Why Great Writing is Good for Business
“What do you feel like is an opportunity I’m missing out on?”
That question was asked to me by an accomplished speaker and philanthropist who had found me from this blog. We were discussing the potential of working together, and she was exploring her options for a variety of different projects. When I shared with her the impact some of the things I had done for recent clients, she was floored.
The conversation I had with her reminded me of the immense value of great writing. If you want your business to grow or if you want to get your name out there as a freelancer or speaker or artist or anything, really — the first and most important thing to start with is great writing.
That’s why some of the most successful people invest heavily in blogs, books, email newsletters, and social media feeds. They don’t underestimate how great writing can transform their life and careers and open doors they never knew existed.
The Power of Great Writing to Grow Your Business and Career
As a memoir ghostwriter, I’ve worked with Himalayan monks, Silicon Valley CEO’s and VC’s, and a wide variety of insanely talented people. The “before” and “after” of their lives when they publish their memoirs is unreal. My clients land Ted Talks, speaking tours, their business takes off, their life story gets optioned by Hollywood — it’s a stark difference, a domino effect set off by publishing their story in a way that resonates with a huge audience.
Even smaller writing projects have an outsized impact. The writing work I’ve landed from this blog and from Twitter has allowed me to travel the world and work from anywhere (I’m in Budapest as I’m writing this and am leaving for the Amalfi Coast next week! So excited to veg out in the small fishing village we’re staying in that overlooks the ocean.) Same thing goes for Twitter: my social media writing has also helped me expand my businesses and create passive income for myself.
Great writing attracts opportunities you never would have known existed. As humans, we’re engaged and moved by storytelling. Even something as simple as an Instagram caption can land you a client that was perusing the platform. Small businesses that have blown up on TikTok still require the creators to write out a script — or at least come up with some version of figuring out what combination of words and videos will help them share the story of who they are and what they do.
Most of your potential clients are looking for you on Google, so appearing in search results is often the key to success. Most of my traffic to this blog is from organic (read: free!) Google search traffic, and that’s because I’ve spent years writing and cultivating the content on this blog for y’all.
Writing could mean the difference between toiling in obscurity to finding your perfectly aligned audience out there in the world wide web. But what if you’re not a writer?
Learning How to Write vs. Hiring a Ghostwriter for You or Your Business
There are two roads you can take when it comes to growing your business or client base. You can dig in and learn how to write and tell stories and optimize your own marketing and blog materials, or you can hire an expert to do it for you.
I’ve spent my entire life learning how to write, and grew a collection of blogs to tens of thousands of monthly pageviews, utilizing ads and affiliate marketing to pay the bills. It does take quite a bit of consistent effort, though, and I even went to USC to learn how to become a better writer. I recommend reading as widely as possible so you can hone your style and storytelling skills, and even potentially hiring a writing coach to help you close the gap in your knowledge more quickly. (I offer coaching services if that’s something you’re interested in, by the way!)
I’ll continue to post free writing resources on this blog for those of you who want to continue to hone your craft as well!
If you have the funds and ability to hire a writer, however, I recommend you do so if you’re trying to optimize for quicker growth and increased visibility for you and your business.
I’ve written a post on here about how to hire and work with freelance writers (and freelancers in general!) and I’ve hired writers for my own projects and it’s definitely something I’d recommend to anyone who isn’t a natural writer.
Should I Hire a Ghostwriter or Copywriter for My Company? Hiring Freelance vs. Employee
We’re seeing a huge shift in the way that people work. The trends are showing that we’re on a trajectory of freelancers outnumbering employees in the coming years.
The nice thing about hiring a freelancer or freelance service is that it’s flexible. If you need to scale up or down or need to shift to a different endeavor, freelance writers can support you in a way that accommodates a changing world.
The tricky part about hiring employees is that it’s burdened with a lot of cost. Hiring copywriters full-time for your company comes with additional taxes, workers’ comp, insurance, and additional fees.
Hiring freelance writers is more efficient because you’re just paying for the writing work you need completed, and can optimize for really utilizing someone’s best hours each week rather than paying for someone’s full and total commitment to your company. While you may be paying a higher hourly rate, you get more value and end up paying less in the long-run.
On the freelancer’s side, they get the flexibility of working with different clients and companies, and can hire assistants to help with their workload so they can focus on the part of the writing process they love the most. Freelance writers can also travel or work at the times of days they’re most energized and ready to get things done.
I’m such a major proponent of freelancing because it’s a win-win for both the client and freelance writer, and I believe it’s a more ethical way to go about things.
