Premium Ghostwriting Academy is a training program created by Nicolas Cole. It teaches freelance and full-time writers to become high-earning ghostwriters. The PGA website says writers boost their income by:
Testimonials from previous students of the Premium Ghostwriting Academy are generally positive. The official website displays several video and written testimonials. PGA “changed the way I see business, ghostwriting and how to package an offer,” says Nicolas Bueno. “It's directly contributed to my early business success,” he shares. “I recommend any writer who wants to stop feeling underpaid to join.”
Premium Ghostwriting Academy stands out from other online courses by offering more than just ghostwriting. Sarah Hall describes it as basically “Online Entrepreneurship 101.” In fact, it covers other topics, such as:
PGA “will get you where you want to go infinitely faster than you will on your own,” Sarah sums up.
On YouTube, Geoffrey Vasquez says he was previously interested in fitness and nutrition. PGA helped him transition to copywriting and marketing. As a ghost writer, he found success doing educational email courses. His first client was a skincare influencer with 300K TikTok followers.
Premium Ghostwriting Academy claims to help students earn beyond $5,000 to $8,000 per month. Meanwhile, ZipRecruiter reports that ghostwriters earn an average of $4,583 per month.
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In this Premium Ghostwriting Academy review, we'll look at the program's pros and cons. We likewise check out what exactly the program offers and what students have to say about it. Plus, we dig deeper and tell you about who Nicolas Cole is and what are his claims.
Premium Ghostwriting Academy Pros and Cons
Pros
Premium Ghostwriting Academy teaches ghostwriters about finding a high paying client base.
The program offers live coaching and mentorship sessions.
Nicolas Cole is an industry expert who's been an online writer since 2007.
The private Slack community gives students access to coaches and fellow learners.
Cons
For an online writing course, PGA is on the expensive side.
There are very few reviews outside the PGA website and YouTube channel.
The program places heavy emphasis on doing educational email courses.
The website does not have info about the program's cost and terms. Individuals have to call them for more details.
Price
Premium Ghostwriting Academy reportedly costs $6,800.
Refund Policy
Premium Ghostwriting Academy website does not display any information about the refund policy.
Origin
Premium Ghostwriting Academy was launched in 2023.
Reputation
Premium Ghostwriting Academy student reviews are mostly positive, as seen on their website.
Solid curriculum and mentor, plus great community. Be warned though, that this isn’t cheap. Also, it focuses a bit too much on writing email courses.
What Is a Premium Ghostwriter?
A premium ghostwriter is a professional writer who works for high paying clients. Premium ghostwriters earn more than $5,000 to $8,000 per month. Like copywriters and freelance writers, they create email courses, newsletters, social media posts, and other types of content. However, ghostwriters do not receive a byline or author credit. Their work is often attributed to others.
According to the PGA site, ghostwriting is the fastest way for writers to “earn a lucrative living.” Premium ghostwriters charge 'per asset' or 'per outcome' for their packaged services. This is more profitable than charging 'per word' or 'per hour' as copywriters and freelancers do.
What Are the Main Features of the Premium Ghostwriting Academy Program?
The main features of Premium Ghostwriting Academy are:
In Premium Positioning, students learn about industry specialization. They are taught how to become business advisors, not just mere writers. In Premium Offer, students learn how to ghostwrite, launch, and sell Packaged Services. Finally, Premium Outreach trains students to contact clients and close premium deals.
PGA's ghostwriting course is hosted via the Skool platform. Their website describes the program as “the most in-depth blueprint on the Internet.” Each module has a game-based homework. Students submit their assignments and receive coach feedback through Slack.
PGA students join a community of hundreds of writers at varying levels. The group is composed of beginners and seasoned ghostwriters from different countries. This provides students with an opportunity to build a supportive professional network.
PGA has 4 live hour-long sessions per week held via Zoom, namely:
Students can listen-in and ask questions during these weekly sessions. They may also sign up for the "Hot Seat" feature to get direct feedback from Nicolas Cole.
Who Is Premium Ghostwriting Academy For?
Premium Ghostwriting Academy is for both freelance writers and complete beginners. The program says they “transform everyday people into Premium Ghostwriters.” PGA guides new and experienced writers into positioning themselves as industry experts. As a result, they can target higher-quality ghostwriting clients and charge premium rates.
Are Students of Premium Ghostwriting Academy Successful?
Students of Premium Ghostwriting Academy are achieving success in their work. In Nicolas Cole's YouTube video, we see PGA recently held a mastermind event. 30 of their top ghostwriting students attended the said gathering.
In a separate video, Nicolas interviewed Matthew Brown. He used to work for a mortgage company but eventually switched to being a writer. He started out freelancing for a ghostwriting agency. He used to make $2,500 to $6,000 per month back then. Matthew discovered Premium Ghostwriting Academy and signed up with their program. He is now a 5-figure ghostwriter and earns an average revenue of $40,000 per month. “I'd attribute a large portion of it to PGA,” he tells Nicolas.
Meanwhile, Louis Araga also shared a PGA review on his The Solo Ghostwriter YT channel. He first learned about the program from Ali Abdaal's podcast. In the said episode, Ali interviewed Nicolas Cole.
As a student, Louis says he's learning much from the program. “The course is pretty well built,” he says. “It's worth it, I would say, in the grand scheme of things.” That said, Louis admits he still hasn't achieved success as a ghostwriter.
Is Premium Ghostwriting Academy Worth It?
Premium Ghostwriting Academy is worth it if you're a passionate ghostwriter. The program has had over 700 students. Numerous testimonials show positive results from signing up with PGA. For example, many attest that they've since been hired by top clients or have launched their own businesses.
Take note, however, that the course requires a significant amount of money. Reports say it costs $6,800 and so it may not be as affordable. It is also worth-noting that most positive reviews are on the PGA website and YouTube channel. This may make it difficult for some potential students to make an informed decision.
Who is Nicolas Cole?
Nicolas Cole is a digital writer, book author, and entrepreneur from Scottsdale, Arizona. He co-founded Premium Ghostwriting Academy with Dickie Bush. He started writing at 17 years old, blogging about his experiences as a World of Warcraft gamer. He was named as the most-read Quora writer in 2015. Nicolas was also one of Inc Magazine's highest-performing contributing writers in 2016. He has provided ghostwriting services for “300+ Founders, C-level executives, NYT best-selling authors, Grammy-winning musicians” and other top clients.
Nicolas' works have been published on Business Insider, Forbes, TIME, and more. As an author, he has written Snow Leopard and 19 Tiny Habits That Lead To Huge Results, among others. So far, his bestselling title is The Art and Business of Online Writing. He also runs the Coffee with Cole: The Digital Writing Podcast on YouTube, Apple, and Spotify.
What Else Does Nicolas Cole Offer?
Nicolas Cole offers free 5-day email courses, such as:
In addition, Nicolas has other writing-related courses, platforms, and businesses, such as:
Nicolas also has the Coffee with Cole: The Digital Writing Podcast. The show tackles about “the art and business of digital writing, ghostwriting, and self-publishing.” Episodes are available on platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
What Is Nicolas Cole's Claim?
Nicolas Cole claims anybody can become Premium Ghostwriters. He says PGA is ideal for those who have done freelance writing for years or have zero experience at all. According to the website PGA teaches students how to earn over $5,000 to $8,000 per month.
PGA also considers educational email courses as “the primary asset” for their students. “This is a revenue-critical asset for any business owner,” the site reads. Through email courses, ghostwriters may “easily charge a premium.”
Debunking Nicolas Cole's Claim
Many PGA students report positive experiences with the program. However, becoming a successful ghostwriter may not be easy to achieve for everyone. A strong writing portfolio is necessary for ghostwriters. Newbies have a hard time convincing big companies to trust them, let alone hire and pay them a huge salary.
One Reddit user points out that ghostwriting today is “intensely competitive.” Attracting high value clients is difficult without “a large and diverse portfolio.” Ghostwriters may only increase their rates as they satisfy clients and gain more experience.
According to Upwork, ghostwriters should have previous experience “writing high-quality content.” They should also be “skilled at writing in different voices.” Writing coach Elna Cain says clients expect ghostwriters to “be a chameleon.” “Being able to adapt to other writing styles is imperative,” she adds.
This skill level usually takes years of experience to develop. Nicolas Cole advocates the use of modern tools like AI in the research and writing process. That said, writers should be capable of creating and editing content on their own. Some companies may prefer to avoid AI-generated content.
In fact, another Redditor suggests more businesses today are seeing that AI alone can't do the job. “You still need an actual copywriter to make it sound human,” the post reads. “If you want to future proof your career, you can learn a skill that AI cannot do,” the Reddit user encourages. Examples mentioned are designing sales funnels and SEO strategies. That said, most ghostwriters learn to write in different niches to diversify their income. Many go beyond focusing on writing email courses.
Ways To Make Money With AI Content Writing
Top AI tools for ghostwriting include ChatGPT, Claude, and Ippei Content Writer. Your unique skill, expertise, and insights to improve AI-generated output. Make sure to double check grammar, facts, and statistics to avoid any errors. Finally, Forbes warns that plagiarism leads to a legal problem. “AI-generated content may contain plagiarized ideas or text from other websites,” according to the site. This often happens “if the same source material is used.”
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Lead gen clients are willing to pay a fixed monthly rate or even by percentage if they're satisfied with the results. Most of my sites make me $500 to $3,000 per month. Owning multiple sites today means I earn an average monthly salary of up to $52,000.
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