What Happens When You Stop Writing Like a Copywriter

I unveiled a new copywriting site two days ago.

Not soft-launched. Not “testing it out.” Fully live at unfuckyourwriting.com.

Within 24 hours: Two inquiries for full site rebuilds. $5,500 to $7,500 in potential projects.

From people who didn’t ask about pricing, didn’t need convincing, didn’t want discovery calls to “see if we’re a good fit.”

They sent project details and asked for timelines.

That’s it.

Here’s why that happened, and why everything traditional copywriting tells you to do is wrong for 2025.

The Research Nobody’s Paying Attention To

High-ticket purchasing decisions are now 50% Trust, 25% Logic, 25% Emotion.

That’s a massive shift from the previous decade when emotion dominated.

In the critical 3-second decision window, buyers’ brains ask: “Is this safe?” not “What will I get?”

That changes everything about how copy needs to work.

Generic transformation language? Damages trust with sophisticated buyers who’ve heard it all.

Hidden pricing? Damages trust because “book a call to discuss investment” means sales pressure.

Vague methodology? Damages trust because buyers can’t evaluate if they believe it will work.

Specificity builds trust.

That’s the entire game in 2025.

What I Did (That Copywriters Tell You NOT To Do)

Opening line: “I smoke. I make sailors blush. I say things everyone else only thinks. And I’m not sorry.”

Traditional wisdom: “Don’t be too direct. You’ll scare people off.”

What it actually does: Filters immediately. If that opening bothers you, you won’t like working with me. Leave now. That’s not a bug. It’s a feature.

Transparent pricing – all of it, upfront:

  • Sales Pages: $1,500-$5,500
  • Website Copy: $6,000-$15,000
  • Email Sequences: $2,000-$6,500
  • Books: $15,000-$25,000

Traditional wisdom: “Hide pricing. Get them on a call. Qualify them. Then discuss investment.”

What my site actually does: Pre-qualifies buyers. If you see $15K for a book and keep reading, you have budget. If you don’t, you leave. Either way, I’m not wasting time on calls with people who can’t afford my rates.

Red flags section, for explicit disqualification:

Red Flags We’re Not A Match:

  • ‘Can you explain why you chose that word?’
  • ‘I’m not sure what I want, but I’ll know it when I see it.’
  • ‘Can we do a few more rounds of revisions?’
  • ‘Can you make it sound more professional?’

Traditional wisdom: “Don’t tell people NOT to hire you. Appeal to everyone.”

What it actually does: People who’ve BEEN that client with previous copywriters read this and think “Oh shit, I did that. I need to not do that with her.” Self-correction through honesty.

Specific expertise demonstration, instead of generic credentials:

I told the Christmas Day reporter story. The woman whose boyfriend died in the car accident she caused. How I got the story no other reporter got by reading what she needed in 3 seconds at her glass door.

Then connected it: “That’s what your copy needs. Someone who reads what your buyers actually want and gives them permission to say yes to it.”

Traditional wisdom: “List your credentials. Show your portfolio. Let work speak for itself.”

What it actually does: Demonstrates the exact skill I’m claiming to use for copywriting. You can’t fake that story. It proves pattern recognition expertise through concrete example.

What Happened

Two inquiries for full site rebuilds in 24 hours.

Neither mentioned my website copy.

Neither asked about pricing.

Neither needed convincing.

They sent project details and asked for timelines.

Because the page did all the trust-building work before they ever contacted me.

Why This Matters

By the time they decided to contact me, they’d already:

Decided I was credible (Christmas Day story proved it)

Accepted my pricing (it’s posted – if they’re contacting me, they’re fine with it)

Self-filtered for fit (red flags told them whether they’re a match)

Committed to my voice (they read “I make sailors blush” and contacted me anyway)

The contact wasn’t, “convince me you’re the right copywriter.”

The contact was, “I’ve decided. Here are details. When can we start?”

The Trust Framework In Action

Traditional copywriting approach:

  • Vague positioning to appeal to everyone
  • Hidden pricing (“book a call to discuss”)
  • Portfolio showing past work
  • Discovery calls to qualify and convince
  • Long sales cycle with negotiation

Result: Lots of inquiries, most need convincing, many don’t close, constant price discussions.

Trust-based 2025 approach:

  • Aggressive filtering from line one
  • All pricing transparent upfront
  • Specific expertise demonstration
  • Clear fit criteria (who this is/isn’t for)
  • Red flags that disqualify wrong people

Result: Fewer inquiries, all pre-qualified, ready to move, no price discussion needed.

What “Specificity Builds Trust” Actually Means

Not just being specific about YOUR credentials.

Being specific about…

Their problem: Not “I help businesses grow through compelling copy,” but “The difference between a $100K launch and a $12K disappointment.”

Your methodology: Not “I write copy that converts,” but “I spent 26 years learning to read what humans need in the seconds before they decide.”

Your process: Not “let’s chat about your project,” but explicit pricing + red flags + timeline expectations.

Who it’s for and who it’s not: Not “perfect for any business,” but “If you need explanations for word choices, hire someone else.”

Every vague word is a missed opportunity to build trust.

Every specific detail is proof you know what you’re doing.

The Brutal Truth About Filtering

Most copywriters are terrified to tell anyone NOT to hire them.

They want to appeal to everyone because more volume = more chances to convert.

That’s 2019 thinking.

In 2025, when trust is 50% of the purchasing decision:

Filtering aggressively = attracting higher quality buyers who are already sold.

The people who contacted me for site rebuilds:

  • Aren’t price shopping (pricing is posted)
  • Don’t need convincing (the page convinced them)
  • Won’t waste my time with red flag behaviors (they self-assessed)
  • Are ready to move (they asked for timeline, not credentials)

I don’t want “more inquiries.” I want the RIGHT inquiries.

Two ready-to-go site rebuilds > 20 tire-kickers who need three discovery calls.

What This Proves

You don’t need to hide your personality to appear “professional.”

You don’t need to hide pricing to “qualify on calls.”

You don’t need to appeal to everyone to get enough clients.

You need to build enough trust in your positioning that sophisticated buyers can decide WITHOUT talking to you first.

When you:

  • Filter aggressively
  • State pricing transparently
  • Demonstrate specific expertise
  • Make fit criteria explicit
  • Use your actual voice

The right people show up pre-sold.

The wrong people don’t waste your time.

That’s the framework.

And it works.

The Live Experiment

This isn’t theory. This is what happened 48 hours after launching a page that does everything traditional copywriting wisdom says NOT to do.

No “book a call” hiding pricing.

No vague “I help businesses grow” positioning.

No trying to appeal to everyone.

Just aggressive filtering, transparent pricing, specific expertise, and my actual unfiltered voice.

Result: People ready to hand me $5,500 to $7,500 projects asking about timelines, not trying to be convinced.

That’s what trust-based positioning looks like in 2025.

Trust eliminates the sales cycle.

The page does the work.

The inquiries show up ready.

If you’re still hiding pricing and trying to sound like every other copywriter, you’re leaving money on the table by attracting people who need convincing instead of people who are already sold.

Stop performing professionalism.

Start building trust through specificity.

The right people will find you.

And they’ll show up ready to work.

Want copy that filters for the right buyers and repels the wrong ones?

You know where to find me.

The Book The Wellness Industry Doesn’t Want You to Read

I’m about to say something that will piss off every gratitude journal peddler and manifestation coach:

You don’t need to feel grateful to heal.

You don’t need to be positive.

You don’t need to transcend your difficulties.

You can notice morning light is beautiful, while still struggling with depression. You can be moved by the complexity of taste, while dealing with anxiety. You can appreciate how your car engine works, while working through trauma.

This kind of wonder doesn’t gaslight your experience or demand that you minimize your pain. It simply adds dimension to your reality.

I wrote about a woman with chronic PTSD who’s drawn to watching water move – rivers, fountains, even sink faucets. She doesn’t understand why this helps. She doesn’t need to. Her nervous system knows something her conscious mind doesn’t.

There’s a man dealing with childhood trauma fascinated by how his car engine works. “It’s just mechanics,” he says. But something about witnessing complex systems functioning properly provides evidence that order is possible when his early experience taught him nothing was dependable.

These people are not forcing positivity or practicing gratitude. They’re allowing themselves to be moved by complexity and beauty that exist regardless of their personal struggles.

And that’s far from spiritual bypassing or toxic positivity. It’s practical neuroscience.

The wellness industry wants to sell you expensive practices and curated experiences. But you’re already unconsciously doing the work.

Every time you pause to notice steam rising from your cup. Every moment you’re transfixed by shifting light patterns. Every time you play that song again (you know the one). You’re giving your depleted attention systems exactly what they need.

Studies show five minutes of attention to natural beauty (which is BROADLY defined) can improve cognitive performance and reduce cortisol levels. But you don’t need five-minute practices or formal attention training. You need recognition that you’re already doing this work.

The world contains threat AND beauty.

Danger AND safety.

Pain AND pleasure.

Struggle AND wonder.

Your nervous system already knows this. The wellness industry just doesn’t want YOU to know you know it.

This is what my new book, “Already Healing,” is about. Not adding more to your plate. Not giving you practices to fail at. Just showing you the science behind what you’re already unconsciously brilliant at.

Get the book that calls bullshit on toxic positivity.

It was released quietly on Sept. 15 and, with only organic reach, it’s sitting at #42 on Amazon, last I checked.

That tells me people are craving affirmation of their inner knowing, and maybe a bit of innovation in how we evaluate our own intelligence.

Grab yours for $3.33.

P.S. I legally changed my name to Rebecca McKinnon earlier this year. But this place remains Rebecca T.Dickson Inc.