LinkedIn Ghostwriter vs Doing It Yourself: Honest Comparison

Hiring a LinkedIn ghostwriter typically costs $2,000-$5,000/month and saves you 5-10 hours weekly, while DIY is free but requires consistent time investment and content skills. The right choice depends on your revenue, time constraints, and whether content creation is a strength or a drain.

Let me break down exactly when each option makes sense, what results to expect, and the hidden costs most founders miss.

The Real Time Cost of DIY LinkedIn Content

Most founders underestimate how long good LinkedIn content takes. Here is the actual breakdown:

Weekly time investment for DIY: Content ideation and planning (1-2 hours), writing and editing 3-5 posts (3-5 hours), engagement like comments, replies, DMs (3-5 hours), analytics review (30 minutes).

Total: 7-12 hours per week. That is essentially a part-time job.

The question is not whether you can do it yourself. You probably can. The question is whether your time is better spent elsewhere.

What a LinkedIn Ghostwriter Actually Does

A good ghostwriter handles more than just writing posts.

Core services: Content strategy and topic planning, writing 3-5 posts per week in your voice, basic engagement support, performance tracking and optimization.

Premium services: Full comment and DM management, thought leadership positioning, repurposing content for other platforms, booking podcast appearances.

The best ghostwriters do not just write. They study your voice, interview you for stories, and develop a content strategy that builds toward specific business goals.

Cost Comparison: DIY vs Ghostwriter

DIY costs: Your time (7-12 hours/week), if your hourly rate is $200+, that is $1,400-$2,400/week in opportunity cost. Tools and scheduling: $50-100/month. Courses or coaching: $500-2,000 one-time.

Ghostwriter costs: Freelance ghostwriter ($1,500-$3,000/month), agency with full service ($3,000-$6,000/month), premium positioning agencies ($6,000-$15,000/month).

For founders billing $300/hour or more, hiring a ghostwriter is almost always the better financial decision. You are buying back 30-50 hours per month.

When DIY Makes More Sense

Do it yourself if:

• You are early stage and cash-strapped. If $2,000/month is a significant expense, that money is better spent on product, sales, or ads.

• You actually enjoy writing. Some founders find content creation energizing. If that is you, keep doing it.

• You are still finding your voice. The first 50-100 posts are where you figure out what resonates.

• Your business is not ready for leads. If you cannot handle more inbound, do not optimize for it.

When to Hire a Ghostwriter

Hire a ghostwriter if:

• Your time is worth more than $150/hour. Simple math.

• You have validated that LinkedIn works for you. Do not hire a ghostwriter to test if LinkedIn is viable. Test it yourself first.

• Content is a bottleneck, not a strength. If you dread posting or know your content is not good, hire someone who does it well.

• You are ready to scale pipeline. If you have sales capacity and need more leads, a good ghostwriter can 2-3x your content output.

Results: What to Actually Expect

DIY results (first 6 months): 500-2,000 new followers, variable engagement depending on consistency, 5-20 inbound conversations. Biggest risk: Inconsistency killing momentum.

Ghostwriter results (first 6 months): 1,000-5,000 new followers, more consistent engagement due to regular posting, 10-50+ inbound conversations with proper strategy. Biggest risk: Voice not matching, content feeling generic.

The gap is not in the writing quality. It is in consistency. Ghostwriters post every day without fail. Founders doing it themselves often fall off after a few weeks.

The Hidden Costs of Each Option

Hidden DIY costs: Mental energy drain from constant content pressure, opportunity cost of not doing higher-leverage work, inconsistency damaging your brand when you go quiet, burnout leading to stopping entirely.

Hidden ghostwriter costs: Onboarding time (4-8 hours initially to capture your voice), review and approval time (1-2 hours weekly), risk of generic content if you do not provide enough input, switching costs if the first hire does not work out.

Neither option is truly set and forget. Even with a ghostwriter, you need to stay involved enough that the content stays authentic.

How to Test If You Should Hire

Before committing to a monthly retainer, try this:

1. Track your time for 2 weeks. Log every minute spent on LinkedIn content. Be honest.

2. Calculate your effective hourly rate. Revenue divided by hours worked. Is LinkedIn content the best use of that time?

3. Assess your consistency. Have you posted 3+ times weekly for the past month? If not, that is a signal.

4. Evaluate your results. Are you getting DMs, comments from prospects, and inbound leads? If not after 3 months, something needs to change.

Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Ghostwriter

Do not hire the first person you find. Ask:

• Can I see samples written for other founders in my space?

• What is your process for capturing my voice?

• How many clients do you work with simultaneously?

• What happens if I do not like the content?

• How do you measure success beyond vanity metrics?

Red flags: No samples, vague answers about process, unwillingness to tie compensation to results.

The Hybrid Approach

Some founders do both. They write 1-2 posts weekly on topics only they can speak to, and a ghostwriter handles 2-3 additional posts on evergreen themes.

This works well if you want to stay connected to your content, have specific stories that need your authentic voice, or want to scale output without fully outsourcing.

Making the Decision

Hire a ghostwriter if: Time is your scarcest resource, you have proven LinkedIn works for lead gen, content is a weakness or energy drain, you can afford $2,000+/month without stress.

Do it yourself if: Cash is tighter than time, you enjoy the writing process, you are still finding product-market fit, you want full control over your voice.

Whatever you choose, commit fully. Half-hearted DIY and half-hearted ghostwriter relationships both produce mediocre results.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to see results from LinkedIn content?

Whether DIY or ghostwritten, expect 3-6 months of consistent posting before meaningful inbound leads. Followers and engagement come faster, usually within 4-8 weeks.

Can a ghostwriter really capture my voice?

Good ones can. It takes 2-4 weeks of working together and requires your input. The best ghostwriters interview you regularly and study your speaking patterns.

What if I hire a ghostwriter and the content feels generic?

This usually means insufficient onboarding or not enough ongoing input from you. Fix it by providing more stories, feedback, and voice notes.

Should I tell people I use a ghostwriter?

Your call. Most executives do not disclose it. The content is still your ideas, just polished by a professional.

How do I find a good LinkedIn ghostwriter?

Ask founders who post great content who they work with. Check LinkedIn for ghostwriters who post about their process. Agencies like Windmill Growth specialize in founder content if you want a done-for-you solution.

Building your LinkedIn presence but not sure where to start? Windmill Growth helps founders create content that actually drives pipeline. We handle everything from strategy to posting.