Ghostwriting can be a lucrative niche for freelance writers, but it’s not without its challenges.

One of the most challenging aspects is writing in another person’s voice.

“Writers typically have a cadence and style to their work that reflects certain word, construction, and other preferences,” writes Gwen Moran in a recent post on ASJA’s The Word. “Sometimes, those can be easily recognized. Developing a strong, recognizable voice is a work-in-progress for many writers.”

In the post, Moran, a freelance writer and ghostwriter specializing in business and finance topics, shares her process to sound more like the person for whom she’s ghostwriting.

You can read the post here: Another’s Voice

You can also find other posts on ghostwriting in our Blogs section:

How to Break Into Ghostwriting
How to Become a Freelancer and Ghostwriter

Happy ghosting!

Image via Writersbloggingblock

Whether you're a reporter, blogger, author or other content creator, ProfNet can help you with your search for expert sources. You can send a query to tens of thousands of experts and PR agents, search the more than 60,000 profiles on ProfNet Connect, or get timely experts and story ideas by email -- all for free! Need help getting started? Email us at profnet@profnet.com.

PR: The Big SEO Trend for 2013? As you write press releases and other content intended for online publication, it’s a good idea to think about how to encourage social sharing and to keep readers on the website page posting your content. To achieve these objectives, first and foremost, it’s crucial to attract readers are truly interested in the message topic. This means you need to take a critical look at the press releases and other content you’re publishing, with an eye toward garnering reader attention, holding it on the page, and inspiring some sort of action, such as social sharing or clicking through on links you serve. Sarah Skerik, vice president of content marketing for PR Newswire, explores: bit.ly/19XY7J1

Angela’s Social Media Angels: The Tara Hansen Foundation. With all of the negativity that can be seen through social media, it’s nice to find people whose words are uplifting and positive. Twice a month, we spotlight a person or organization that is making an impact on their followers using social media as platform. In the latest post, we look at The Tara Hansen Foundation, dedicated to raising awareness about maternal health: bit.ly/12pMh9a

Blog Notes: Education, Environmental & Bicultural Blogs. As PR Newswire's media relations manager, Christine Cube comes across great blogs that cover a wide variety of topics and interests. Each week, she offers brief profiles of blogs you might not have heard of but that might offer pitching opportunities for your clients. This week, she shares reviews of a few education, environmental and bicultural blogs: bit.ly/12g33Hz

A Futuristic Journalist’s Toolbox: Drones, Data, Video and the Crowd. It has become almost mandatory for all digital and communications conferences to include a session on the future of media. Most of those sessions talk about who’ll survive and who won’t, where advertising revenue is going, and other business and survival issues. The recent TEDx event at the Poynter Institute on “Discovering the Future of Journalism” was a little different. Instead of looking at the business of journalism, the focus was on journalism as a discipline and what it might look like in the future. You can read a recap of it here: bit.ly/15TyciC

Freelancing With a Full-Time Job: What You Need to Know. Do you crave the excitement of freelancing, writing about topics you care about and for the publications you want to write for? Or do you need the security of a staff position, knowing a set paycheck will be deposited into your bank account regularly? Or would you like to do both? If you’re thinking about doing both -- working a full-time job while writing as a freelancer on the side -- you’ll want to read this post from Ritika Puri, an online media professional who specializes in user research, product strategy and data analysis: bit.ly/1a4lHEd

Networking Secrets for Freelancers. Networking is essential for all of us, but especially for freelancers. It's how you build relationships, share stories and find support from others in the trenches. Last week, we hosted a Twitter-based chat with Minda Zetlin, president of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA). Zetlin talked about why networking is so important, the importance of attending events, tips for making an introduction, how social media has affected networking, and more. You can read a recap of the chat here: bit.ly/173huSp

How to Create a Winning Blogger Pitch Every Time. In the latest Q&A Team column, five experts from the ProfNet Community discuss the benefits of getting your product or news covered in a "mommy blog," how to find the right blogs to pitch, what to do -- and not do -- when pitching, and more: bit.ly/10WlVq6

Media 411: Conference Season. Summer has arrived and you know what that means: Conference season is here. It's the perfect time to find a journalism conference near you (or even far away) to learn new skills, network, make some new friends and have fun all at the same time. This week’s Media 411 column shared a few journalism conferences you should consider attending: bit.ly/196GVj7

Five Reasons for Real Estate Developers to Use Social Media for Community Relations. Many real estate developers have been slow to adopt social media to help market completed residential or commercial construction projects. But those who have are seeing the value in how it can bring to life the branding of new neighborhoods or shopping districts, or draw in prospective tenants or buyers. Today on ProfNet Connect, Tina Cassidy, SVP/chief content officer of InkHouse Media + Marketing, shares five reasons real estate developers should be using social media for community relations: bit.ly/144sOb2

Three Tips for Formatting Press Releases for Maximum Online Readership. The Financial Times recently launched FastFT, a nimble and ultra-short-form news service publishing extremely short stories. The reasoning behind the new service? While the 140-character limit on Twitter is a bit too confining, it's clear that readers prefer short snippets rather than long-form. The FT is adding the short-format service to their mix, in order to "create more portals and routes for readers to consume the publication's content." FastFT is going to be a winner for the Financial Times, says Sarah Skerik, vice president of social media for PR Newswire. Today on ProfNet Connect, Skerik talks about important lessons that PR pros need to pay attention to when crafting press releases and other messages: bit.ly/13gY5Iw

What were your favorite blog posts last week? Which ones did you find most helpful/interesting?

Whether you're a reporter, blogger, author or other content creator, ProfNet can help you with your search for expert sources. You can send a query to tens of thousands of experts and PR agents, search the more than 60,000 profiles on ProfNet Connect, or get timely experts and story ideas by email -- all for free! Need help getting started? Email us at profnet@profnet.com.

Event: Make Your Copy More Creative: Paint Pictures in Your Readers’ Minds
Host: PRSA
Date: June 18
Location: Online
Summary: Creative copy communicates more clearly, builds reader loyalty, creates a buzz for your topic and enhances credibility. Learn how to bring your messages to life with storytelling, wordplay and metaphor.
Complete event info here.

Event: Independent Counselors SIG: Social Media: Stuff You Really Should Know About!
Host: PRSA-Georgia
Date: June 20
Location: Atlanta
Summary: Social media tools are a valuable part of many communication programs, and independent counselors will want to be able to give clients the right counsel on what they should be using. Panelists from KPKinteractive, WSB-TV and WXIA-TV will review some of the latest applications and discuss how they can be used for your client and media interactions. They’ll look at Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, RebelMouse, Vine, Reddit, Tumblr and StumbleUpon.
Complete event info here.

Event: Technology SIG: An Evening With Urvaksh: Atlanta’s Technology Newshound
Host: PRSA-Georgia
Date: June 20
Location: Atlanta
Summary: Nothing like a fireside chat with Urvaksh Karkaria -- except a fireside chat in the summer in a bar! Urvaksh is the technology (and healthcare) reporter for the Atlanta Business Chronicle and is known to be a tough reporter. This session will help PR pros better understand what types of stories drive him and how to best build a working relationship with Atlanta’s only technology reporter. No questions are off-limits – and, if you know Urvaksh, neither are the answers.
Complete event info here.

Event: IRE 2013
Host: Investigative Reporters & Editors
Date: June 20-23
Location: San Antonio
Summary: Join IRE this June in San Antonio as the best in the business will gather for more than 100 panels, hands-on classes and special presentations on how to practice investigative journalism in print, broadcast, web and alternative newsroom models.
Complete event info here.

Event: Amazing New York Race & Happy Hour
Host: PRSA-NY
Date: June 20
Location: New York
Summary: This is PRSA-NY’s annual summer social.
Complete event info here.

Event: 2013 IABC World Conference
Host: IABC
Date: June 23-26
Location: New York
Summary: Conference sessions will cover topics like digital assassination, communicating with Millennials and the leadership lessons of transformative CEOs. Absorb wisdom and best practices from a plethora of noted experts and speakers, and take advantage of a fantastic opportunity to mingle, meet old friends and make new connections.
Complete event info here.

Event: 32nd Annual Renaissance Awards
Host: IABC Detroit
Date: June 27
Location: Dearborn, Mich.
Summary: IABC Detroit will honor top business communicators, including: Student Award Winner; presentation of Renaissance Awards of Excellence, Merit and Honor; Presidents Award for Communication Management; Best of Show Awards for communication skills and communication creative; special presentation to 2013 IABC Detroit’s Communicator of the Year.
Complete event info here.

Event: 2013 Digital Impact Conference
Host: PRSA
Date: June 27-28
Location: New York
Summary: Make a digital impact as soon as you return to the office with practical techniques and strategic online approaches from the PRSA Digital Impact Conference, "Social Business: Strategies for Success." With more than 30 sessions, the Digital Impact program helps you invest your time directly into your organization's bottom line.
Complete event info here.

Whether you're a reporter, blogger, author or other content creator, ProfNet can help you with your search for expert sources. You can send a query to tens of thousands of experts and PR agents, search the more than 60,000 profiles on ProfNet Connect, or get timely experts and story ideas by email -- all for free! Need help getting started? Email us at profnet@profnet.com

Do you crave the excitement of freelancing – writing about topics you care about and for the publications you want to write for? Or do you need the security of a staff position, knowing a set paycheck will be deposited into your bank account regularly? Or would you like to do both?

If you’re thinking about doing both – working a full-time job while writing as a freelancer on the side – you’ll want to read this post from Ritika Puri, an online media professional who specializes in user research, product strategy and data analysis.

Freelancing With a Full-Time Job: What to Know

In the article, published on Freelance Strategist, Puri shares some key tips from other full-timers/freelancers on how they balance the jobs they love with their freelance business.

Photo via Work It, Mom!

Whether you're a reporter, blogger, author or other content creator, ProfNet can help you with your search for expert sources. You can send a query to tens of thousands of experts and PR agents, search the more than 60,000 profiles on ProfNet Connect, or get timely experts and story ideas by email -- all for free! Need help getting started? Email us at profnet@profnet.com.

Whether you are a financial expert with writing skills or a professional writer with an interest in finance, the financial writing niche can be potential lucrative.

In a recent post on ASJA’s The Word, independent journalist Amy Buttell talks about the financial writing niche, including some of the qualities that can make you a successful financial writer: Financial Writing Niche: Potentially Lucrative

If you’re thinking about writing in this topic area, you’ll find some great advice there.

Image via The Keep Calm-o-matic