Ghost blogging is not all that different from the term called ghost writing. No, it’s isn’t a spooky ghost writing blog posts!
It is basically writing blog posts or content for other blogs without getting credit, and usually in exchange for money. A lot of people tend to get guest blogging and ghost blogging confused. This post is a guide to ghost blogging.
A Guide to Ghost Blogging
What’s the difference between ghost blogging and guest blogging?
Ghost blogging is getting paid to write for a blog without getting any credit except money. It is purely writing for someone else, so you can’t drop external links to other places unless the client gives you specific instruction to do so. Guest blogging is writing with the intention of not just sharing great content on another site, but also expanding your own site’s authority and even getting back links and traffic.
Guest blogging doesn’t involve money exchange and shouldn’t. That is called paid posts or sponsored posts if a blog owner is charging money to publish those type of posts.
How can bloggers can take part in ghost blogging?
You can start by offering the service on your own website. Create a special page about your ghost writing services and use your blog or even links to guest blog posts you’ve done to act as your portfolio. You can do a search on good for guest blogging or ghost writing, or getting paid to write. You can also peruse freelancer websites like Freelancer.com or Odesk.com to find blogging jobs.
You can also search Facebook, or even Google Plus for virtual assistant groups to join. There are some actually dedicated to selling content.
How much can a ghost blogger make per article?
How much depends on your experience, what type of blog articles you’re writing, if you’re also providing images or other media to accompany the post, and how many words. You can make anywhere between $20 to $50 for a 500 word blog post.
Most people are willing to pay top dollar if the content is excellent. If you’re writing a 500 word article for $5 to $10, then you’re wasting your time. Warning: Don’t get reeled into earning chump change!
Who can become a ghost blogger?
Anyone can potentially become a ghost blogger. It’s important to note that if you can’t accept not getting credit for your work, that ghost blogging isn’t for you. It’s like working for a company and maintaining their website under a non-disclosure agreement. You usually can’t put it in your portfolio. In very few cases, the client may be nice enough to write a testimonial, but don’t expect one.
Another quality in ghost blogging is seeking to write the most thorough and unique content. Clients aren’t going to pay top dollar for a crappy blog article.
Ideal ghost bloggers are:
- Extremely flexible in covering a variety of topics
- Cover unique angles, concepts, and theories of topics
- Deliver content in more mediums like audio, video, or images
- Have a strong command over language
Is ghost blogging legal?
Yes, ghost blogging is legal. Ghost writing is legal too. There are oodles of published books that were ghost written. So if ghost writing is legal, ghost blogging is as well. The only thing illegal is if plagiarism is involved.
Will ghost blogging hurt a site’s rankings?
Well, that depends on the content written. If the content is mediocre, then yes, it can be a problem. However, if you are getting paid, you probably should be putting your best foot forward on ALL of your blog articles.
Can I make a client give me credit on posts I ghost blogged?
It is strongly discouraged that you do. Ghost blogging is understood to be like a non-disclosure agreement. In fact, you probably might want to put together a short contract agreeing not to disclose your blog posts to anyone.
Example:
Date:
Client’s Name: CLIENT’S NAME
Client’s Email Address: CLIENT’S EMAILService Provider’s Name: YOUR NAME
Service Provider’s Email: YOUR EMAILObjective:
Ghost blogging for CLIENT’S NAME HERE.Project Details:
SERVICE PROVIDER will ghost write blog posts and content for CLIENT.Project Terms:
SERVICE PROVIDER will not disclose blog posts or any work for CLIENT to anyone. This is a non-disclosure agreement. If SERVICE PROVIDER fails to comply with non-disclosure agreement, LIST CONSEQUENCES OF FAILING TO UPHOLD AGREEMENT HERE. (Usually a refund or accepting responsibility for damages incurred.)SERVICE PROVIDER will provide unique and quality content to CLIENT. SERVICE PROVIDER will make sure that work is not re-written or duplicate content. If SERVICE PROVIDER fails to comply with providing unique and quality content, LIST CONSEQUENCES OF FAILING TO UPHOLD AGREEMENT HERE. (Usually a refund or accepting responsibility for damages incurred.)
CLIENT will pay the SERVICE PROVIDER as per the terms set under the Project Fee and Payment Details section. If CLIENT fails to comply Project Fee and Payment Details, LIST CONSEQUENCES OF FAILING TO UPHOLD AGREEMENT HERE.
Signing this short contract means that both the SERVICE PROVIDER and CLIENT will uphold their responsibilities for the project.
Project Fee and Payment Details: AMOUNT
STATE TERMS OF ACCEPTING PAYMENT HERE (whether money order, PayPal, or another method, as well as due date.)
Signatures:
SERVICE PROVIDER –
CLIENT –
Ghost blogging really isn’t a new concept. However, if you enjoy writing and want to try to make money online, it doesn’t hurt to try. It’s important to know that it’s not always a gratifying job as the client will be the only one thanking you for your work. It is a job that requires accepting that you have to secretly take pride in your work.
Have you heard of ghost blogging? Do you ghost blog?
(Note: Please be smart and don’t list where you ghost blog at.)
Ghost blogging is going to be one of the most leading blogging platform sooner or later. I had tried out the free version of it, it’s pretty awesome. Writing on ghost platform is quite awesome when compared to writing on wordpress or blogger platform. I am pretty sure the future of blogging is on ghost. Thanks Nile for sharing this information with. I am very much impressed with the article. Thanks alot
Ghost blogging is NOT a platform.
Hi Nile,
I did heard about ghost writing, but never heard about ghost blogging term. I think its certainly a great way to make money by offering useful content to bloggers. If you offer good quality content then you can easily increase your earnings and your reputation as well.
Basically Ghost Blogging means freelancing right? Its a pretty good way of making money but you will get exhausted writing articles day and night 🙂
Anchit@ Your point is justified because every task which is done in return for money can exhaust at some stage. Although money is important but in blogging you will have to put it aside to succeed in the long run.
It seems hard if a ghost writer call him self a Professional Ghost Writer. I mean they can but the name says it that he will need to stay a ghost.
Ooops it seems there is a extra “i” in the email for the word “admin”. Nile can you correct that for me?
Hi Nile, I have a team of writers for the ghostblogging services that my business offers, and you probably won’t be surprised by the amount of writers that approach me but also want credit for their article. I then ask them if that’s the case, how do we explain the ghost blogging aspect to the client? I’ve yet to have a good answer from them.
And yes, don’t get trapped in the articles for $10 cycle, because as you’re getting to know the client there will be revisions and other time consuming activities. It’s never just the writing.
lol… it is really frustrating to deal with people like that. And yes, it takes time to know the client and hopefully adopt a style that coincides with their blog voice.
I had never heard the term ‘ghost blogging’ before – only ghost writing. I think referring to it as ghost blogging is what is making people confuse it with guest blogging, which of course is a very different practice!
I have only been a ghost blogger on a volunteer basis for two of the charity sites I admin. On the others I use my name to help get my name better known. This is for topics I know well but would not be something I could earn money from elsewhere.
I tend to spend a lot of time researching each post I write so I don’t think ghost blogging would be lucrative for me.
Ghost writing is a great way to earn money for the writers. Different companies will be benefited through these kind of writing too. One the other hand writer can get handsome payment. So both the writer and the companies or individual person get benefited.
I have been thinking of doing this when I have idle time between projects to keep busy/make a little side money.
Hi Nile,
Thanks for sharing such a wonderful post and explaining so clearly the difference between ghost blogging and guest blogging. I had been working as both for 3 years and I enjoy guest blogging more than ghost blogging. The thing that attracts me more is the traffic and enegagement with other bloggers I tend to get after I post a blog other other’s site. But with ghost blogging comes only the money
I heard Ghost Blogging first time. But I did know about freelancing. Thanks for sharing the article. 🙂
Ghost blogging??!!! I am surprised of its title. Never heard of it. Is it guest blogging?
If you read the article, it would explain that it is definitely not guest blogging as no credit is given to the original author.
The major problem cited with ghost blogging is the inauthenticity that comes with it. Because the blog posts are technically not written by the person who claims to write it, many perceive this practice as nothing but pretension. And another criticism against this practice is the supposed lack of expertise of ghost bloggers.
Today, people traffic site for their shopping. Anyway the approaches to get that traffic has changed radically in digital marketing. Blogging for business is one of the approaches to get movement to your site and blogging accomplishes this in numerous distinctive ways. The primary benefit of blogging is keeping a crisp website. We consider to what extent the content has been on the rack.
I have’t tried ghost blogging but it seems to be a good way of making some bucks online but i think while writing article for ghost blogging writer should understand that it will be publish on the blog so it has to be helpful and meaningful for others only than article writer can charge for the decent amount for per article.
Cool, quite inspired. I will be busy in building my very own blog much better and also with more content. Once I am satisfied with my content on my website I will start offering ghost blogging service. Nice share. Cheers!
Ghost blogging is pretty popular, thanks for sharing this tips.
I just found your website and because I like what you share I subscribed. I also liked your facebook page. See you on your next updates.
Thanks for the article! I’ve heard of ghost blogging before but I had no idea what it was. I am lucky to have found this article, I now fully understand what ghost blogging is and what an individual can do with it. I think ghost blogging is okay, nothing bad about it and nothing too good about it. It’s an easy way to gain some writing experience as you gain feedback as well as some money.
I have never heart about ghost blogging .I read your post and comments, I think it will be very useful for me.Thanks
Nice one, although you mentioned about not getting trapped in the 5 – 10 $ cheap class, it really is hard to get a start directly at 20-30$ ; Moreover there is always competition, as people are willing to ghost blog at a much cheaper rate you are forced to drop your rate as well unless you have enough reputation and reviews.
Recently I have noticed in social networks and groups people talking about ghosting writing, but don’t know that there is a term known as ghost blogging, thanks for introducing it to me. Fame is one of the advantages of blogging, getting credited for work is necessary in my opinion. Ghost blogging only works for those who are in need of money urgently, what do you think about my opinion, eagerly waiting for your reply.
Hi Niles, this a great guide for people to know how to “ghost blog”. I knew about ghost writing but I didn’t know that people were starting use the term “ghost blogging”. Ghost bloggers are really the same as ghost writers I believe, except I suppose a ghost blogger could also create videos and podcasts, or infographics, anything which is content for a blog post.
I had contracted for someone to write articles for me, on my scuba diving blog – he would’ve been perfect because he was a scuba diver himself and a writer. However, we came to a disagreement because he wanted to use his name on the articles and a link back to his website, so really he would’ve been a guest blogger getting paid.
I did the same for a client of mine in my early writing career but was unaware of the term used for this kind of work…In my opinion many top blogs are using Ghost writers these days…thanks for such a nice and informative article Nile….
IT seems that Ghost blogging is a kind of freelancing right?
Freelancing can be a lot of things… it just means you work for yourself and offer a service like copywriting, web designing, or anything else. Ghost blogging is just a type of service.http://blondish.net/wp-admin/edit-comments.php?comment_status=moderated#comments-form
I used to ghost blog via Fiverr. There are a lot of ghost bloggers for hire there but they don’t make very much except in volume.
The issue is that the posts are crap from most of them. If you’re charging $5, you’re not charging correctly for your time. If your work is great, then you shouldn’t be selling this short. Most of us in the blogging community know that the end result of most writers charging that rate means that the content with be mediocre…. not exactly cool with Google.
Hi, yes interesting post. Problem I would have with it is that most of this is offered in English and would be hard to find people how to write in Swedish. I am on the hiring side of things and would never think about writing the stuff myself. To much work for to little money I am afraid.
Cant wait though to when there is more of a market for this here. 🙂
Nice post
Ghost blogging is more just like a freelance content writer. It is writing articles for other blogs in exchange of money.It is a smart way of earning money. If you have a talent of writing and good knowledge of subjects then surely you can take part in the ghost blogging.
This ghost blogging will not be much appealing for web masters as they will be concerned more on the website or blog performance .
Thank you for sharing
Personally I like guest bloging as a tool for marketing my skills and blog. I never heard of ghost blogging but now with this article atleaee I have an idea. But ghost blogging can be good for bloggers who dont have time for article writing but its good to proof read before actually posting it
Please can you suggest me a genuine site that I can be a ghost blogger, I am acceced to the internet always and also I like writing articles.
Thanks
For ghost blogging, just do a search on get paid to blog or write. However, most require that you have a strong command of the English language.
Basically, after reading your blog post. Ghost blogging is like providing blog content to client without acknowledging themselves as the writer of it. If I am not mistaken, this concept exists quite a long time but I believe more and more people will be ghost blogging for the sake of making money online. A good one, at least you do not have to maintain your own blog. =)
Good guide.
Sure people mix guest blogging and ghost blogging. I like it when the site owner considers the writer and he finally gives good instructions. that is the only thing that I enjoy about ghost blogging.
I am sure a lot of people will confuse ghost blogging with guest blogging but they are way diffrent.
I heard about the Ghost Blogging, it is like pitching someone’s audience and getting paid for it. All it requires is proper command on the language, topic, and experience.
As usual Nile you’ve articulated things extremely well!
Ghost blogging (in principle) is a lot like being an employee, you
get paid, but’s that’s all!
You don’t (or rarely) ever get offered any equity ownership in the company
you work for.
Just like ghost blogging in the sense that you don’t receive any personal credit, just the paycheck.
The legal blog owner owns the content and decides which if any links can appear in the
post etc.
So it’s their asset not the ghost bloggers.
Thanks for clearing up a very common misconception! And articulate the clear
difference between these two completely different concepts!