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If you’re struggling to make more in your writing business, chances are you don’t have a problem with your writing.

You have a client communication problem.

Understanding how to navigate client conversations is crucial if you want to build a stable, long-term ghostwriting business. At 26 years old, I was writing for CEOs and influential executives at super-successful companies. So I had to learn, fast, how to speak with these clients and overcome their objections.

Mastering these 10 client questions and objections is how I was able to grow my ghostwriting business from $20k/month to a ghostwriting agency doing $180k/month in less than 2 years.

Let’s dive in!

Question 1: "Why can't I just find someone on Upwork to do this for half the price?"

When clients ask about finding a lower-priced alternative, they're often trying to put you in a price comparison situation.

Here's how to handle it:

• Step 1: Don't fall into the trap of defending your prices.
• Step 2: Respond with confidence: "You're welcome to explore other options if that's best for your business."
• Step 3: Educate them on the unique value you bring. Highlight your skills, experience, and understanding of their specific industry.

Throughout this, you’ll be subtly explaining why it’ll be more work and effort to find someone with your particular skill set at a lower price point.

Remember, your goal is to position yourself as a premium service provider, not compete with the lowest bidders in the marketplace (who spend all their time fighting over gigs on Upwork and Fiverr).

Question 2: "Why can't I pay you per hour or per word?"

This question is a signal they want to negotiate your rates down.

Instead, you should focus on explaining how your pricing model aligns incentives:

• Step 1: Explain that you don't use hourly or per-word pricing.
• Step 2: Emphasize that you, as a business owner, charge per asset or outcome.
• Step 3: Then highlight how this pricing model aligns incentives by tying your compensation to the quality of the end result, not the time spent working. And that’s good for them!

A good quality client, as a fellow business owner, will always understand this work vs outcomes approach.

Question 3: "Why do I have to pick a niche? I want to reach as many people as possible!"

This question reveals a common misconception about content creation.

It’s not about the number of likes you get. It’s about the number of clients you land or traffic you drive to the business. And you can’t do this if you create “vague” content that tries to appeal to a wide audience.

Here's how to guide them:

• Step 1: Explain the concept of becoming known for a specific niche.
• Step 2: Show how trying to reach everyone results in reaching no one.
• Step 3: Highlight the benefits of niching down (such as: easier to establish their authority with an audience, build a more engaged and loyal following which ultimately leads to higher conversion rates, high-quality leads, etc).

This is where you step into your role as a trusted advisor (or consultant), not a commodity freelancer.

As a bonus, offer to help them identify their niche so they can take advantage of becoming known for a niche they own.

Question 4: "Do you have any testimonials?"

This is a really hard one for ghostwriters just starting out on their journey.

But I built a 7-figure ghostwriting agency without using testimonials—because all my clients wanted to remain anonymous. If anything, this is just a “tick box” clients feel like they need to check before hiring you. So don’t take it personally if they ask!

Here’s how to handle this question:

• Step 1: Don’t get disheartened. A lack of testimonials doesn't mean a lack of skill.
• Step 2: Shift the focus to the client's specific needs and challenges. Take a free consulting approach and educate them on the problem they know they have (or one they don’t know they have) and how you can solve it.
• Step 3: If you’ve generated outcomes for other clients, describe them without naming names.

Your ability to understand and address the client's needs is more important than testimonials from previous clients. And it's more than producing a portfolio of work.

Question 5: "Can you send me any case studies you have?"

This is similar to the previous question—so follow the steps outlined there.

Remember: this isn’t a question of your ability. It just shows you haven’t sufficiently educated them on the problem that’s holding them back in their business. So shift the focus onto this (with a free consulting approach). This will help you overcome this objection.

And you can always use the line: “As a ghostwriter, I can’t speak about the exact details of my clients.”

This works every single time.

And if you’re looking for other ways to build your credibility, try this 4-point checklist:

Question 6: "What's the difference between you and every other ghostwriter out there?"

This question is often a test of your confidence and expertise.

Here's how to respond:

• Step 1: Don't feel pressured to list all of your qualifications here. They’re trying to see if you’ll crumble under pressure!
• Step 2: Agree with them—”Yes, there are other types of writers out there doing this type of work… but…”
• Step 3: Explain how your specialized knowledge of their niche, your understanding of their business challenges, and how you’re fluent in the language of their industry sets you apart from other writers.

By positioning yourself as a specialist in their field, you'll stand out from other (generalist) writers.

This is your Premium Positioning at work (and it’s why it’s so important to nail this before approaching clients).

Question 7: "That's too expensive. I don't think it's worth it."

This isn’t really a question, but they’re asking for a discount.

When you’re faced with price objections, here’s what to do:

• Step 1: Don't immediately lower your price or get defensive
• Step 2: Do some napkin math to help the client understand the potential return on investment (ROI) with working for you (how many products/services would they need to sell to get their money back, etc.)
• Step 3 (Bonus): Showing them the potential ROI should be enough here. If not, show how what you produce is an asset for their business that will keep delivering for them in the future. And without you, they wouldn’t have this asset.

By focusing on value and potential returns, you can help clients see beyond the initial investment.

Question 8: "I don't want to be famous, but I want organic traffic to my business. What should I do?"

This always comes up when a potential client doesn’t fully understand content marketing.

• Step 1: Reassure the client that creating content doesn't automatically lead to fame (if only!)
• Step 2: Explain the difference between building authority and becoming a celebrity.
• Step 3: Refocus them on their primary goal: driving organic traffic to their business.

And, by addressing these concerns, you demonstrate your understanding of content strategy and digital marketing.

Question 9: "I want my content to sound unique. How are you going to do that?"

Every client believes their voice is unique.

But in reality, their voice will fall into one of these archetypes:

1. The Storyteller
2. The Opinionator
3. The Fact Presenter
4. The Frameworker
5. The F-Bomber

How do I know? Because 99% of the clients I worked with were one of these five voices. So don’t get caught out by trying to create a voice that’s “unique” to the client.

Instead, do this:

• Step 1: Validate their feelings—”Yes, I will work hard to capture your voice.”
• Step 2: Explain how you’ll do an audit of their existing content and perform interviews to establish their voice.
• Step 3: Lay out the 5 Archetypes of Client Voices to show your expertise in the area, and explain how you’ll work with them to find which archetype they fit into and tweak it to match their style.

In the end, clients just want to sound confident and an authority in their space.

Question 10: "This section needs some work. Can you clean this up?"

If a client ask this, it means they don’t know exactly what they want.

But most writers agree with the client, go away and make a ton of edits they think the client wants, and then come back with a second draft that’s often worse than the first! Don’t make this mistake.

Instead, here’s how to handle this feedback:

• Step 1: Don't immediately agree to make changes without clarification
• Step 2: Schedule a quick call or meeting to discuss the feedback
• Step 3: Ask specific questions to get the client to articulate exactly what they want changed:
  • Is the structure confusing?
  • Is more research or data needed?
  • Does a section lack personal anecdotes?

Then once you know exactly what needs to be changed, get to work.

By taking this approach, you'll save time, avoid misunderstandings, and deliver revisions that meet the client's expectations.

If you know how to answer these 10 questions, you quickly become a trusted advisor to your clients.

And being a consultant (rather than a “commodity freelancer”) is why clients want to work with you more.

These 10 questions only scratch the surface of what you’ll get asked as a writer. But they provide a foundation to help you build the pattern recognition you need to start working with more high-profile clients.

Because, at the end of the day, if you can address these objections, you will:

1. Build trust with potential clients
2. Position yourself as a valuable advisor
3. Justify premium rates for your services
4. Streamline your workflow, avoid misunderstandings, and provide world-class delivery

And more!

Remember, the key to success lies not just in your writing skills but in your ability to understand, educate, and guide your clients.

That’s it!

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