Hornall Copywriting

I ghostwrite for company founders, entrepreneurs, and business coaches on LinkedIn.

We build them strong personal brands through storytelling, which leads to more clients and more sales for their offer.

My clients have included Inc. 500 entrepreneurs, 6-figure coaches, and startup founders.

Ghostwriter

The Scottish Sun

Journalist

Press Association

The Sunday Times

Digital Sub-Editor

SWNS

Freelance Journalist

The Tab

Editorial Staff

Strathclyde Telegraph

Wrote for student paper the Strathclyde Telegraph. In 2013/13 I was voted into role of sports editor.

Sports Editor

I help founders become leaders in their niches by ghostwriting their stories on LinkedIn

I was a journalist covering national news in London for 6 years.

But after knocking a door with a sign that read “Beware of the Rottweiler", I knew I had to make a change.

I wasn’t getting paid enough danger money ... 

But one day,  a friend who’d built a successful business said he wanted to be more active on LinkedIn.

So, I started writing his posts.

Within a month, he had been:

   • On an industry podcast
   • Invited to speak at an event
   • Booked £4,500 in new business through LinkedIn

Since then, I've helped my clients become prominent in their niches and close deals through LinkedIn.

If you have a solid offer and valuable information to share, chances are you don't have the time or desire to write your own posts.

You're too busy building companies, leading teams, developing services or products ... I get it.

But thousands of your ideal clients are lurking on LinkedIn, waiting to be drawn in.

Let's talk about how I can help you build a magnetic personal brand today.

Entrepreneurs: this big abbreviation mistake is costing you readers.

I regularly see intros on LinkedIn like:

“As a 3HAG coach, I assist CPG teams in optimizing their CAC”

Impenetrable. Here’s a better way:

On first mention, write it out:

3 Year Highly Achievable Goal = 3HAG.
Consumer Packaged Goods = CPG
Customer Acquisition Cost = CAC

Then ask yourself: “How can I more simply explain what this organisation/ phrase is or does?”

Abbreviations are convenient shorthand to specific circles - but barriers to understanding for wider readers.

They can kill a good story when you want to reach outside your niche to inform, persuade, or build connections. 

Remove the cognitive load of decoding acronyms. 
Declutter the page of needless capital letter groupings.
Impact more people.

P.S: Some notable exceptions include abbreviations so familiar they’re used more often than in full.

(The BBC, The FBI, The CIA, NASA, NGOs, CEOs etc).

Thomas Hornall

Ghostwriter for Post-Exit Entrepreneurs. Enjoy more Deal Flow ↓

One of my clients breaks every dang LinkedIn "rule".

And still enjoys frankly sickening levels of engagement.

It surprises me even now. 

I'm always nagging him to comment and be more active.

But I get it, he's busy. And it works for him the way it's going now. 

Some facts:

Just over 2,100 followers.
Blurry and unaligned banner (!)
Rarely comments - 2-3x per week.
Hardly replies to comments on his posts. He "likes" them sometimes.
Posts 1x every 2 weeks. (Doesn't want to over-promote)

Engagement on last 5 posts. All organic.  No pods, paid comments or nuthin'

1. 419 likes, 30 comments
2. 213 likes, 41 comments
3. 130 likes, 7 comments
4. 163 likes, 7 comments
5. 249 likes, 54 comments

He regularly breaks 250+ reactions and comments for story posts. 

That's 10-25% of  followers engaging, despite rarely - if ever- getting even the simplest of thumbs-ups back.

Why? I'm not sure, but I think it's because:

He's a big personality in real life. 
People want to be associated with him.
Well-known, straight-talking, fills a room with his presence.

Yes, I know what you're thinking, he does have an excellent ghostwriter. 

But that goes only so far.

It's true for us normals you get back what you put into LinkedIn. There's a lot of reciprocation involved. 

But it's not actually necessary if people really want to associate with you.

The "algorithm" doesn't appear to strangle reach because you don't:

Post everyday
Add a selfie
Use little arrows or lists
Make it so a child can understand

Plus 1x every 2 weeks IS "consistent" - in its own way.

I don't have a pithy, actionable bullet-point-lesson takeaway for you.

Other than perhaps: be a cool person offline.

(P.S: He went to a big shareholder conference last week and enjoyed many smooth, warm intros because loads of them had "seen his stuff on LinkedIn"

Very cool to hear!


I unwrap business jargon like birthday presents. 

Last week, an entrepreneur wanted to write about a new piece of software they’d designed.

But they kept mentioning “MVP”. They were MVP-ing all over the place.

Shipping it. Rolling it out. Soft-launching it. Kickstarting it, even.

It sounded important. But it was hard to grasp. So I asked.

“MVP” = Minimum Viable Product. 

A simple version of a product.
With just enough features for people to start using it. 
Early users test and review, helping improve it over time.

It’s good because you can launch quickly, with minimal expense.

Then use the feedback to build something real people actually want.

So I suggested 3 analogies for clarity.

𝟭) 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁

A maverick chef wants to open a restaurant. But first she starts with a food truck to serve a few signature dishes. 

She gauges reactions, refines the menu, and decides if the dishes are popular enough to justify a full-scale restaurant. 

𝟮) 𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗧𝗩 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀

TV networks often air just one episode of a new TV series to see how audiences react.  

If it gets good reviews and people are interested, they may decide to fund a full season. 

𝟯) 𝗦𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴

Before an artist uses expensive paints and a big canvas, he might make a quick sketch. 

He can try out ideas, decide on composition and colours, and see what looks good without spending money and time on supplies and wasted effort.

Presenting business concepts through everyday analogies helps your audience grasp the idea quicker. 

Now they can comprehend sophisticated business ideas without needing any specialised knowledge. 

We can all clearly picture food trucks, rough pencil sketches, and the first episodes of our favourite shows.

Be relatable, and build a stronger bond between your message and audience.

P.S: Anyone got any other analogies that would've made this MVP business clearer?

--------

I'm Thomas Hornall a former journalist turned ghostwriter for Post-Exit Entrepreneurs.

If you like slightly goofy spaniels and writing clearly - then give me a follow!

Doing everything single-handed?

Hang in there!

Here’s what’s helped me: 

1. Paying People Ahead of Me 
   
Investing in guidance for insights, clarity and “shortcuts”. 

For example, last year I paid a 22-year-old $250 for an hour call (!)

But I got clear and confident. 

The literal next day I stopped uhming and ahing and signed a £1,200/month deal. That was huge for me at the time. 

2. Joining a Cohort 
   
Learn from leaders and connect with others on the path.  

Share battle-stories, test ideas, open doors for each other.

It might cost multiple thousands- but you’ll land bigger deals, faster following a proven blueprint. 
 
3. DMing People Two Steps Ahead 
   
Even 1 or 2 calls with people who’ve already achieved your near-term goals is energising. 

You’ll see they had (or even have)  the same doubts and problems - but they pushed through anyway. 

P.S: What’s your best tip for someone juggling a solo business?

I spoke to an entrepreneur who’d sold their company for $40,000,000+

But they’d been overwhelmed by the sudden void that followed.

• Lost identity
• Unstructured days
• Social isolation
• Even seller’s remorse ... 

So I created a 30-Day Content Calendar specifically for exited entrepreneurs.

It’s designed for you to spend 10 minutes a day to voice note or bullet-point your thoughts to each curated question.

Then share those snippets online to start passing on that experience in a scaleable way.

Have you sold your company and want to use your experiences to help others behind you?

Amplify your post-exit impact by DMing me “Calendar” and I’ll send it your way!

I reported for the UK equivalent of The Associated Press for over 5 years.

Every statistic or fact was triple-checked & attributed. 

Accuracy was the guiding principle above all.

If I reported a story - it would go onto the BBC, Sky, The Times etc unchecked. 

They trusted us to have done that diligence. 

Now you guys are chucking around "𝟵𝟵% 𝗱𝗼 𝗫 𝗼𝗿 𝗬 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴" without a second thought.

My life's work lies in tatters.

Try and make these made-up statistics believable for once!

LinkedIn doesn’t track this metric.

(It's better than views, likes, and comments)

• Offline respect 
• People taking notice
• High-powered silent observers

The kind of people an elite entrepreneur considers “heavy hitters”.

Imagine people who've built companies you've heard of, offering to:

• Take you out for lunch
• Giving a heads up about investment ops
• Passing on priceless nuggets of wisdom over a bottle of wine

Awaken your dormant network and start posting your stories. 

Titans of industry are taking notice of you and your mission.

They'll barely like or engage - but they'll open doors you never even knew existed.

P.S: I've just launched a free Educational Email Course for Post-Exit Entrepreneurs.

It outlines the biggest mistakes I see them making writing online - and how to fix them.

Find it in the comments and my 'Featured' section

I've ghostwritten for $30m+ entrepreneurs:

What I respect most about them:

• Wear normal clothes
• Set their families up for life
• No garish displays of wealth
• Make time for people needing help

That's an infinitely bigger "flex" than:

• Neon Lamborghinis
• Sneering at anyone 'poor'
• 'I'm built different'-type superior attitude
• Babbling about net worths & the money they've made

P.S: If you're an entrepreneur who's enjoyed a successful exit - start writing about your journey online!

Avoid the Biggest Mistakes 90% of Post-Exit Entrepreneurs make writing online with my 4-Day Educational Email Course 

(Find it in the comments or my Featured Section)

4 reasons Post-Exit Entrepreneurs don't write on LinkedIn.

• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿

You fear appearing toe-curlingly cringe. 

You're worried about hitting a false note and being ridiculed. 

Thinking it’s all selfies and humblebragging and airing your dirty laundry in public.

• 𝗨𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲
  
  Perhaps you believe your experiences aren't unique or valuable enough to share. 
  
  Or that your insights, trend analysis, or frameworks are “obvious”. 
  
  But this is just The Curse of Knowledge - it’s very hard to imagine what it’s like not to know what you know. 
  
  But trust me, the majority of people don’t know what you know.
  
• 𝗟𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲
  
  Post-exit and flush with cash, entrepreneurs start juggling new ventures, diving into investments, or undertaking delayed personal commitments or goals. 
  
  Content creation is viewed as low-priority.
  
• 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲
  
  Sharing your mistakes, failures and vulnerabilities can be daunting. 
  
  Even sharing your wins can seem “boastful” or distasteful. 
  
  The concern about exposing too much or facing criticism can be paralysing.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝗶𝘁: 

• Don't try to cover your whole journey in one post
• Focus on 1 big idea per piece
• Write to yourself 2 years ago
• Scroll your photo album or journal and see what comes up
• Hit publish - even if you think it's sh!t
• Take my 4-Day Educational Email Course to start writing online today ↓

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