Blog

The other day I had tea with a friend and she asked half-jokingly, “Should I still have a blog? Does anyone even read those anymore?” The short answer is yes, you should still have a blog, but use it like a Swiss Army knife. 

Search engine optimization (SEO) and googling are weird these days with AI. Gemini and ChatGPT will summarize content so people aren’t clicking individual links as much. Because of that, should you still bother writing anything? It may feel futile but you still need a blog to show the search engines that you’re an active website. People still search for things like “freelance marketing content writer” and you want your website to pop up (if you’re a freelance marketing content writer). 

Also, you never know how people will find you. I have a client I ghostwrote a blog for on a very niche topic. We wrote that post YEARS ago and she’s number two when people google for it. She gets a thousand page views every month from that topic alone. So yes, people still read blogs. And even if people don’t read blogs, they consume content in other ways, which leads me to my next point.

People (Mostly) Read Their Emails

People may not check out your blog every month or every week, even if you’d like them to but you know what they will check? Their email. Obsessively. Professionals check their email 15 times a day. Email marketing is an industry that is here to stay and just keeps growing. But what do you say in your emails? Should you only send an email blast when your business is having a sale? Unless you’re a Big Box store, no. 

Talk to your customers and clients. Tell them stories. Answer their questions. Entertain them. Inspire them. Whatever you feel moved to do and fits in with your brand. And here’s where a blog is like a Swiss Army knife: Use your blog to create the email newsletter. As a freelance marketing content writer, I do this all the time. I write a blog, case study, or profile for my clients and then they email everyone on their contact list. They’re directly communicating with their clients and customers without creating totally new content. But wait! There’s more.

Use Your Blog to Create Social Media Content

Not only can you use your blog to create an email newsletter, you can use it for everything, which is why I say a blog is like a Swiss Army knife. Take a segment of your blog and create an Instagram post, something for Threads, a TikTok video, and a snippet for LinkedIn. Use your blog content for social media creation. Have one feed into the other. If you’re smart, you’ll direct people to your blog post so the whole thing comes full circle and then people will read your blog. 

Should you still have a blog? Yes, you should. That said, not everyone has the time or capacity to write one. I know many people who have ideas burning a hole in their brains but they’re busy focusing on other things. That’s where I, a ghostwriter and freelance marketing content writer, come in. I excel at writing blogs and I can write them in such a way that it sounds like you. To really reap the benefits though, use the content in other ways. Make a blog a multifunctional tool like a Swiss Army knife. You’ll be glad you did.

If you want to chat about creating a blog or email newsletter for your business, contact me. Let’s see if we’re a good fit. 

You have a book (or a blog) idea burning inside, waiting to get out. The trouble is, you don’t have time to write it or maybe writing isn’t your forte. You’ve accepted you need a ghostwriter. The question becomes, “How to hire a ghostwriter?” I’m glad you asked. As a ghostwriter myself, I can walk you through the process.

Step 1: Research

 You knew that was going to be the first step, right? The first thing to do when you contemplate hiring a ghostwriter is research ghostwriters in your field. I ghostwrite psychology blogs and books but there are ghostwriters for all sorts of things. I have a friend who ghostwrites biographies and oral histories. Other people ghostwrite business books. Some ghostwriters specialize in celebrity memoirs. What are you writing? From there, google and find someone who works in your field.

Step 2: Make Sure They’re Reputable

A lot of people claim to be a ghostwriter but they aren’t actually. They write something in their voice, not yours. Or they don’t know how to translate someone else’s ideas. Or they’re a scammer. Or. . . As you’re hiring a ghostwriter, you want to make sure they’re reputable. Some websites specialize in this. I just signed up for Reedsy, which is a publishing marketplace filled with writers, graphic designers, and editors. They have a vetting and verification process so you know the person you’re working with is a real person.

Step 3: Ask For a Writing Sample

You’ve done all the research, you’ve made sure the person is reputable, you’ve read some of the things they’ve written. Now you’re ready to hire the person, right? Sort of. The next step is to do a trial run. Just because all the other criteria match doesn’t mean they’re the best ghostwriter for you. It’s like dating — someone can seem perfect on paper but when you meet them in person, you struggle to carry on a conversation. The same principle is at play in ghostwriting. Before you sign a contract and spend potentially weeks or months working together, do a paid sample. 

Identify a short topic you’d like to write about. Maybe it’s a vivid memory or a principle you want to explain. Go through the process that works best for you (bullet points, a voice memo, a recorded Zoom call, etc.) and ask the ghostwriter to take it from there. Once you receive the sample, assess it. Did the ghostwriter convey what you wanted? And how you wanted to convey it? Do they “get” you? Did they use words that you would use? Does their writing voice sound like yours?

If the above answers are yes, then proceed. If the above answers are no, then you’ll want to repeat the steps I mentioned.

So there you have it — how to hire a ghostwriter. And if you’d like to hire me I have some availability. Get in touch and let’s see if we’re a good fit. 

When Anna (name changed to protect her identity) started working as a psychologist in the South, business boomed because she took insurance. She constantly had people reaching out to her but she realized she wanted to break free from the confines of insurance companies. As you may or may not know, there are certain rules and restrictions that therapists have to follow when they take insurance — they’re bound by diagnosis codes, which then affect their treatment plans, and that may not be what’s best for the client.

Frustrated by the limitations of insurance, and the low pay, Anna decided to strike out on her own and start a private practice that only accepts out-of-pocket payments. At first, she maintained a steady client roster. Her previous clients stuck around but then they started to drop off one by one. Anna found herself in a predicament: Did she abandon her out-of-pocket payment model where she had more freedom to practice in the way she felt was best? Or did she keep doing what she was doing?

Anna decided to keep doing what she was doing but enlist some help. She reached out to me, a ghostwriter for therapists. Together, we researched the most appropriate keywords for her market to determine where she stood a chance to rank on search engines. We brainstormed ways to help her search engine optimization (SEO) and together we wrote keyword-optimized content that people wanted to read. We wrote about how to know when you should see a psychologist, the best ways to interrupt anxiety, and more. 

After three months of consistent blogging, Anna’s business started booming. Her client roster filled up and she was able to do what she wanted: help her clients with their mental health in the way that was best for them and her. The secret to Anna’s success? Working with me.

As a ghostwriter for therapists, I’m deeply familiar with therapeutic concepts and I’m adept at conveying those to the general public. And because of my SEO blog writing services, I ensure web content is not only valuable for humans but that it signals to machines (aka, the search engines) that they should take notice of the website and show it to people who are searching for exactly what Anna provides: mental health services. 

If you’d like to experience the same results as Anna, reach out to me. I have an opening and I’d love to support you with your business.  

 

Let’s say you’ve hired someone to design your therapy website and they ask you for website copy. They might say, “What do you want your homepage to say?” “What will go in your bio?” Do you have any specialties?” Suddenly, you may be sweating because you want to make sure you write something good that’s also optimized for search engines. In other words, when people google “(geographical area) therapist” you want your name to come up.

Web designers will help you with search engine optimization (SEO) and picking the right keywords buuuuuut you still need someone to write the copy, or in other words, the text. In that case, you might hire a copywriter.

A copywriter is someone (like me!) who writes content for your website and ensures that it sounds snappy and appealing. They persuade website visitors to schedule their first consultation call with you or at least shoot off an email. A copywriter’s only agenda is to write website copy sprinkled with SEO keywords. They can claim credit for their work, it can show up in their portfolio, and they aren’t trying to sound like anyone other than themselves because that’s not their job. They aren’t a ghostwriter.

 

What a Ghostwriter Does

A ghostwriter for therapists, on the other hand, has a different agenda. They will write website copy sprinkled with SEO keywords but they won’t claim credit for their work, show it in their portfolio, and they’re trying to sound like their client (you).

When I write for someone as a ghostwriter, I’m trying to do it in their style. You know how some writers use short sentences (Hemingway) whereas others employ long run-ons (Faulkner)? You don’t need to be a literary giant to have your own writing voice; everyone has their own voice. It comes across not only in sentence length but also in word choice. For example, some people might want to use words like “escapade” and “superfluous” whereas others prefer “adventure” and “repetitive.”  Those things matter and coalesce to form your writing voice. A good ghostwriter picks up on those things and makes sure to write with them in mind.

Something else that people may not pay attention to is punctuation. I don’t mean the standard comma, period, and question mark punctuation. I also mean, do you use dashes? Or semicolons? Or even full colons? As someone who’s been a professional writer since 2006, these are all things I notice and take into account as I’m writing a piece for a client.

What a Ghostwriter Can Accomplish

One of the reasons I love being a ghostwriter for therapists is that we establish a relationship and work together for six months or even years! It’s not only a one-and-done job to write website copy (which, again, I also do) but a chance to write blogs together and even books.

One of my clients, Renee (name changed to protect their privacy), has seen a 500% boost in traffic to her website after we started working together! Not only that, articles I ghostwrote for her have been placed on prominent websites that reach an estimated 7 million people per month through a variety of partner and advertising networks. Not just one article either — several. On top of that, I’ve ghostwritten THREE chapters for her that were published in anthologies. In fact, based on an article I ghostwrote, one publication reached out to Renee specifically and asked her to contribute a piece to their upcoming anthology. We didn’t even pitch to them! They came to us!

A Ghostwriter Frees Up Your Time

To be clear, Renee is an excellent writer herself. She enjoys writing blogs but she doesn’t have time to write them. As you’re likely aware, the U.S. has a shortage of mental health professionals. Currently, more than 150 million people live in federally designated mental health professional shortage areas. Within a few years, the country will be short between 14,280 and 31,109 psychiatrists. Psychologists, social workers, and others will be overextended as well, according to the report.  “People can’t get care,” Dr. Saul Levin, CEO and medical director of the American Psychiatric Association said in an article. 

You’re strapped for time and prioritizing client/patient care, which makes sense. But wouldn’t it also be nice to share some of the things you’ve learned with people who may not be able to see you because they live somewhere else or you’re fully booked? That’s where I, as a ghostwriter for therapists come in.

I’ve worked as a journalist since 2006 and in that time have honed my interview skills. I know how to draw information from a person they may not think is relevant or interesting, which I also apply to ghostwriting. By working with me, I can zero in on what matters and expand upon that information. Plus, I have the time to do what you cannot.

If you still have questions about ghostwriting and whether it will work for you, contact me. Together, who knows what we can accomplish?

As a ghostwriter for therapists, people often ask me, “Is it ethical to hire a ghostwriter? Isn’t that like cheating or plagiarizing?” I understand the concern — if you’re not writing something, is it OK to put your name on it? The short answer is yes.

Think of a ghostwriter as a more ethical, better version of AI. As you’re likely aware, last year several authors banded together to file a class-action lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft. The writers, including John Grisham and George R.R. Martin, assert that OpenAI and Microsoft are raking in billions from their unauthorized use of these books, and the authors were not fairly compensated. There was no permission to use their books nor is their intellectual property being respected. 

Contrast that with me, a human who is a ghostwriter for therapists. It’s more ethical to work with me because we have set it up in advance that I will be compensated for my time. We’ve also entered into an agreement where we both understand that I’m just the fingers doing the typing. When I ghostwrite for therapists, the ideas aren’t mine — all concepts are coming from my clients. That means it’s their intellectual property.

Also, the reality is not everyone has the time or the ability to write. Therapists are busy seeing clients or catching up on paperwork — adding in SEO blog writing services gets pushed to the bottom of their to-do list. However, the problem with that is then their SEO (search engine optimization) suffers. I know the importance of SEO as a marketing content writer. Without proper SEO, you might as well be screaming into the void. And the best way to boost your SEO? Blog writing. 

The beauty of working with me, a human instead of ChatGPT, is that I can sound like you, not a generic version of a person. In our work together, I study your writing samples and ask myself questions such as, “Do they use big words or small ones?” I notice the grammar, the punctuation, and do my best to sound like you, which AI is not capable of (yet) unless it’s read pages and pages of your work. AI can write a short story in the style of George R.R. Martin because it’s been fed his books. But that’s not the case for most people. Most people just want some blog writing services that sound like they wrote it. When you hire a ghostwriter such as myself, that’s what you get.

In an ideal world, everyone would have the time, energy, and ability to write down their ideas and share them with the world. But we don’t live in an ideal world. We live in a world of diversity where different people have different skills. I love being a ghostwriter for therapists because I get to use my skills of writing, researching, and analyzing to help therapists reach beyond the consulting room. Together we can accomplish great things — like with Renee, one of my clients who wrote a book (meaning, I wrote her book) and now has interest from a publisher!

If you’d like to do the same, or if you’re just interested in increasing your web traffic via something like SEO blog writing services, reach out to me. Let’s see if we’re a good fit.