WHAT IS GHOSTWRITING? SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS

by Kim Niemi

Continuing our series defining the mysterious trade of ghostwriting, we turn our focus this week to another facet of the profession that might not have occurred to prospective ghostwriters in our midst: social media posts.

Think your fave celeb’s tweets are coming from them? Often times you’re right; but you’d be surprised how many times that’s NOT the case. 

​Ghostwriting in the social media sense can be divided into two categories:

• Corporate – where a marketing associate, intern, or anyone else deemed fit, posts on behalf of the brand; no single-named entity is usually associated with the posts
• Personal – where someone other than the person whose name appears on the account posts on their behalf; the intent is for the public to believe the tweets are coming directly from the person named to the account - think your favorite celebs

Ghostwriting for celebrities is so common that celebrities have taken to stating, "It's really me!" when they are running their own accounts. Even then, sometimes they just mean that it's their verified account, and not the account of a fan who beat them to the punch with a clever name. It might not mean they are actually crafting each tweet. Though they might be... 

The whole point is not to be able to tell the difference. The best ghostwriters can capture the voice of their personal clients, while promoting their message, so that no one is the wiser.

With corporate clients, it can go either way. You may be asked to sound like a PR rep, delivering the brand's message, but appearing clearly to the public as a hired hand, or you may be expected to sound like the voice of the CEO, board, or family behind the brand.

The amount of guidance you’ll receive from clients will vary, but whatever the assignment, one thing you DON’T want to do is confuse your own personal voice with that of your clients’. Tweeting your own opinions from within client accounts is social sabotage, and will only land you in a heap of trouble. 

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