How to spot the best LinkedIn ghostwriters

Sell in Public → B2B LinkedIn content agency → LinkedIn ghostwriters

Step 1: Read the portfolio like a skeptic

A ghostwriter's portfolio is usually a handful of posts they're proud of. Read them slowly and ask four questions.

Do the clients sound different from each other? Read three samples written for three different people back to back. If they share a rhythm, the same one-line paragraphs and the same opening formula, you're hearing the writer's habits instead of the clients' voices.

Are there specifics? Look for a real number from the business, a situation described in enough detail that you can picture it, or a decision explained with its reasons and costs. "Five lessons on leadership" is easy to write and tells you nothing about skill.

Would a buyer learn something? Strong LinkedIn posts teach, argue or tell a story a customer would recognize. A post that only exists to announce the author's opinion of themselves is filler.

Did the posts land with the right people? Ask for links to live posts where the client allows it. Where they don't, ask the writer to walk you through the post and its comments on a screen share. Thoughtful replies from people in the client's industry tell you far more than the reaction count.

Step 2: Put the samples through two quick tests

The swap test. Take a sample and imagine a competitor's CEO posting it unchanged. If it would work just as well, it's generic.

The source test. Ask the writer to pick one sample and explain what the client gave them and what they added. A strong ghostwriter will describe the raw material in detail: an interview, a voice note, a messy Slack thread, a sales call. They'll also tell you which lines are the client's own words. A vague answer often means the draft started from a template or an AI prompt.

Step 3: Ask how they'd work with you

Before you pay anything, get clear on the basics:

• How will you get material from me: live interviews, voice notes, call recordings, my old writing?
• How much of my time do you need each week, and when?
• Who else touches the drafts? Do you subcontract, and how do you use AI tools?
• How many clients do you write for at the moment?
• What happens when a draft just doesn't sound like me?

Good answers are specific and a little opinionated. A writer who says "whatever works for you" to every question hasn't thought much about process.

Step 4: Run a short paid trial

A trial shows you more than any portfolio. Keep it small and real:

1. Give them one interview (30 to 45 minutes is plenty) and one existing piece of material, such as a recorded sales call or a customer story your team tells often.
2. Ask for three or four posts within a week or two.
3. Pay their normal rate. Unpaid tests attract writers with time on their hands rather than the ones with full calendars.

Per-post rates vary widely. One agency's pricing guide puts LinkedIn posts at $50 to $500 depending on the writer's level, while another puts the typical freelance rate at $300 to $800 a post. Both are agencies that sell the service, and they don't agree on the low end, so ask each writer for their rate up front.

When the drafts arrive, judge them on these points:

• Edits: did they need light edits or a rewrite?
• Questions: did the writer come back with sharp follow-ups, or just send drafts?
• Surprise: did a draft pull out a point you'd made in passing and forgotten? Few things say more about a writer's ear.
• Your name: would you post it with almost no changes?

Step 5: Call two references and ask the uncomfortable questions

Many ghostwriting clients keep the arrangement private, so don't expect a public client list. A good writer can still arrange a private call with one or two people they've written for. Ask them:

• How much did you rewrite in the first month compared with the third?
• Did anything ever go out that you weren't happy with?
• Did buyers, candidates or investors ever mention the posts?
• What does the writer need from you that you found hard to give?
• Would you hire them again?

Warning signs worth walking away from

• Every sample sounds like the same person.
• They promise follower counts or impressions.
• They're ready to send drafts before they've spoken to you.
• A price that looks too low for the volume, which can mean the posts are mostly machine-written.
• No clear answer about who else sees your material.

When one writer isn't enough

A single ghostwriter works well for one founder with a steady schedule. It gets harder once a second or third person wants to post, or when you want the content tied to what your sales team is hearing. At that point an agency with more than one writer is often easier to manage than several separate freelancers. The same five steps still apply: you're judging the writers the agency puts on your account.