The Art Of Interviewing Clients As A Ghostwriter
I want to give you the secret key to unlocking high-quality content for your ghostwriting clients.
As a ghostwriter, you are playing three very different roles at the same time:
- The Interview
- The Writer
- The Editor
These are all different skill sets.
But proficiency in one area will become an unfair advantage for you in the others.
Your goal shouldn’t just be to become a great “ghostwriter.” You also want to become a great interviewer — because then you will know how to ask very specific questions that give you the exact puzzle pieces you need in order to produce a high-quality piece for the client.
Let’s dive into how to interview your client.
You aren’t just asking questions. You’re collecting intel to create a valuable piece of content.
And what are those pieces?
- A personal story
- A strong opinion
- A relevant study, trend, or data point
- A Named & Claimed framework
The more you can get from the client (in their own words), the easier the writing process will be.
5 Questions To Easily Get Clients Talking
Everyone loves talking about themselves (even if they say they don’t).
The moment we feel like someone is listening, really listening to what we have to say, we can’t help ourselves. We want to let that person into our inner world!
With that mind, here are 5 questions that your client will love answering.
Question #1: “What was it like the first time you…?”
- “What was it like the first time you started working as a software engineer?”
- “What was it like being the youngest lawyer at your law firm?”
- “What was it like taking over your father’s company?”
- “What was it like the first time you ?”
If you want to extract a personal story from a client, this question works wonders.
However, beware, asking someone, “Hey, tell me something personal about yourself.” This feels very invasive — and usually makes them clench up and give you the opposite of a personal story. Instead, ask, “What was it like the first time you…?” and provide a precise moment in time (first promotion, first startup, first investor pitch, etc.).
Watch as your client opens up and replays every memory like a movie.
Question #2: “What’s your interpretation of…?”
- “Is this something you think a lot of other people would agree with?”
- “How come this perspective isn’t a very popular opinion?”
- “Why do you think this happened?”
If you want to extract an opinion from a client, bring them a trending topic or ask them to respond to “conventional wisdom” in their industry.
The goal is to figure out where the client has strong opinions — because those strong opinions will always be the things readers find most interesting. For example: one of the “controversial opinions” I write about all the time is: if you want to write on the Internet, don’t start a blog. Write on social platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, Medium, Quora, etc. As a result, every time I write something that says, “Don’t start a blog,” it gets outsized attention. Because it goes against the grain of conventional wisdom in my industry.
This is the sort of thing you’re trying to extract from your clients.
Question #3: “Which way do you see this going in the future…?”
- “Do you think things will continue heading in this direction?”
- “What’s your interpretation of this trend?”
- “What would turn this around?”
If you want to extract data-related insights from a client, bring them a data point, a recent trend, or an industry study and ask them what they think about it.
Not every client is going to be a wizard at interpreting data. But even non-scientific clients tend to be pretty good at being able to take a data point or trend and project its repercussions into the future. Most people who you’ll be ghostwriting for spend all day, every day, thinking about their industry — trying to interpret where things are headed next.
And when you give your client the chance to share what they think, the conversation becomes an opportunity for them to crystallize all the different perspectives they’ve been considering quietly in their own mind.
Question #4: “If you were to walk someone through how to do this, what would the steps be…?”
- “What would be the very first thing you’d recommend they do? What would be step one?”
- “After that, what’s the next thing you would tell them to do?”
- “Do you think there’s a step between those two?”
- “What would be the very last step?”
If you want to extract a framework from a client, give them the hypothetical situation of how they would explain to someone else how to do something — step-by-step.
The majority of clients will need you to hold their hand through the process. Because they spend 90% of their time doing and not thinking about what they are doing. And when you ask them to unpack “how” they do what they do, it’s hard. The best approach is patience and compassion. When you can give clients new ways of thinking, and help them achieve new levels of clarity of thought, your value as a ghostwriter ascends to a completely different level.
You are no longer seen as a “hired contractor.”
You’re seen as a valuable consultant.
Question #5: “How would you go about solving this…?”
- “What’s the first thing you’d tell them to a complete beginner to do?”
- “What’s the next thing you think they would struggle with?
- “What are 3 things you would do to solve this today?”
Every industry is loaded with challenges, and if you want to know how your client makes decisions, ask them how they approach the problems in their business.
CEOs, senior leaders, and executives dedicate over half of their day to diagnosing and addressing a multitude of issues. The objective is to encourage your client to discuss the various perspectives, effects, and elements they contemplate when tackling a problem. Why is this important? Because being able to articulate their problem-solving process not only helps them gain clarity on the solution but also showcases their expertise on the challenges faced in their industry.
Again, this is how you go from “contractor” to valued advisor.
By the way — I firmly believe the single most effective way to earn 6 figures as a writer is to become a Premium Ghostwriter.
• Land $5k-$10k clients • Earn a dividend on your talents • Get paid to learn & build your network
