From the Pen to the People—Why Even Presidents Hire Ghostwriters
“Four score and seven years ago…”
“Ask not what your country can do for you…”
“The only thing we have to fear…”
Most of us can probably finish these famous presidential lines. Our nation’s leaders often leave their mark in our minds through the power of words. But have you ever considered the team behind putting those words together?
Presidents have some of the most unique and valuable insights to share. Still, between running the country and looking out for the best interests of the American people, time is a rare commodity. Even if they consider themselves great writers, more critical responsibilities will always trump writing.
This is why presidents often turn to writers for help. Unlike leaders of a country or a company, professional ghostwriters specialize in one sole responsibility: turning every word of another person’s voice into compelling content likely to resonate with a desired audience. Anyone with aspirations to leave behind a legacy of thought leadership would be wise to take a page from American presidents—hire a ghostwriter.
A Presidential Tradition of Ghostwriting
Despite being known for his eloquence, Warren G. Harding was the first president to hire a presidential speechwriter in 1921. Still, I suppose the first president to use a ghostwriter could be considered our first president, George Washington, who contracted the help of James Madison and Alexander Hamilton to draft his famous Farewell Address.
By the 20th century, presidents were openly collaborating with ghostwriters to produce content under their name. Dwight D. Eisenhower had a team of speechwriters to draft his public addresses and John F. Kennedy’s chief speechwriter and ‘alter ego,’ Ted Sorensen, helped him pen his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Profiles in Courage.
Presidents hire ghostwriters not because they can’t write well, but because they want to dedicate themselves to being good presidents and also write well.
Here’s how ghostwriters help:
They level-up the message
Think about your most exciting memory. Don’t worry about how you tell the story, just tell it. That’s how easy it can be to work with a ghostwriter.
Leaders have valuable insights to share and ghostwriters let them tell that story in the way that feels easiest to them. They take a leader’s message, analyze every word for clarity, relevance, and organization, and then shape that to have the greatest impact.
Enlisting the help of a ghostwriter is about leveling up content quality. Ghostwriters analyze every opportunity to refine readability, flow, and structure through word selection, tone, and storytelling. Even strong writers would benefit from working with a ghostwriter. Through collaboration, we become better writers.
They aim to emulate
A ghostwriter’s goal is not to write better than the author, but to be indistinguishable from them. Ghostwriters want their clients to see themselves in the final content. Clients should never worry about expressing their preferences because their ghostwriters thrive on that feedback.
If leaders are passionate about taking an unconventional writing approach, ghostwriters should be willing and equipped to craft that message in a way most likely to achieve their goals. A good ghostwriter knows all the rules of writing, and also how to break them effectively. They may advise against certain choices for readability or impact, but their clients get the final say.
Great Leaders Use Ghostwriters—and You Should Too
By hiring a ghostwriter, you recognize the value in sharing your insights at their highest potential, even if you lack the time to strategically write and distribute them. Ghostwriters alleviate that burden so leaders can deliver impactful messages that are read, understood, and remembered without sacrificing the time they need to lead.
Like presidents, executives and entrepreneurs also have great ideas for thought leadership content, but not necessarily the time to craft it into compelling content.
Are you a leader with a message to share?
Have you considered the power of ghostwriting?
Contact us to learn how KNG Services, LLC can help!
