How to Brief a LinkedIn Ghostwriter Before the First Draft

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Last updated: October 27, 2026

By Frank Velasquez, YourSocialStrategy.

BLUF: A ghostwriter brief is four piles, and all four come from you. Who you help and what you refuse. Samples of how you actually talk. Proof you will let them use. Lines that never go public. An adjective like "professional but warm" is a mood, and a writer cannot draft from a mood.

Key takeaways

The four piles are positioning, samples, proof, and boundaries. A writer who gets all four can start. A writer who gets one will guess the other three.

Positioning fits on one page. If it takes two, you have not decided yet.

Samples beat adjectives. Hand over posts, call recordings, voice notes, and emails, including ones you would never publish.

Mark every piece of proof as usable, anonymize, or never before the first draft exists.

Keep a boundary list of topics, numbers, and names that stay off the feed.

Send a raw note every week after the first brief. Without it the voice freezes on week one.

You still approve the claim, the story, and the final line of every post.

What goes in a LinkedIn ghostwriter brief?

Four things go in the brief: your positioning, samples of how you talk, the proof you allow, and your boundaries. Each one answers a question the writer would otherwise have to guess.

Positioning answers who the posts are for and what you stand for. Samples answer how you sound. Proof answers what you can claim without a lawyer or a client getting upset. Boundaries answer what the writer must never touch.

The briefs that come across my desk fail the same way. They are a paragraph of adjectives and a link to a website. The writer then reads the website, which was written for a different job, and the posts come back sounding like the website.

I run content for 11 clients, and the drafts that flopped had one thing in common. In my words: the ones that flopped were talking ABOUT the client instead of TO the reader. That is a positioning gap, and it starts in the brief.

Pile one: positioning

Positioning is who you help, what you help them do, and what you refuse to do. It also holds the one or two opinions you would defend in public.

Keep it to one page. The page forces a decision, and the writer needs a decision more than they need a long document.

Fill-in lines:

I help [specific buyer] do [specific outcome].

The buyer usually arrives after [the situation that sends them to me].

I would turn down [type of client or request] because [reason].

One belief I hold that others in my field would argue with: [belief].

The reader should finish a post thinking: [one sentence].

The "turn down" line does more work than the first one. It tells the writer which readers to write past. A feed that tries to speak to everyone gets recognized by nobody.

Pile two: samples

Samples are how the writer hears you. Hand over real material in your own voice.

Good sources:

Posts of yours you would still sign today.

Posts of yours you would not sign, with a note on why.

A recorded sales call or client call, with permission and with names removed.

Voice notes where you explain your work to a friend.

Emails you wrote fast and meant.

The posts you would not sign matter as much as the ones you would. They show the writer where the edge is.

Recordings carry more voice than writing does. When you write, you edit yourself. When you talk through a problem, the odd phrasing, the swearing, and the tangents are still in there. A good writer lifts the phrases that only you would say.

Fill-in lines:

Three to five posts I would still sign: [links].

Two or three I would not, and why: [links and one line each].

Recordings I can share: [list].

Words and phrases I use all the time: [list].

Words I would never say out loud: [list].

If you hand over no samples, the writer builds your voice from the average of everyone in your field. That is how a post that could have been written for anyone gets written.

Pile three: proof you will let them use

Proof is every result, client, number, and story the writer could point to. Founders usually have plenty. Very little of it is cleared.

Sort each item into one of three marks before the first draft:

Usable. The writer can name it and use the details.

Anonymize. The writer can use the shape of it, with the client, industry, and size details removed or changed.

Never. The writer cannot use it in any form.

Fill-in lines:

Results I can state in public, with the source: [list, marked usable].

Stories I can tell with details removed: [list, marked anonymize].

Clients, numbers, and stories that stay off the feed: [list, marked never].

Marking proof early saves the worst conversation in ghostwriting. A draft comes back with a client's result in the second paragraph, the result is accurate, and you cannot publish it. Now the writer has spent a week on a post you will cut.

Proof also does a job for sales. In the work I do, prospects quote things a client said on LinkedIn when they get on the call. They cite the post back. That only happens when the proof was specific, and specific proof only gets into a post when it was cleared up front.

Pile four: boundaries

Boundaries are the lines that never go public. They are different from the "never" proof list because they cover topics and tone as well as facts.

Think about:

Topics you will not post about, such as politics, a former employer, or a pending deal.

People you will not name.

Numbers you will not publish.

Opinions you hold privately and will not state on the feed.

Formats you refuse, such as engagement bait or an AI-generated image.

Fill-in lines:

I will never post about: [list].

I will never name: [list].

I will never publish these numbers: [list].

If a draft touches [topic], stop and ask me first.

A boundary list is short. If it runs past a page, some of it is probably preference and belongs in the samples.

What to answer in the first conversation

The brief is a document. The first conversation is where it comes alive. A good writer asks questions, and you should expect to answer these four in your own words:

What do you want to be known for?

What would you never post?

What is one claim you can make from work you did yourself?

Which of your posts would you still sign?

Do not prepare polished answers. Talk. Record it if the writer allows. The unpolished version is the useful one, because the writer is listening for how you phrase things.

If the writer skips these questions and starts drafting, take that as information. A writer with no questions is planning to guess.

Two passes before anything publishes

The brief gets the first draft closer. Two review passes get it to publishable. Run them in this order and keep them separate.

Pass one: is the claim true and cleared? Read the draft for facts only. Does every number have a source? Is every client detail marked usable or anonymized? Does the story match what happened? Ignore the writing in this pass.

Pass two: would you say the sentence? Now read for voice. Read it aloud. Mark every line you would not say to a peer over coffee. Replace those lines with your own words, or send them back with a note.

Do the passes in that order. A beautiful sentence built on a claim you cannot publish is wasted work, and a cleared claim in a stiff sentence is easy to fix.

What you still approve

A brief does not hand the feed to the writer. After the brief exists, you still approve three things on every post:

The claim. Is the point of the post something you believe and can back up?

The story. Did it happen, and are the details yours to share?

The final line. It is the line people remember, and it carries your name.

Everything else can move quickly. Those three stay with you.

How to keep the brief current after week one

A brief goes stale. In week one it describes you accurately. By week eight you have had new client calls, changed your mind about a few things, and shipped something new. The posts still reflect week one.

Fix this with a weekly raw note. Send the writer one of these, every week:

A voice note about the most interesting thing that happened in your work.

A question a client asked that you had to think about.

Something you changed your mind about.

A result, marked usable, anonymize, or never.

Five minutes is enough. The raw note is what keeps the posts tied to what you are doing now. The first brief sets the voice and the weekly note keeps it alive.

When the notes stop, the drift starts. I wrote about what happens after a bad start in why ghostwriters go quiet by month three. Missing raw material is one of the first causes.

What not to do

Do not send a mood board of adjectives. "Authentic, bold, approachable" describes ten thousand people.

Do not send a prompt with no samples. This goes for a human writer and a tool alike. The same gap shows up in why AI content sounds the same, where the brief is the product.

Do not let a never-marked number or client into a draft. If it appears, the boundary list was not read or was not clear.

Do not skip the second pass because the first draft looks good. A good-looking draft is the one most likely to get published without a check.

If your posts already come back sounding generic, the cause is usually missing raw material. I covered that diagnosis in why your LinkedIn doesn't sound like you. This page is the brief you hand over once you have the diagnosis.

Briefing checklist

Before you send the brief, check each line:

Positioning fits on one page.

I attached samples, including at least two I would not sign.

Every piece of proof is marked usable, anonymize, or never.

The boundary list is written down.

I know the four questions I will answer in the first conversation.

I have a weekly raw note scheduled.

I know I approve the claim, the story, and the final line.

Methodology: four ways to start the drafts

To compare how the first drafts begin, I looked at four setups. I scored each on objective fields and left out any ranking of writers or tools. The fields are who supplies the raw material, how many samples are handed over, whether proof marks are in place, who approves the final line, what week two still needs from the founder, and the failure mode.

The table describes setups, not products. It does not say one of them wins. A founder with ten minutes a week and a clear point of view will choose differently than a founder with an hour and no samples.

If you want a longer look at the other paths, including alternatives to hiring a writer, see LinkedIn ghostwriter alternatives and what LinkedIn ghostwriting coaching is.

Comparison table

Way of starting	Who supplies the raw material	Samples handed over	Proof marked usable / anonymize / never	Who approves	What week two still needs	Failure mode
Founder writes with no brief	Founder, from memory	None	No	Founder	A reason to keep writing	Posts stop when the calendar fills up
Founder fills the four-part brief and writes the posts	Founder, from the brief	3 to 5 you would sign, 2 or 3 you would not	Yes	Founder	A weekly raw note to self and a time slot	Brief is filled once and never reopened
Founder fills the brief and a ghostwriter drafts	Founder, plus a weekly raw note	3 to 5 you would sign, 2 or 3 you would not, plus recordings	Yes	Founder approves claim, story, and final line	The weekly raw note	Voice freezes on week one if the note stops
A tool drafts from a one-line prompt and no samples	Nobody, the tool fills the gap	None	No	Whoever clicks publish	The full brief, which it never had	Output reads like every other post in the niche

The pattern across rows: the two setups that begin with a filled brief are the only two with proof marks in place. The setups with no samples share a failure mode, which is posts that could belong to anyone.

What changes when you brief for more than one person?

A brief gets harder when more than one person speaks for a company. If you are briefing for several executives, each one needs a separate brief. The positioning pile in particular cannot be shared, because two people with the same positioning will start sounding alike. For that setup, see how to maintain voice at scale without turning every client into the same person.

FAQ

What goes in a LinkedIn ghostwriter brief?

Four things go in: your positioning on one page, samples of how you talk, a list of proof marked usable, anonymize, or never, and a boundary list of what stays off the feed. After that, a weekly raw note keeps it current.

What should you hand over instead of adjectives?

Hand over samples. Posts you would still sign, posts you would not, recordings of calls or voice notes, and emails you wrote quickly. A writer hears your voice in real material. An adjective gives them nothing to copy.

What proof can the writer use?

Only proof you have marked. Usable proof can be named and detailed. Anonymize proof can be used with identifying details removed. Never proof cannot be used in any form. Mark each item before the first draft.

What has to stay off the feed?

Anything on your boundary list. That usually means topics, people, and numbers you will not publish. Write them down, because a writer cannot read your mind and will test the edge if it is not marked.

What should you answer in the first conversation?

Four questions. What you want to be known for. What you would never post. A claim you can make from work you did. A post of yours you would still sign. Answer them out loud and keep it unpolished.

What do you still approve after the brief is written?

The claim, the story, and the final line of every post. Everything else can move faster, but those three carry your name.

How do you keep the brief current after week one?

Send a raw note every week. A voice note, a client question, a changed opinion, or a marked result. Five minutes is enough. Without it the posts stay tied to who you were in week one.

How do you brief a ghostwriter so posts sound like the founder?

Give them samples of the founder's real speech and writing, including posts the founder would reject. Then run two review passes: first on whether the claim is true and cleared, then on whether the founder would say the sentence.

If you want to talk through how a brief and a review of your drafts would work for you, book a discovery call.