A ghostwriter for LinkedIn: what they do and whether you need one

Sell in Public → B2B LinkedIn content agency → LinkedIn ghostwriting → posts in your own voice

What a LinkedIn ghostwriter does, week to week

Most arrangements settle into a simple rhythm:

1. A conversation. Often half an hour or so, by video or phone, about what's on your mind: a customer call, a decision, something you disagree with.
2. Drafts. The writer turns that conversation into a few posts in your voice, using your phrases, your level of formality and your kind of examples.
3. Your edits. You fix what's wrong and cut what isn't you. A good writer learns from every edit, so drafts need less work over time.
4. Approval and publishing. Nothing goes out until you approve it, and the posts go out from your own profile.
5. Comments. You reply to the people who engage, sometimes with your writer's help.

Between conversations, a good ghostwriter keeps a running list of ideas from customer stories and the questions people keep asking you. Some also schedule posts or point out interesting people who engage with you. The first month takes more of your time while the writer learns how you think. After that, plan on one conversation and a short review each week.

A ghostwriter is different from a social media manager, who usually runs a company page, and from an editor, who polishes posts you've already written. If you like writing and just want sharper posts, an editor may be all you need.

Is using a ghostwriter authentic?

It can be. It depends on where the ideas come from. Busy leaders have long had help with speeches, books and op-eds, and LinkedIn is no different as long as:

• The ideas, stories and opinions are genuinely yours.
• You read and approve every post.
• You're the one who shows up for the conversations it starts.

It stops being authentic when a writer invents experiences, posts opinions you'd never defend in person, or fakes engagement on your behalf. A simple test: if someone brought up one of your posts at a conference, could you talk about it for five minutes? If so, it's yours.

Who a LinkedIn ghostwriter is for, and who it isn't

It tends to work well for:

• Founders and CEOs whose buyers, investors and future hires already look them up
• Executives at B2B companies with real expertise and a full calendar
• Teams where several people should be visible, such as leaders, salespeople and customer-facing staff
• People who explain things well out loud but stall in front of a blank page

It tends to work badly for:

• People who want to post but don't have opinions or stories to share yet
• Anyone expecting instant leads from a handful of posts
• Someone who won't make time to review drafts

Is a ghostwriter right for you? A quick checklist

If most of these are true, a ghostwriter is likely worth it:

• Buyers, investors or candidates research you on LinkedIn before they talk to you.
• You have views about your industry that you'd defend in a meeting.
• You regularly explain things to customers or your team that other people would find useful.
• You've tried posting yourself and keep running out of time, not ideas.
• You can give it about an hour a week, and more in the first month.
• You're willing to keep going for months, not weeks.

If most are false, start smaller. Post now and then yourself, leave thoughtful comments on other people's posts, and revisit the idea when you have more to say.

What a LinkedIn ghostwriter costs

Prices vary a lot, and almost every published figure comes from a company that sells the service, so treat these as rough markers:

• One-off posts from a freelancer: $300 to $800 a post in one agency's guide (Foundera), while another puts the range at $150 to $600 (Influent). The guides disagree, so expect quotes anywhere across that span.
• A monthly retainer with a freelancer: $500–$700 a month for one post a week, or $900–$1,300 for two (Foundera).
• An agency, for one person: one agency publishes a plan at $2,500 a month for one post a week (Executive Presence), and premium done-for-you service runs $6,000 to $10,000 or more a month (Forj Media).

If the retainer looks cheaper than buying posts one at a time, you're reading it right. In Foundera's own figures, a month of four retainer posts ($500–$700) costs about the same as one or two one-off posts at $300–$800 each (Foundera). You pay less per post in exchange for committing to a steady run of them.

Forj Media lists what moves the price most: how often you post, how much research and interviewing goes in, whether extras like engagement and profile work are included, and how senior the writer is (Forj Media).

How to get started

1. Write down what you want LinkedIn to do for you, such as helping you hire, building trust with buyers, or growing your network in one market.
2. List ten topics you could talk about for five minutes without notes.
3. Talk to two or three writers or agencies, and ask to see posts they've written for people like you.
4. Start with a short paid trial and judge how much editing the drafts need.