot be guaranteed. Anybody who promises you a specific amount or rate of growth is, politely, talking nonsense.
That being said, we’ve seen time and time again that a consistent approach and long-term mindset produces remarkable results for our clients. We cannot and will not promise you’ll be a media darling or on page one of Google after a few months, but we can promise that we’ll deliver the highest quality work that positions you in your industry and shares your expertise with a growing audience.
And from there, many more opportunities present themselves: recruitment into bigger roles, media opportunities, maybe even a publishing deal. (No guarantees, just to be clear!)
What’s that worth to you?
The reputational value of ghostwriting
Executives hire ghostwriters to do the hard miles of writing and publishing content because they know it’s worthwhile. You may have seen familiar faces who always seem to show up on LinkedIn or have a booming-in-popularity newsletter and appreciate what that’s doing for their reputation.
It’s hard work and it requires consistency, but writing and publishing content on a consistent basis — using your insights and expertise as the hook — is a sure-fire way of building your industry reputation.
With a growing reputation, you can go to some amazing places. Non-executive director opportunities, third sector board appointments, public speaking. None of it is guaranteed, but it’s all eminently more possible when you have a reputation as an interesting, eloquent, and captivating presence online.
What’s that worth to you?
The personal value of ghostwriting
This is when it really gets personal… for some of our executive clients, what matters more than anything is that they are appreciated for their work and achievements.
For people to see, acknowledge, and celebrate their work is an important part of their ongoing sense of success.
And some executives love the idea of being seen and known as ‘that person’ of their industry.
We’re all driven and motivated by different desires. Being visible is a goal in and of itself, which can serve executives well and push them to continue doing great work — almost like having an accountability buddy (except its thousands of people, not just one person)!
What’s that worth to you?
A personal judgement call
Ultimately, nobody can tell you what something’s ‘worth’ other than yourself.
Our clients consistently report that they’re delighted with their investment in ghostwriting, but that’s a pretty obvious selection bias!
We hope that, if nothing else, you’ve now got some useful questions to ask yourself and can make an informed decision about why, what, and how you value in ghostwriting.
If you find that it’s adding up nicely, then we’d love to talk to you further.