Tag Archive for: ghostwriting

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.

What Makes High-Ticket Buyers Say Yes

High-ticket buyers don’t need you to convince them.

They need you to make them feel safe enough to spend six figures.

There’s a difference.

Most copy tries to build urgency, stack benefits, create FOMO. That works for $97 courses. It fails spectacularly at $50K.

Because high-ticket buyers aren’t impulse buying. They’re making a decision that could transform their business or destroy it. The stakes are real.

And when stakes are real, humans don’t respond to hype. They respond to safety.

The Pattern No One Sees

I spent years as a reporter getting stories no one else could get.

At the capitol, I wasn’t the one asking the loudest questions. I was reading which staffer felt overlooked and needed someone to see their expertise.

At a drowning scene, I wasn’t the one with a notepad thrust in grieving faces. I was spotting who needed to be left alone, who had info and what they needed to feel safe enough to talk.

At public events with fifty other reporters, I wasn’t following the pack. I was reading the room in the two seconds it took to walk through the door and identifying exactly who had the story.

Every single assignment: Read the room. Find the person who has what you need. Create safety for conversation.

This wasn’t manipulation. My whole life, everywhere I go, people tell me things before I even ask. I don’t extract information. I create the conditions where people feel safe enough to share what they already want to say.

That’s not interviewing technique. That’s pattern recognition.

And it’s the same skill that makes high-ticket copy convert.

Because high-ticket buyers need the same thing those sources needed. They need to feel safe enough to trust you.

What Safety Actually Means

Safety isn’t testimonials and guarantees.

Safety is: “This person understands what I’m actually afraid of.”

When someone’s considering a $75K investment, they’re not afraid of wasting money. They’re afraid of:

  • Looking stupid
  • Making the wrong choice and losing credibility
  • Exposing their business to risk
  • Trusting the wrong person

Your copy needs to acknowledge those fears without naming them.

Because high-ticket buyers won’t admit they’re scared. They’ll say they need to “think about it” or “run the numbers” or “talk to their team.”

But what they actually need is someone who sees what they’re afraid of and gives them permission to trust anyway.

The Difference Between Persuasion and Safety

Persuasive copy says: “Here’s why this is the right decision.”

Safety-driven copy says: “I see what you’re weighing. Here’s what you need to know.”

Persuasive copy stacks benefits until the value is undeniable.

Safety-driven copy addresses the actual decision-making process happening in their head.

High-ticket buyers already know your offer has value. They wouldn’t be reading your sales page if they didn’t think it could work.

What they don’t know is whether YOU are the right person to deliver it.

That’s what your copy needs to answer.

How I Write for High-Ticket Buyers

I spent 17 years working with trauma survivors. People making decisions under extreme pressure. People whose nervous systems are screaming “this isn’t safe” even when logic says it is.

I learned to read what someone needs before they can articulate it.

As a reporter, finding sources who will trust you is insanely difficult. (Hello, the word reporter is enough to send people running for the hills.) High-ticket buyers need permission to trust you with their money.

The skill is the same. Read the room. See the pattern. Give them what they actually need, not what you think they should want.

Most copywriters write to convince. I write to create safety.

Because high-ticket buyers don’t need more reasons to say yes. They need fewer reasons to say no.

What This Looks Like in Practice

Instead of: “Our proven framework has generated $10M for clients”

Write: “You’ve tried three other solutions. They worked for other people, but not for you. Here’s why this is different.”

Instead of: “Limited spots available – secure yours now.”

Write: “This works best for businesses doing $2M+ annually. If that’s you, here’s what happens next.”

Instead of: Stacking testimonials to prove credibility.

Write: One story that shows you understand the exact problem they’re trying to solve.

High-ticket copy isn’t about creating urgency. It’s about creating clarity.

When a buyer knows you see their actual situation and can deliver what they actually need, the decision becomes easy.

Not because you convinced them. Because you made them feel safe enough to move forward.

The Real Skill

I can read your audience the way I read every person I got a story from as a journalist.

Not because I’m psychic. Because I spent two decades learning to spot what humans need in the seconds before they decide.

That hypervigilance that made me an award-winning reporter is what I use to write copy that converts high-ticket buyers.

Your audience doesn’t need better benefit bullets. They need someone who understands what they’re actually weighing and gives them permission to trust you anyway.

That’s what makes high-ticket buyers say yes.

Not persuasion. Safety.

Want copy that converts high-ticket buyers?

Email me at becky@rebeccatdickson.com

Tell me what you’re selling and who you’re selling to. I’ll tell you if I can help.

No strategy calls. No education sessions. Just the work.