Writers love writing.
But most of them don’t love doing the work required to get more opportunities to write.
They’d much rather spend their days writing for clients and hope that new business comes through referrals or people stumbling across their content.
I know because I was the same way for the first 4 years of running my writing business…
When the referrals and inbound leads were flowing, life was great.
I could focus on doing what I loved without worrying too much about where my next client would come from.
But when things dried up?
I was anxious as hell.
I never knew where my next client was coming from.
And even when I had clients, there was always that nagging thought in the back of my mind…
“What the hell am I going to do if one of these clients decides to leave?”
It was a horrible position to be in.
My income depended on something I had little control over.
I knew I needed to start reaching out to potential clients, but I hated the idea of cold outreach.
The thought of messaging strangers and trying to convince them to buy my writing services made me cringe.
Mainly because I knew how annoying it felt when people reached out to me.
So, I avoided it for a long time…
But I knew I couldn’t keep building a business where my ability to earn depended on someone remembering to refer me.
…or the LinkedIn/Medium algorithm deciding to show my content to the right person.
I needed a way to create my own opportunities.
This is what led me to develop the LinkedIn cold outreach framework I’ve since used to generate $177,400 in ghostwriting revenue.
And the funny thing is I rarely try to sell anything in my initial messages.
Instead, I focus on being so helpful that prospects start wondering what it would look like to actually work with me.
By the time we talk about money, they’re already interested in what I can do for them.
Let me show you how it works…
Why do writers avoid outreach?
First, we have to deal with the elephant in the room.
A lot of writers avoid cold outreach because of fear.
Fear of rejection.
Fear of annoying people.
Fear of coming across salesy
And I get it…
Nobody enjoys putting themselves out there only to be ignored or told to piss off.
But much of this fear comes from how we think about cold outreach.
Cold outreach isn't about convincing strangers to buy something they don’t want.
And if you treat it that way, it will always feel uncomfortable and scary.
A better way to think about cold outreach is as an opportunity to help someone.
For example, imagine you notice someone walking down the street with their backpack wide open…
Their laptop is sticking out, and it could fall out if they keep walking.
Would you ignore them because you’re afraid of bothering them?
Probably not.
Why?
Because you have information that could help them avoid a problem they might not have noticed.
This is how I think about cold outreach.
I look for people with problems I can solve.
And when I spot an opportunity to help, I reach out and share what I’ve noticed.
Sometimes they’re interested.
Sometimes they’re not.
And that’s fine.
Some people would rather their laptop fall out their bag before they take action.
Others have opened their bag deliberately… I dunno. Maybe a social experiement.
Others might have left their bag open on purpose… I dunno. Maybe it’s a social experiment.
Whatever the reason, the point is this:
Your goal with outreach isn’t to convince everyone to buy from you. It’s to find people who could benefit from what you know and help them move forward.
Once you start approaching outreach this way, it becomes a hell of a lot easier.
Step 1: Find leads
If you’re gonna do outreach effectively, you must know who you’re trying to reach.
I’ve spoken to ghostwriters who’ve told me they help “founders who need ghostwriting,” and they’re surprised when they struggle with outreach.
You MUST be specific about the type of person you want to work with.
If you don’t know WHO your service is for or WHAT you’re helping them achieve, finding good prospects will be hard.
I’ve written an entire article on how to create a ghostwriting offer your ideal customer can’t refuse, so I won’t go too deep into that here.
But once you’ve got your offer, you should have a much clearer picture of your ideal customer.
You should be able to say something like:
I specialize in helping AI professionals build authority and attract leads for their paid courses through LinkedIn content.
The next step is to go where your customers are!
At the time of writing, LinkedIn is still one of the best places to find leads.
I personally use Sales Navigator to source mine.
But just because someone could benefit from your services doesn’t mean they can afford them.
This is why I look for signs a prospect has an established business or a clear way of making money.
For example:
Founders running revenue-generating AI businesses.
Consultants selling high-ticket implementation services.
Entrepreneurs with established products or offers.
Founders whose companies have recently raised funding.
Of course, none of these automatically means someone has the budget or desire to hire a ghostwriter.
But they’re useful signals when deciding who to prioritize.
Next, check whether they’re active on the platform you’re using, which is easy with Sales Navigator.
After all, there’s little point sending messages to people who barely use LinkedIn.
I’ve broken down my process in How I Find High-Ticket Ghostwriting Clients on LinkedIn, including how I identify prospects worth reaching out to.
So give that a read if you want the full breakdown.
For now, remember this:
Know exactly who you’re targeting, go where they are, and prioritize people who are active and have the means to pay you.
Step 2: Find a problem you can help them solve
Remember the person walking down the street with their backpack open and laptop sticking out?
Well, now we’re looking for the LinkedIn equivalent.
People who have a problem you can help them solve, but might not realize it’s costing them opportunities.
This is where a little research goes a long way.
Before reaching out to a prospect, I spend time reviewing their LinkedIn profile, content, and business.
I’m trying to understand two things:
What are they trying to achieve?
What might be stopping them from getting there?
For example:
An AI startup founder might have a great product and a growing business, but barely posts on LinkedIn. They could be missing opportunities to build awareness and attract potential customers.
An AI educator might post consistently but struggle to get their ideas in front of the right people. Their problem might not be consistency, but how they’re communicating their expertise.
A consultant might have years of experience and a high-ticket offer, but their LinkedIn profile does a terrible job of explaining what they do. Potential clients might be visiting their profile and leaving without understanding how they can help.
The key is to look for gaps between where someone is and where they could be.
But just because you spot a problem doesn’t mean the prospect sees it as one…
Like I said before… Maybe they’re running a social experiment. Who knows?
You’ll never know unless you start a conversation with them.
Even if they do acknowledge it’s a problem, it doesn’t necessarily mean solving it is a priority.
So you must start a conversation.
But HOW you start that conversation can determine whether they stop to listen.
Step 3: Offer free consulting
Continue with the example of the person walking around with their backpack open…
If you noticed their laptop was about to fall out, you’d probably walk over and let them know.
They’d thank you, zip up their bag, and carry on with their day.
Problem solved.
This only happens because zipping up a bag is quite easy.
If they were carrying a ton of things and didn’t fancy putting everything down, they might ask you to help close it.
That's the kind of person you're looking for.
Someone who could solve the problem themselves, but might appreciate a helping hand.
Again, you won’t know who they are unless you start the conversation, so you must start a conversation.
Whether they need your help or not doesn’t matter.
This still gives you an opportunity to build trust with the prospect by letting you demonstrate your expertise.
For example, let’s say I found an AI educator whose LinkedIn content isn’t attracting enough potential customers for their courses.
I’d send a message like this:
Hey [NAME], thanks for accepting my connection request. Saw you’re an educator in the AI space, hence the connection.
I’ve been looking at how AI educators are using LinkedIn to attract students, and I noticed a few things that might be useful for you.
Mind if I share them?
If they’re interested, I can put together a short Google Doc or Loom video showing what I’ve noticed and what I’d recommend changing.
And I don’t hold back the useful stuff, either.
I want them to walk away with something they could genuinely implement themselves.
The goal is to show I understand their problem and know how to help them solve it.
Sometimes they’ll take the advice and implement it themselves.
Great.
Other times, they’ll have questions or realize they’d rather have someone else handle the work.
This is when the conversation can naturally move toward working together.
Step 4: Get them on a call
Once you’ve shared your free consulting and the prospect finds it useful, the next step is to get them on a call.
I use this to build more rapport.
And it’s another touchpoint with you, which means they move further down the funnel.
When we’re on the call?
I want them to tell me more about:
What they’re trying to achieve
What’s stopping them
What they’ve already tried
So I can give them more free consulting on what they’ve got to do to get from point A (where they are) to point B (where they want to be).
The funny thing is, much of the advice I give on these calls is just a deeper explanation of what I’ve already shared in the Google Doc or Loom.
But now I can tailor it to their specific situation.
And as they start opening up about their challenges, I often discover problems I wouldn’t have spotted just by looking at their public profile.
But toward the end of the call, if I believe I can help them implement what we’ve discussed, I’ll let them know.
Something as simple as:
“By the way, if you’d rather have someone handle all of this for you, that’s something I can help with. Would you be open to booking another call to discuss what this may look like?”
Notice I’m still not forcing a pitch…
I’m giving them the option to take the next step.
If they’re interested, great.
Now we can talk about what working together might look like.
And if they’re not?
That’s fine too.
They still walk away with advice they can use, and I’ve built a relationship with someone who might need my help later.
In a few months, I could follow up to see where they're at.
Step 5: Make the offer
So they client has accepted the call and you booked it from the discovery call.
If you’ve reached this point, the prospect likely wants to work with you.
The first thing to do is make sure you’re both on the same page.
I like to start by recapping the problems they’ve told me about during our conversation.
Something like:
So, from what you’ve told me, you’re struggling to turn your LinkedIn content into leads for your courses. You’re posting consistently, but you’re not getting the results you want, and you don’t have the time to figure out what’s going wrong. Is that right?
Then I shut up and let them respond.
If I’ve misunderstood something, this gives them a chance to correct me.
Once we’re aligned, I’ll explain how I can help them solve those problems by connecting what I do to the outcomes they’ve told me they want.
Then I’ll ask, “Do you feel like this is something you need?”
If they say yes, “On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being I don’t ever want to speak to you agai, and 10 being, let’s get the ball rolling, where would you say you are?”
If they say 8, 9, or 10, great.
I’ll move on to discussing the investment.
But if they say anything below 8, I’ll ask, “What would get you up to an 8, 9, or 10?”
Because their answer usually tells you what’s holding them back.
Either way, this gives you a chance to address their concerns before asking them to make a financial commitment.
And if I can resolve those concerns, I’ll check whether they’re comfortable moving forward.
Once we’re on the same page, I’ll state the investment.
For example:
“To help you implement everything we’ve discussed, the investment would be $X per month.”
And then…
I shut up.
Seriously.
One of the worst things you can do after sharing your price is start talking because you’re uncomfortable with the silence.
Give them space to make a decision.
If they say yes?
Congratulations.
You’ve landed yourself a new client.
Send the payment link and any paperwork needed to get started.
But if they say something like, “Let me think about it.”
Don’t immediately assume the deal is dead.
Ask what they need to think through.
There might be a concern you haven’t addressed or a question they haven’t asked.
And if there is, help them work through it.
Sometimes that leads to a yes.
Sometimes it doesn’t.
Either way, your job is to help them make an informed decision, not force them into one.
Final thoughts
Cold outreach doesn’t have to feel like selling.
You don’t need some fancy sales script.
You don’t need to pressure strangers into booking calls.
And you certainly don’t need to send hundreds of generic messages hoping someone bites.
Instead, focus on finding people you can genuinely help.
Understand their problems.
Show them you can solve those problems.
And give them opportunities to take the next step when they’re ready.
That’s essentially what my entire framework comes down to.
It’s the approach I’ve used to generate $177,400 in ghostwriting revenue.
Of course, not everyone you reach out to will become a client.
Some people will ignore you.
Others will take your free advice and disappear.
But that’s just part of the process.
So keep going and track your metrics!
Thanks for reading!
This is a great topic