135: Copywriter or Ghostwriter - what’s the difference and which one do I need?
What’s the real difference between a copywriter and a ghostwriter? In today’s episode, I’m diving into the differences and similarities between copywriting and ghostwriting—a topic that’s piqued my interest and curiosity over the last few months. As more and more copywriters start calling themselves ghostwriters, I couldn’t help but wonder: Is there a real distinction, or is it just smart branding?
Through my own research, polls, and deep dives into industry definitions, I uncover what each type of writer really does and when you should hire one over the other.
Plus, I share insights on how to find a writer who can truly capture your brand’s voice—because at the end of the day, that’s what really matters. If you’re a business owner looking to outsource your writing, a writer navigating your positioning, or just someone who loves a good word nerd debate, this episode is packed with insights you won’t want to miss!
Topics We Cover in This Episode:
The surprising origin of the term "ghostwriter" (hint: it involves baseball!)
Why some copywriters are rebranding as ghostwriters—and if it’s just a marketing strategy
The biggest difference between copywriting and ghostwriting
How ghostwriters and copywriters both shape brand voices behind the scenes
The #1 concern business owners have when outsourcing writing
A key question to ask before hiring a writer to make sure they "get" your voice
Whether I’ve considered calling myself a ghostwriter (and my ultimate decision)
What’s your take on the difference between ghostwriters and copywriters? Find me on social to share your take.
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Welcome to ill communication, copywriting tips and sales strategies for small business. I'm your host, Kim Keel. I'm a copy coach, sales strategist, and direct response copywriter. It's my mission to help women leaders and changemakers amplify their voices through copy. It's why I'm dishing out all the juicy tips, writing prompts, and sales formulas to help you generate more leads, book more calls, and get more high value clients on repeat. Sounds pretty good. It's time to ditch the overwhelm you might be feeling and find confidence in your copywriting so you can get your message out there and attract more soulmate clients. Let's get started. Hello and happy National Ghost Writing Week if you're listening to this at the time of release in the first week of March 2025. It is officially National Ghost Writing Week. Who knew it was such a thing? But apparently it is. Ghost writing is an age old field of practice. Ghost writers or scribes wrote the Bible, epic Greek poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, and quite probably many of Shakespeare's epic plays as well. The term ghost writer was first coined by an American sports agent in the 1920s named Walter Christy Walsh, after he wrote his first piece about baseball player Christy Mathewson and published under the name of a Different author. Walsh began using the term ghost writer. He went on and created a niche PR firm and sports agency, hired 30 scribes or ghost writers who would write for baseball greats like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Now I'm a baseball. Well, not a baseball player.
[00:01:54]
I played softball fastball. I'm a baseball mom, and I write copy for a baseball supply company. So I find this history so fascinating. In today's episode, I'm diving into the differences and similarities between copywriting and ghostwriting. It's a topic that has piqued my interest and curiosity over the last few months, because I've noticed a bit of a theme happening over on LinkedIn. I've come across several folks who do what I do, which is write landing pages, websites, sales pages, and email newsletters. I've seen them calling themselves ghostwriters instead of copywriters. Now, just to back it up as a reminder, in episode 25 and 74, I shared more about the history and the term copywriter or copywriting, which in a nutshell is writing for advertising or marketing purposes. It's the act of writing. Copy and copy is the term used to describe the text of an ad promotion or commercial. So I've always believed that ghost writers and ghost writing specializes in writing books or speeches. When I think of ghost writers, I think of folks who help famous people like actors, celebrities, athletes, and politicians write memoirs, whereas copywriters write marketing and sales materials. When I started seeing more and more copywriters branding themselves as ghost writers, I got pretty curious about it. I wondered, I started to second guess whether I actually knew what a ghost writer does or is. Maybe a ghost writer writes all kinds of copy, and it's actually interchangeable with the term copywriter. I created a poll on Instagram and on LinkedIn, asking folks to weigh in on the nuance and differences between copywriter or ghost writer.
[00:03:48]
Essentially, I asked what people believe a copywriter versus a ghost writer does, and the results were pretty telling. The majority of the responses suggested that ghost writing is a specific field for authoring books, speeches, or blog or newsletter content on behalf of another person, and copywriting was about writing words for marketing and selling. Then I looked up dictionary definitions of copywriting and ghost writing and got kind of the same results. Ghost writers write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are credited to another person as the author and copywriters write text for the purpose of advertising or other forms of marketing, and aimed at selling products and services. When I search ghostwriting jobs on Google or LinkedIn, the vast majority of the jobs that pop up are for ghostwriting novels and books, both fiction and nonfiction, with a few limited jobs seeking ghost writers for LinkedIn posts, Twitter posts or blog posts. By comparison, when I search copywriting jobs, the results are much more widespread, spanning video, script writing, email campaigns, paid ad copywriting brochures, blog posts, sales pages, websites, Amazon listings, and more. Now, there's obviously a big crossover between both fields. Both kinds of writers write a variety of projects. Both attempt to write in the style of the brand or the business owner. Neither ghostwriters nor copywriters are credited for their work behind the scenes, or if they are, it's a very small acknowledgment. Sometimes books will list the ghost writer or coauthor, but rarely will you see who wrote a sales page or email newsletter.
[00:05:38]
So my very unscientific and non-rigorous study leads me to believe that my original belief is accurate. Copywriters operate primarily in marketing and sales, and ghost writers operate primarily in the niche of writing books. But what strikes me about this little experiment and research project is that the copywriters who are positioning themselves as ghostwriters, are being very strategic because they're tackling the biggest objection and hesitation most businesses and personal brands have about outsourcing their writing to others, which is that most business owners are worried the writing won't sound like them. By positioning themselves as ghostwriters, they imply they can seamlessly mimic the voices of their clients. And yet, many of the best conversion or direct response copywriters also seamlessly mimic the voices of their clients. It's one of my biggest differentiators. I can quickly step into my clients voices and write strategic, persuasive sales copy that requires very little editing because I'm able to nail my clients voice, tone, and personality pretty quickly. Now, through this little thought experiment, I considered calling myself a ghostwriter because I saw so many others doing it. But at the end of the day, I'm afraid that if I brand myself as a ghostwriter, a lot of prospects would assume I specialize only in brand voice and copywriting and writing books. Because, let's face it, most people believe that ghost writers write books. I don't know the first thing about how to ghost write a novel, and I wouldn't want to attract clients who want that, because it's just not what I do.
[00:07:16]
But what this conversation and research highlights are the elements you need to look for when you're hiring a writer for your business. If you're looking for someone to help you write your next great novel or memoir, or an article for a journal, blog, or newspaper, you're probably searching for a ghostwriter. If you want someone to write website copy that sells your products or services, or if you want someone to write your weekly email newsletter that nurtures and sells your offers. You want a copywriter who is trained in conversion, copywriting and direct response, and who has the ability to write in your voice and sound like you. Now, copywriters like me, who do both very well, will state in our bios about pages and sales pages that we have certifications and training in conversion copy or direct response. We will also likely have certifications and training in brand voice or verbal identity. On my soon to be refreshed website, I say I'm a sales copywriter and a brand voice mimic. My title on LinkedIn states that I'm a brand voice expert in sales copy strategist, so look for some of those keywords. If you're in the market for a copywriter to help you market and sell your offers. When you're interviewing potential copywriters or ghostwriters, ask what their process is for discovering and writing in a client's voice. Writing in someone else's voice has always come very naturally to me.
[00:08:37]
I'm also certified by the Brand Voice Visionary program, which has a specific process for understanding the cadence, the rhythm, the word choice, and the personality of client's voices. The most powerful combination for a copywriter is someone who can infuse solid, direct response or conversion copywriting strategies with the brand's voice and personality. To write copy that connects, nurtures, and sells, and feels like it's a genuine connection human to human. So, my friend, if this is what you need in your business, I am booking one one on one website, launch copy and email newsletter projects into Q3 and four. So let's hop on a call to get your next copy project off your plate and onto mine. But I'm curious about your thoughts on the whole ghostwriter versus copywriter debate. Have you worked with one or the other in the past? What was your experience? Do you agree with my assessment of the difference in similarities between ghostwriters and copywriters, or am I just being too nerdy for my own good? Please come and find me on social media to share your experience, or to book a call to chat with me over zoom. Links are always in the show notes and if you know or use a ghostwriter or someone who essentially is a ghostwriter, send them a little extra love this week for National Ghost Writing Week. Thank you so much for joining me today. I'll be back here next week with more copywriting tips and sales strategies to grow your business. Bye for now. Hey my sweet friend.
[00:10:09]
I want to thank you for joining me today. I just love creating and sharing content to make your business, and especially writing for your business, a little bit easier. So I'd love to know what your biggest copywriting or marketing questions are. What have you been struggling with? Or do you want to pick my brain about a copywriting strategy or a tactic? I'm starting a new Ask Me Anything segment here on the pod. If you have a burning question about business, copywriting or marketing, or if you want to make an episode suggestion, I'm all ears. You can participate in two ways. Number one visit speakpipe.com/kim Keel. There you'll be able to record a voice note with your question or suggestion. Make sure you include your name and your email and maybe a little background info for context. Number two, you can send me a text in the show notes of this episode. You'll see a link to text me a question or comment. When you click that link, it'll open up your text messenger where you can text me your question directly. Make sure you leave all the weird numbers that pop up, and please add your name and email address or mobile number so I can keep in touch. I can't wait to create these. Ask me anything or pick my brain episodes, so please play along. I can't wait to help you solve whatever's blocking you from getting your message out there. Find the links to ask me your questions in the show notes.
Resources
Find out more about what copywriters are and do: episode 25 and episode 74
What’s your take on the difference between ghostwriters and copywriters? Find me on social to share your take.
Need someone to take writing projects off your plate? Book a call to chat about the ways I can support you
I would love to connect on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KimKielCopy, Instagram: www.instagram.com/kim_kiel_copy, and Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kimkiel
Additional Resources
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