Ghostwriting for Executives: A Practical Guide for Internal Comms Pros

Ask any internal communications professional to name a task that consumes a significant portion of their workday, and I’m willing to bet they’ll answer, “ghostwriting for executives” (or something of the like).

From all staff emails to all-hands talking points and intranet or wiki announcements to crisis communications, ghostwriting for executives is a strategic skill internal communicators need to succeed. And while it might seem like ghostwriting is simply another writing task, it involves a lot of nuances and depth to capture a leader’s voice (and ensuring their written communications match their actions for maximum impact) and craft content that lands.

After nearly a decade of ghostwriting for executives as an executive assistant and internal communications professional with change management expertise, I've compiled my best tips for mastering the art of ghostwriting for exec comms.

Why does ghostwriting for executives matter, anyway? On the surface, it directly impacts how employees perceive leadership, the company’s culture, and the organization’s direction and vision. But beyond the basics, the art and act of ghostwriting for leaders offers a unique opportunity for internal communicators to serve as strategic coaches, culture shapers, and valuable team members executives can’t live without.

Below are some additional strategic benefits of ghostwriting for executives as an internal communicator beyond the general basics:

One of the most underrated and underutilized benefits of ghostwriting for executives is that it enables internal communicators to serve as thoughtful communications coaches to their leaders. Yes, as an internal communications professional, you likely draft and send the messages (with executive approval), or perhaps your leader frames the message and you revise it before sending.

You must get the work done. But you can (and should) use ghostwritten communications as an opportunity to coach and guide your executives. Here are some ways to do this:

• Model clear, audience-first messaging and show executives specifically what this language looks like (and how they might repeat it during all hands and other speaking opportunities
  • Encourage the “What’s in it for our employees?” framing and mindset
  • Extract phrases from ghostwritten communications that executives may need to repeat aloud
• Help executives spot and avoid phrases and jargon that cause disconnect
  • Ditch corporate jargon (e.g., synergies, circle back, low-hanging fruit)
  • Encourage inclusive storytelling and language (e.g., holiday mentions—not everyone celebrates the same holidays)
• Debrief after key messages to identify what worked well, what didn’t land, and where to improve for next time
  • Run a brief (15-minute) retrospective or an asynchronous follow-up to keep track of communication feedback
  • Be open and honest about any feedback you receive from employees (or hear out in the wild) to help your leaders grow
• Recommend opportunities to infuse personal anecdotes (when it makes sense)
  • Note any conversations or stories that executives share with you that might fit into upcoming comms
  • Encourage leaders to bring their humanness to their communications for deeper connections and breaking down silos across hierarchies

Many executives are brilliant visionaries and big-picture business people, but they aren’t always natural communicators. Too often, leaders approach their communications from their perspective, which doesn’t always resonate with team members.

As ghostwriters for executives, internal communicators play a powerful and critical role in bridging the gap between abstract business concepts and relatable terms that resonate with their audience. Some ways you can narrow the gap:

• Consider your questions and misunderstandings – While internal communicators are often privy to more information than their non-communications and HR counterparts, sometimes messages still feel messy as they work through them. Odds are, if you have a question about an announcement or communication from the CEO or another leader, someone else will have the same question. When in doubt, flag your questions to determine whether something is missing.
• Keep a running list of confusing topics and communication feedback from pulse and employee engagement surveys – Most (if not all) communications are not standalone activities. If you gather feedback about your internal comms, review it regularly and use the feedback to address (and prevent) gaps from previous communications.
• Use common analogies to break down complex visions – Sometimes, business concepts can seem complex and grandiose, regardless of how you present them. When you find yourself in this situation, consider brainstorming analogies that will help employees understand the complexities in a way that resonates with them. (This is where storytelling comes into play!)

Every message from leadership is an opportunity to reinforce company values, vision, strategic priorities, and past messaging. The challenge is that many organizations move quickly (things change, understandably), and blasting messages without ensuring a consistent lens can cause misunderstandings, rumors, and confusion.

As ghostwriters for executives, internal communicators should pause, slow down, and determine how a single message fits into broader communications. This includes asking questions like:

• Does this message support our current goals and strategic priorities?
• Is this message reinforcing or deviating from themes we’ve promoted recently or statements we’ve made?
• How (if at all) does this version of this message build upon, repeat, or contradict prior communications?
• Could this message unintentionally contradict or undermine a recent message we've sent?
• What do our employees already know about this topic? What context might they be missing that would help them understand this information?
• Does this message sound consistent with how the executive team (or this executive) usually communicates?
• Are we sharing any information that an employee might misread or misinterpret? Why do we think so?
• Is now the right time to send this message or show it precede or follow another announcement?

So, you land a job as an internal communicator, and your new executive fully trusts you to write on their behalf and shape their voice, right? Not so fast!

Experienced ghostwriters know that effective ghostwriting partnerships require a foundational layer of trust and‌ a relationship of some sort (even if only high-level) to get to know one another. Here’s how to lay the groundwork:

You know you should interview your executive(s) to understand their communication style and preferences, but there are many other listening strategies to consider and incorporate into your relationship to help you ghostwrite more effectively. Beyond speaking with the executive you are writing for directly, try:

• Interviewing or providing questions they can use to interview family members, friends, and colleagues outside of your organization – For most of us (executive or not), the way we describe our communication style slightly varies from how others perceive us. And when employees describe executive communications as “inauthentic” and “overly polished,” it’s likely due to the disconnect between the messages we ghostwrite and how they actually show up in the organization. One of my favorite underrated ways to address this is to develop a more well-rounded review of an executive’s communication style by understanding it from multiple viewpoints. Plus, if you get access to how an executive shows up in their personal life, you can bring more of their relatability into the workplace (with their permission, of course).
• Shadow, observe, and make note of how they speak – Whether you watch historical readings, observe upcoming announcements or talks, or a combination of both, understand how your executive speaks and how to connect their verbal communication to their written messaging. Take notes on word choice, sentence length, how they explain ideas, their go-to metaphors, recurring phrases, and common tone and voice.
• Build a voice file (and update it regularly) – Pay attention to your executive’s preferences and voice choices! For example, if they tell you they prefer to refer staff as “team members,” instead of “employees” (or you notice this as a recurring edit when you send messages to them for review), add it to your records so you can reflect their preferences in your future work. This is not a one-and-done activity, so store your voice file in a location where you can easily reference and return to it.

Spoiler alert: there’s a level of psychology and empathy involved in understanding who your executive is as a person and reflecting what they embody in your communications work. This requires time and intentional effort, but is worth its weight in gold. Here’s where to start:

• Ask them value-based questions, including:
  • What do you see as your core responsibility to the people who work here?
  • What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind as an executive?
  • What are you most proud of in your career as an executive thus far?
  • When you’re under pressure, what principle(s) do you always fall back on? Why do these help you?
  • What behavior(s) do you most appreciate in employees? Can you give me a recent example?
  • How does your personal mission connect to our organization’s goals and strategic priorities?
• Anchor your messaging feedback and coaching to their values and priorities, using phrases like:
  • “Because this aligns with [your values], let’s adjust the framing of this message…”
  • “As a [leadership style] type of leader, we should use a [tone of voice] in communications from you. Your written words will match how I and other employees view and experience you when you speak.”
  • “This message hits heavy on [your values]. How might we incorporate your perspective while also making this more relatable to our employees? What’s in it for them?”

Executive ghostwriting is a skilled art that requires practice, strategy, and experimentation. The information above will help you frame your role as an executive ghostwriter and build a foundational layer of trust with your executive. Then, it’s time to dig into the work!

Below are some additional tips to consider when deep into the practice of ghostwriting for your executives:

When you send a ghostwritten draft to an executive, they may unintentionally revise the message and tailor it to the C-Suite (or other business leaders). Internal communicators: it’s your job to remind your executives that their communications are not about them; they are for the team. And they need to be written for the audience, not the sender.

Internal communications differ from press releases and external communications for a reason. Your audience is different. Messages from leadership should sound like they’re from a person, so don’t forget to:

• Ditch the corporate jargon that doesn’t resonate
• Lead with why the information matters to employees (Why should they care? How does this impact them?)
• Use contractions to avoid sounding robotic and unnatural (i.e., if you read a ghostwritten communication aloud and it sounds clunky, employees will read it that way)
• Be honest about challenges because the goal isn’t to send “pretty messages.” It’s equipping your team members with the information they need to know to help them succeed

Editing ghostwritten comms is critical! I love using Grammarly** for general proofreading and to gauge the tone of the message.

But outside of that, there are a few questions you can ask yourself when polishing a ghostwritten executive communication, including:

• Would I understand this message if this were my first week at the organization?
• Can I hear this message in the executive’s voice? (Is it written in the same way they sound when they speak?)
• Does this communicate why this matters to our readers and what’s in it for them?
• Is there one actionable takeaway or next step an employee should take? (Does there need to be?)

Great ghostwriting never happens by accident. By ghostwriting with care and strategic intent, internal communicators become more than those who know how to draft and send emails; they become those who know how to craft meaningful and impactful messages. They become translators of leadership, culture-shapers, and trustworthy coaches and partners.

Looking for fractional internal comms support (including a ghostwriter to write for you or to teach your comms team how to ghostwrite more effectively?)

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