On Becoming a Ghostwriter for Personal Brands
Confession: working for myself was supposed to be a stopgap job.
After dealing with a host of health issues throughout the last half of 2017, I decided to quit corporate and work for myself as a freelance writer for awhile. I took any job that came my way: blog writing, book editing, creating marketing content, and writing articles for local publications. I tried things out and tested different services with clients, feeling my way through the weird, unpredictable ride that is self-employment.
My niche came to me over time as I learned what I liked doing, what I didn’t like, and how I could be most effective in delivering value to others. My HR experience (and the fact that I’ve changed jobs and industries multiple times) gives me an edge in the corporate writing sphere, but I think what really sets me apart as a writer is that I give a shit. I want to see people succeed in their careers and find work that makes them feel seen and fulfilled—it’s the “why” behind my work.
I write bios and website copy. This is the “what”; the end result or the product that I co-create with my clients. The “how” is my process: talking things through with my clients one-on-one, getting a good feel for how they talk about themselves, the work that they do, and what their goals are, and translating that into copy that expresses who they are while attracting the people they want to work with.
It’s taken a couple of years, but my niche found me: ghostwriting personal brands for wholehearted people.
As I often say to new clients, I don’t work with people in any one particular industry: I’ve written for therapists, designers, consultants, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, marketing gurus, healthcare professionals, and filmmakers. What unites them is a common desire; a need to express more than just what they do, but the drive behind why they do it.
The content that I put out—in this blog, my own website copy, social media posts, and earned media—attracts the people who get what I’m all about. I create personal brands for people who want more than just a surface-level bio or website copy full of tired corporate clichés, and those are the people I want to work with.
A personal brand is just that—personal—and we owe it to ourselves to put out into the world what we really want to get back.
A truly great bio sets you apart, sings your praises, and connects with people you want to attract. Personal branding guru William Arruda wrote about what makes a perfect LinkedIn summary over five years ago, and despite technology advancing and things changing since then, his advice is just as sound today.
LinkedIn is the optimal starting point for building your personal brand. The words you use there should carry over to your résumé, what you say in interviews, and how you deliver your elevator pitch. Consistency is key in messaging: what you say in a LinkedIn post should tie in to your About section, the summary on your CV, and what you say about yourself at a networking event.
Consistency in messaging makes for a strong personal brand that people will remember.
As for this stopgap job; this limb I stepped out on as an experiment?
It became my calling.
I help others craft their personal brands because I’ve experienced the power of a strong brand myself, and because I give a shit: about people, about my work, and about doing great work for great people.
(The image for this post was taken by Jessica Arroyo at an event that my dear friend Talan Tyminski and I co-hosted in September 2018. The event was a workshop on writing and telling your story: I so miss being able to meet with people and have in-person events, and I can’t wait for the day that I can do something like this again.)