The "Leaks and Faucets" Strategy For Finding Your First Ghostwriting Client On LinkedIn
When I started ghostwriting, I didn’t send 100 DMs to random people on LinkedIn.
I didn’t pitch strangers with 2M followers.
And I definitely didn’t compete for $30/hour gigs on Upwork.
Instead, I used what I call the "Leaks and Faucets" strategy—a simple way to land clients without cold pitching.
What Are "Leaks" and "Faucets?"
There are two kinds of people who will help you get clients:
Leaks → People who need a ghostwriter right now.
Faucets → People who know potential clients and can introduce you.
Think of it like this…
If you saw a neighbor’s front yard flooding, you’d knock on their door and say:
"Hey, I think you have a leak in your guest bathroom. I can help."
That’s a leak—someone who needs your help directly.
But a faucet? They don’t need your help… but they know people who do.
When I was building my agency, we had one client who referred 2-3 new clients every month. They were responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue. We ended up doing their work for free because their referrals were worth so much more.
That’s the power of a good faucet.
"But Cole, I don’t know anyone who needs a LinkedIn Ghostwriter!"
Two things:
Yes, you do.
Even if they don’t need a ghostwriter, they probably know someone who does.
One of my first clients came through a chain of four people:
Entrepreneurial friend → who knew another entrepreneur → who knew another entrepreneur → who knew someone who needed a ghostwriter.
Four connections deep before I found the right person.
So instead of pitching random people, I looked at everyone I knew.
Friends
Cousins
Ex-coworkers
Friends of friends
Family members of friends
I went through my entire network. I looked for anyone I had 1-2 degrees of connection with.
And then I asked one simple question:
“Do you know anyone looking for a ghostwriter?”
When it comes to finding clients, most new ghostwriters think: "I’m going to pitch that person with 2M followers!"
But that’s literally the worst person to pitch. Instead, it’s way easier to start with:"My uncle mentioned his friend has a small business struggling to get leads... maybe I should ask for an introduction?"
Cold pitching strangers is hard because:
They don’t know you.
They don’t trust you.
They get pitched constantly.
They might not even need help.
But when you come through a warm introduction, everything changes.
There’s built-in trust. You’re not just another random pitch in their inbox—you’re someone a mutual connection vouched for. They’re already looking for help, so they’re far more likely to respond.
And instead of feeling like a cold outreach, the conversation starts naturally, making it that much easier to land the client.
Here Are Your Action Steps:
Open your phone contacts.
Scroll through your LinkedIn connections.
Check your Facebook friends.
List everyone you’ve worked with.
Write down friends of friends.
Note family members who work in business.
Then for each person, ask yourself:
Leak: Could they use a ghostwriter?
Faucet: Do they know people who could?
Then reach out using the following script:
"Hey [Name], I’m starting to help businesses create LinkedIn content. Do you know anyone who might need help with this?"
Your first client probably won’t be a direct connection.
It might take 2, 3, or even 4 introductions to find the right person.
But it’s worth it—because tomorrow, I’ll show you how to turn these warm introductions into paying clients using my "Pitch in Public" strategy.
Chat soon,
—Dickie & Cole
Co-Founders of Ship 30 For 30
Co-Founders of Premium Ghostwriting Academy
Co-Founders of Typeshare
Co-Founders of Write With AI
P.S. We put together a complete LinkedIn Ghostwriter’s "Client-Getter" prompt library to help you take action on this series.
Inside this Notion Prompt Library, you’ll get everything you need to land your first LinkedIn ghostwriting client—even if you’re starting from scratch, have no portfolio, and zero connections.
This includes the Ultimate Guide To Finding Leaks & Faucets On LinkedIn.:
A 10-Second LinkedIn Search Hack: Type this exact Boolean search into LinkedIn, and you’ll instantly find potential clients who need your help with content (but aren’t saying it outright).
The Digital Breadcrumb Strategy: How to decode and find the hidden signals your potential clients leave on LinkedIn as clues so you can reach out before your competitors.
📆 This “Client Getter” library is available for premium monthly WWAI subscribers until Sunday, February 16th at 12PM EST.
After that, it moves into the Founding Members Vault.
Why is this disappearing?
Because we want to help you follow through and actually land a client—not just collect more information. Keeping this open-ended would make it too easy to put off.
So after Sunday, February 16th at 12PM EST, the prompt library moves into the Founding Members Vault.
Click here to get the full prompt library before it disappears.
For $20 (with a 7-day free trial), you’ll get instant access the LinkedIn Ghostwriter’s library plus our growing vault of 200+ Digital Writing lessons (a $5,000+ value).