5 Vital Tips When It Comes To Hiring A Ghostwriter

Hiring a ghostwriter is a sound business decision that will help you accomplish more tasks within a limited period of time. In this day and age where articles have become vital weapons for internet marketing campaigns, for example, hiring a ghostwriter is quickly becoming a necessity rather than a mere option.

There are millions of ghostwriters all over the World Wide Web, and each of them will vie for your attention. Choosing the right ghostwriter is tantamount to choosing the right business partner, mainly because a ghostwriter actually has that distinct power of making or breaking your business. A ghostwriter can actually build or ruin your reputation.

There are obvious rules in choosing the right ghostwriter. A mutually acceptable price point, open communication, and other terms favorable for the client are well-known.

Here are 5 critical tips which I believe need to be considered before hiring a ghostwriter.

1. Quality of work over everything else. Remember, the deliverables that will be provided by your ghostwriter of choice will carry your name. A bad piece will reflect negatively on your business. An excellent work will win admirers for your enterprise. It goes without saying that the ghostwriter you will choose should be able to come up with marvelously engaging and highly informative works that will greatly benefit your online endeavor. Here's a tip: don't rely on samples. Samples lie. A ghostwriter may be well-versed with a particular topic and he can write the best articles on the same, but this doesn't guarantee that the said ghostwriter can write an equally fascinating piece on the topic of your choice. Instead, ask the ghostwriter to prepare a short, 100 word original sample on the topic you wish for him to cover. If the ghostwriter possesses the writing prowess he claims he has, he can come up with a 100 word original work quite easily. Base your decisions from this customized sampling.

2. Stress the importance of factual information. That the deliverables should be highly informative is a given. After all, why would people read something that they are already familiar with, right? However, information can easily be cheated. Statistics can easily be fabricated so that they will appear interesting. Prevent this from happening by clearly instructing the ghostwriter that you want information that can be verified. Tell him to include his sources, if possible. This tip is very important. I've had several clients who suffered serious hits on their reputation because they published ghostwritten articles which were quoted in several high profile websites, only to be chastised later on for the fraudulent information shared by those very articles.

3. Stress the importance of "readability." Scan established article directories like eZineArticles.com. Notice how many articles are written like term papers? Generally, people don't want to read academic-style writing. They want to read articles they can relate to, articles that talk to them in a conversational tone. Furthermore, they want to read articles that will not only inform them, but also entertain them to a certain degree. The right amount of humor, the right amount of wit and the right amount of anecdotes sprinkled all over a piece will go a long, long way in capturing, and maintaining, the interest of the readers. Tell your ghostwriter that you want such an engaging article.

4. Ask for an outline of the deliverables. Bulk orders may be cheaper, but they can be riskier. Order 100 articles, for example, and you may receive pieces of varying quality. Worse, you may receive two or more articles that mirror each other. What you need is to exercise a semblance of control over what the ghostwriter will produce. Instead of telling him to write 100 articles on Mesothelioma, for example, you can ask him to prepare a list of 100 topics about Mesothelioma which he can discuss. Read this list and if you believe it suits your purposes, approve it and give the ghostwriter the go signal to proceed.

5. Provide a REASONABLE turn-around time. Indeed, you need your articles fast. However, rushing your orders will only result in deliverables of compromised quality. Don't push for a 2 day deadline on a 30-article order, for example. As a general rule, the most articles you can expect a ghostwriter to finish in a day is 10, assuming that each article is pegged at 500 words minimum and assuming further that the ghostwriter doesn't have any other clients. Base your turnaround time on this established rule.


- Johnny