Before You Hire A Ghostwriter, Nail These 5 Things First

Hiring a ghostwriter can seem like a silver bullet. You’re busy running the business, wearing five hats, and trying to build a pipeline. Offloading content feels like the logical next step. And in many ways, it is.

But here’s the thing most people miss.

Even the best writer can’t do much with a broken brief. And if you hand them vague ideas, half-baked positioning, or an undefined audience — don’t be surprised when the content doesn’t land. Before you bring someone in to write on your behalf, you need to set the foundation. Otherwise, you’re just outsourcing noise.

Here’s what to get right first.

Know exactly who you’re trying to reach

Most founders want to speak to “decision-makers.” But that’s not specific enough to build content around. You need clarity on who your content is for — and not in a theoretical way. I’m talking about real people with real job titles, challenges, and budgets.

At Column, we’ve seen the difference this makes. When a founder says, “We’re targeting growth-stage CFOs in B2B SaaS,” that gives us enough to write directly to their pain points. Compare that to, “We help tech companies grow,” and you can already feel the difference.

Your ghostwriter can’t target your audience if you haven’t defined them. Nail down the job titles, seniority, industries, and problems they care about. Everything else flows from that.

Lock in your voice

This is one of the biggest reasons ghostwriting engagements fail.

Most people think they have a voice, but what they really have is a writing style. Voice is more than tone — it’s how you think, what you care about, what you would and wouldn’t say.

For example, I never use the word “utilize.” I say “use.” I write the way I talk. My posts sound like me because they come from how I see the world.

Before you hire someone to write for you, take inventory of your voice. Think about how you explain things in meetings. Pay attention to the stories you tell repeatedly. If you’re not sure where to start, record yourself answering a few questions on Loom. You’ll start hearing patterns.

And once your writer picks up on those patterns, they can write in a way that actually sounds like you — not a watered-down LinkedIn version of you.

Clarify your POV and content buckets

You don’t need to have your entire content strategy figured out. But you do need to know what you stand for.

Founders who get the most out of ghostwriting know exactly what ideas they want to push. They don’t just say “We believe in quality.” They say, “Most agencies write fluff. We believe great content should sound like it came from the founder’s brain — not a freelancer’s template.”

That’s a POV. That’s an opinion you can build content around.

At Column, we usually start with 3-4 content buckets. These are the themes that show up repeatedly in your posts — things like founder-led growth, hiring pain, or early GTM strategy. From there, we draw on real stories, lessons, and frameworks that reflect your views.

If you don’t know what those are yet, spend a week writing down things you say on sales calls. Your content strategy is hiding in plain sight.

Bring your stories and proof

The best ghostwriting doesn’t come from Google searches. It comes from your experience.

That means client wins, screenshots, revenue milestones, hiring mistakes — all the stuff that makes your journey specific. The more stories you give, the better the content will be.

Let’s say you’re talking about churn. You could write, “It’s important to onboard clients well.” Or you could say, “We lost $84k in ARR last year because we didn’t assign onboarding owners. We fixed that by building a 14-day kickoff workflow — and haven’t had a new client churn since.”

The second one wins every time.

Proof beats theory. The more assets you give your writer, the more powerful your content becomes.

Set clear expectations on workflow

Finally, figure out how you want to work with your ghostwriter.

Do you prefer async feedback? Are you available weekly or only once a month? Should they send drafts via Google Docs or Notion? Will they manage design and distribution too, or just the writing?

Too many engagements go sideways because this stuff isn’t discussed up front. I’ve seen founders ghost their ghostwriters for weeks — and then wonder why nothing is live. You don’t need to be on Slack every day. But you do need a rhythm.

At Column, we make this easy. We send drafts weekly, request feedback via email/Slack, and adjust the cadence depending on how involved the founder wants to be. That kind of setup only works when expectations are clear.

Hiring a ghostwriter isn’t the first step — it’s the second

If you want content that moves the needle, do the prep work first. Define your audience. Figure out your voice. Write down what you believe. Collect your stories. And decide how you want to work.

Once you’ve got that, a great ghostwriter can turn it into something powerful — content that builds trust, drives pipeline, and compounds over time.

If you’re not there yet, don’t skip ahead. Build the foundation. Then build your brand.

And if you need help, get in touch. You’re in safe hands.