Your clients can use ChatGPT now.
They can type “Write me a LinkedIn post about leadership” and get something in 4 seconds.
So why would they pay you?
Here’s what changed.
Two years ago, ghostwriting was about volume and consistency. You showed up, you wrote the posts, you hit publish. Clients didn’t have time. You did.
That’s not the game anymore.
ChatGPT has 800 million users. Every one of them can generate content instantly.
The “I don’t have time to write” problem just got solved for free.
If you’re still selling “I’ll write your posts for you,” you’re competing with a $20/month subscription.
You’ll lose.
But here’s what most ghostwriters miss.
AI content is getting ignored.
The data from this week is maddening
Posts with generic AI hooks get 2-3x fewer comments than human-sounding posts
Brand accounts are losing to individual voices by 2x
70-80% of LinkedIn videos are watched without sound
People can feel when content is AI-generated. Even if they can’t articulate it. They scroll past.
Your clients are starting to notice. Their engagement is dropping. Their DMs are drying up.
And they’re blaming you.
Here’s the opportunity.
Most ghostwriters responded to AI by using AI.
They plugged client briefs into ChatGPT. They accepted the first draft. They shipped average.
Now all their clients sound the same. “Dive into.” “Unleash your potential.” “In today’s fast-paced world.”
Bot-to-bot chatter. Two AIs talking while humans scroll past.
This is your opening.
The ghostwriters who will win in 2026 aren’t the fastest.
They’re the ones who can capture voice.
Voice is the only thing AI can’t fake. AI gives you the average of the internet. It doesn’t give you the specific way your client pauses mid-thought. The phrase they overuse. The opinion they’d never say out loud but absolutely believe.
That’s your job now.
Not writing posts. Capturing humans.
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Here’s exactly how I approach this.
Step 1: Extract voice before you write anything.
Most ghostwriters skip this. They read a brief, skim some old posts, and start writing.
𝗡𝗼.
Spend 30 minutes building a voice profile first. Pull from their emails, Slack messages, and recorded calls. Not their polished content. Their raw communication.
Look for:
Sentence length patterns (short and punchy? or long and reflective?)
Signature phrases they repeat
Words they would never say
Emotional range (vulnerable? confrontational? measured?)
Document it. Reference it every time you write.
Step 2: Feed AI context, not prompts.
Don’t type “Write a LinkedIn post about X.”
Give AI everything first. The voice profile. Examples of their best posts. The specific audience. What they never say.
Then ask for a draft.
Context > prompts. Always.
Step 3: AI writes v1. You write v2-v10.
First drafts from AI are starting points. Nothing more.
I cut 30% of every AI output by default. I delete the jargon. I break the rhythm. I add the specific detail that only exists in the brief.
If you ship v1, you shipped average.
Step 4: The generic test.
Before you send anything to a client, ask this:
“If I removed their name, could anyone in their industry post this?”
If yes, you failed. Add specificity. Add their numbers. Add their story. Add the thing only they would say.
If no, you’re ready.
Here’s the reality.
Clients aren’t paying for words anymore. Words are free.
They’re paying for voice accuracy. For someone who can make AI output sound like them, not like every other founder on LinkedIn.
The ghostwriters who get this will charge more and keep clients longer.
The ghostwriters who don’t will watch their clients cancel and “try doing it themselves with ChatGPT.”
Your competitive advantage isn’t writing speed.
It tastes.
Taste is your ability to say no to everything AI gives you and yes to a few things that sound exactly like your client.
That’s the job now.
Master it before your clients figure out they don’t need you.
Written by Sarra, the Ghost behind SubText – professional ghostwriter, strategist, and marketer hiding in plain sight behind the voices you read every day.
Find me here → linkedin.com/in/meetsarra
