I’ve seen a lot of posts and job opportunities lately looking for a content writer to ghostwrite LinkedIn posts. And this got me thinking, where have we gone socially that we want someone else to write our own posts for our own personal social media accounts? Are we even being “social” if the people behind these accounts aren’t creating their own content?
I know, the line isn’t so cut and dry; with proper ghostwriting, the ideas and concepts might belong to the posts, but not always. More and more, the entirety of the concept is the brainchild of the writer. Which makes it… a lie.
The content of the posts isn’t the lie, but the author is. And if you’re lying to your audience out the gate, how does that impact the strategic viability of your content?
Is There Anything Authentic About Ghostwritten LinkedIn Posts?
Strategically, this is where I think this approach falls flat and why I don’t personally offer ghostwriting services.
In an article for the Business Development Bank of Canada, Daniel Asfaha, Manager, Partnerships at BDC says “Social media is an opportunity to tell your brand story and engage with customers—but you need to be authentic about it in order to build a real connection with them.”
And there is ample evidence to suggest that even on LinkedIn, authenticity is critical. If you search “AI posts,” the top results are all complaining about the prevalence of AI slop on the platform. And these complains stem from one central feeling: these posts feel fake.
People skim over well-edited AI posts the same way they do well-written ghostwritten posts, but the success of both approaches hinge on one’s ability to fool their audience.
The Fallout Of Outed Ghostwriting
If you quickly search “reader reactions to ghostwriting,” you will find a mixed bag of advice articles detailing the complicated ethics of ghostwriting long-form content. Some readers don’t mind; some will burn the book and never look back.
The conclusion: it’s a risk.
And the same is true for social content; it is a risk to rely on ghostwriting. If your audience finds out, they might not care at all, or they might mass unfollow you, and if you’re using your platform to market your business, there is always the risk of this ire impacting your organization too.
| Key Ghostwriting Tip: ALWAYS sign an NDA with your writer. If you are going to use ghostwriting services of any kind, always get an NDA (a non-disclosure agreement). This contract protects you from your writer sharing their work as their own or stating publicly that you don’t write your own posts or content. |
What Services Should You Hire For LinkedIn Content?
That’s not to say posters can’t hire other freelance content services or leverage in-house teams to help them with their posts and strategy. You can hire strategists to help build your calendars or editors to help perfect your prose, but if authenticity isn’t at the heart of your content, then you’re losing the plot.
Content Strategy Services:
Content strategists are experts in the content marketing field. These professionals dig into your goals, your competition, and your audience to build out a plan for creating content that will drive conversion for your business.
Content Editing Services:
When hiring content editing services, consider what level of editing you’re looking for. There are three main stages of editing: developmental, copy editing, and proofreading. Developmental editing refers to editing at the earliest stage. This kind of editing is big-picture and focuses on concepts and narrative success. Copy editing narrows the scope and is primarily focused on structure, grammar, and tone. The final step of the creation process is proofreading. Proofreaders are purely looking for typos, spelling errors, and grammar mistakes.
Keeping Social Media Social
LinkedIn might be a platform for applying for jobs and networking, but first and foremost it is a social media platform. That means that authentic connection needs to be at the heart of your content strategy. Real ideas, real insights, real conversations. That means that person writing these posts and comments should be the real you.
Dayna Lang 