The Simmonds Signal

Write to bring peace to your mind. Write to create financial abundance. Write to find your people. Write to discover your personal path to spirituality. Write to know yourself. Write.

Insights, actionable tips, and philosophies for writers, creatives, and storytellers…

$33,000 per month.

That’s what my ghostwriting agency brought in so far this month.

And before you click off this email, I'm going to call something out…

Your scam radar just went off, didn’t it?

• Another guy claiming to make big money online

• Another “guru” flashing numbers

• Another reason to click away

I get it.

And honestly? Before I landed my first ghostwriting client, I thought the same thing.

So let me break down the actual numbers for you…

The Truth Behind the $33K

I don’t ghostwrite for clients anymore.

I could, but I don’t.

Instead, I focus on strategy and sales calls.

• Takes way less of my time

• Gives me the freedom to write my own content instead of grinding away on someone else’s

• Gives me time to update Growth Ghost courses and be hands on with our students

The actual writing?

My team handles that.

• I have a co-founder

• Shayan Sen manages operations

• We have a team of 3 writers

And while $33K might sound massive, here’s what I actually take home:

$6,000-$7,000 per month.

Still not bad for barely lifting a finger on the writing side.

So why tell you this?

Two reasons.

1. People only take me seriously when I share actual numbers. (Annoying, but true.)

2. Too many people fake their success online. They claim to make multi-six figures, but their actual bank account is drier than the Sahara desert

So now that we’ve cleared that up…

Let’s talk about you.

Because if you’re struggling to land your first ghostwriting client, then I’ve got good news.

Today, I’m sharing three proven ways to make money as a ghostwriter this month.

Not next year.
Not someday.
Not when the stars align and your imposter syndrome magically disappears.

Now.

And no, this isn’t some vague “just craft an irresistible offer” nonsense.

These are the exact steps that got me my first client, got my students their first clients, and—if you actually apply them—will get you your first clients too…

1) Get Paid to Learn—Work For an Agency

If you want to get paid to write this month, stop playing lone wolf and get inside an agency.

That’s exactly what our Growth Ghost student, TJ, just did.

He connected with an agency owner and locked in a $3,200/month ghostwriting deal—his first real payday from writing.

And before you start thinking:

“Yeah, but I’m not lucky like TJ…” 

Let me be honest:

Luck has nothing to do with it.

Ghostwriting agencies (like mine) are always on the hunt for good writers.

What we’re not looking for?

• Writers who need hand-holding

• Writers who miss deadlines

• Writers who talk a big game but can’t back it up

We don’t have time to babysit.

Which means if you can:

• Write killer content

• Meet deadlines like your rent depends on it (because it probably does)

• Be someone people actually enjoy working with

Then you can land a spot.

Most agencies charge anywhere from $250–$500 per client, meaning you get steady income without having to hunt leads, beg for work, or send 100 cold DMs just to get ghosted.

So how do you get in?

Simple.

1. Connect with other ghostwriters. DM them. Get inside their inner circle.

2. Write great content for your own account. Nobody hires a ghostwriter who has zero proof they can write.

3. Show, don’t tell. Your work speaks louder than your words. Have solid samples ready.

And when the opportunity comes?

Be. Ready.

Because agencies don’t hire writers who might be good someday.

They hire writers who are already good.

That’s why I only hire writers who have gone through Growth Ghost—I know I can trust them with my reputation.

2) Network for Referrals

Think landing your own clients is going to take months?

That’s what I thought too.

Until Dakota Robertson—one of the best ghostwriters in the game—sent me my first client back in 2022.

• I didn’t have a big audience

• I didn’t have any testimonials

I just had one thing: someone willing to vouch for me.

And that was enough.

Referrals are how the best ghostwriters get clients without cold pitching their dignity away or needing a massive audience on social media.

TJ—same guy from earlier—just used this exact strategy to land his first real client.

Not an agency’s client.

His client.

How?

By building relationships with ghostwriters who have more leads than they could handle.

The truth is, once you hit a certain level in this business, you get more clients than you can possibly serve.

I run a ghostwriting agency that only takes on $5K+/month clients.

That means every other lead that comes in?
I pass them down to my Growth Ghost students.

They get clients. They get social proof. And then they can use that proof to attract their own clients.

Which brings me to the last way to land clients…

3) Attract Clients With Compelling Content

You can wait for an opportunity…

Or you can create one.

Because the best ghostwriters don’t just wait for referrals.
They attract clients with content.

Last week, my team wrote two threads that brought in eight inbound leads for our agency.

We can’t even bring all these leads on as clients, so guess what we did?

We referred those leads to our Growth Ghost students.

But if you're not in Growth Ghost, I won't leave you hanging.

You can literally steal our playbook.

I’ll link the exact threads we wrote to attract these leads.

• Study them

• Reverse-engineer the call to actions

• Break down how we structured them

Then?

Go write your own.

Because at the end of the day, you have two options:

1. Keep writing without a strategy and hope clients magically appear

2. Take what I just gave you, apply it, and land your first ghostwriting client

Which will you choose?

-Taylin John Simmonds

PS. Here are the links to the lead generation threads:

• Shayan's giga-chad red light therapy thread

• My Gad Sad thread on mind viruses

Now, here’s the real takeaway:

These threads worked not because they had fancy hooks.

Not because we sprinkled some magic copywriting fairy dust on them.

They worked because they were about things that seven-figure founders actually care about.

That’s the game.

Talk about what your ideal clients are already thinking about, worrying about, obsessing over.

Do that? Leads come easy.

Ignore it? Keep wondering why nobody’s biting.

Do with that what you will 😉

PS. When you’re ready, here’s a few ways I can help you:

1. Watch this podcast to learn how I built a $500k per year digital writing business from square one. This is by far my favorite podcast I’ve been on.

2. Watch this for 5 realistic ways to make your first $1,000 online (even if you’re a beginner with little writing experience)

3. Read this to land your first $3,000 per month ghostwriting client. No bullsh*t, just an actionable system.

4. Watch this video created by my mentor, Dakota, to learn more about ghostwriting. Whether you’re an amateur or seasoned writer, this is you fastest path to earning 6 figures as a writer (I’m biased, of course).