Hey Agency Owners,

I just finished a project that made me feel incompetent and crappy.

Even though I wasn't.

Let me tell you the story, because I guarantee you've been here too.

The "Simple" Project That Wasn't

A dear friend of mine needed help with a book launch.

They were trying to get on the New York Times bestseller list.

I was subcontracting for someone who does this routinely, so I figured this would be straightforward.

The scope looked simple: Boost a few posts and run an opt-in campaign.

Stuff I could do with my eyes closed and one hand behind my back.

She asked me what I wanted for the job and I told her.

My first mistake.

What I Should Have Asked

I quoted based on what looked like a normal project.

But I didn't ask the right questions:

"What's your current engagement rate?"
"How's your email deliverability?"
"Are these new ad accounts or seasoned ones?"
"How much time do we actually have?"

Instead, I heard "boost posts + opt-ins" and thought "easy job."

It wasn't.

The Foundation Was Rotten

Here's what I discovered after starting:

The followers? Fake. So no warm audiences actually existed.

The email wasn't delivering - everything was going to spam.

All the ad accounts were new, which is always a problem with Facebook.

And they started late, so we had an impossible timeline.

Despite getting amazing conversion rates (less than $3 per opt-in - you read that right), the whole thing was doomed from the start.

The Weekend Death March

I worked like a dog, even on weekends, trying to deliver what I promised.

Because that's what you do when you care about the work.

And if you haven't noticed... this became a very subtle form of scope creep.

What started as "boost a few posts" became weekends of crisis management trying to overcome fundamental problems that should have been fixed months earlier.

But because it was a friend, I felt obligated to solve problems that weren't even copywriting problems.

We ran out of time.

The book didn't hit the list.

And I felt like a complete failure.

The "What Have You Done for Me Lately" Trap

Here's the thing about these situations:

Whether it's a friend doing you a "favor" or a paying client...

The psychology is exactly the same.

They want instant results from broken foundations.

When it doesn't work, they don't blame the fake followers.

They don't blame the spam deliverability.

They don't blame the impossible timeline.

They look at you and think: "What have you done for me lately?"

And you start questioning your own abilities.

The Pattern Recognition

I've seen this same dynamic with paying clients:

The restaurant owner with 47 Facebook followers who wants a "viral" campaign.

The startup with zero testimonials expecting premium pricing overnight.

The business with no email list wanting immediate "scale."

The consultant with no reputation demanding New York Times coverage.

They all have one thing in common:

They want you to write copy that performs miracles.

My Real Error

This wasn't her fault.

She asked what I wanted for the job and I told her.

I'm sure she charged retail for it.

My error was not getting enough information before quoting.

If I'd known about the fake followers, spam deliverability, new ad accounts, and impossible timeline...

I would have either charged 3X more or walked away entirely.

Instead, I quoted based on what a "normal" book launch should cost.

Not what THIS disaster was going to require.

The Same Project, Different Difficulty

Running ads for someone with a real audience = easy money.

Running ads for someone with fake followers and spam issues = weekend-killing nightmare.

Same deliverables.

Completely different level of difficulty.

But I priced it like the easy version.

The Missing Fundamentals Checklist

Here's what I should have asked before quoting:

Instead, I got excited about working with a friend and skipped the hard questions.

Classic mistake.

Why We Keep Making This Error

Because we're people pleasers.

Because we want to believe our copy can overcome anything.

Because we think "this time will be different."

Because we don't want to be the person who asks uncomfortable questions.

But here's the brutal truth:

You can't copywrite your way out of:
• Fake audiences
• Spam deliverability
• New ad accounts
• Impossible timelines
• Non-existent reputations

Physics is physics.

The Real Client Test

Before you quote any project, ask yourself:

"If this succeeds, will it be because of my work... or despite their limitations?"

If success depends on overcoming fundamental problems that have nothing to do with copy...

Either charge for miracle work or walk away.

What This Actually Looks Like

Client: "We need a campaign that goes viral."

Old you: "Absolutely! Let me create something amazing."

New you: "Tell me about your current audience. What's your email deliverability like? How many real followers do you have? What's your engagement rate?"

If they can't answer those questions...

Or if the answers are terrible...

You're about to quote for the wrong project.

The Friend Factor

Doing work for friends is the hardest because you want to help.

But helping means being honest about what's possible.

Not taking impossible projects at easy-project rates and then feeling like shit when they don't work.

Real friends want honest feedback and fair pricing.

Not miracle workers who burn out trying to fix unfixable situations.

The Bottom Line

Your job is to write great copy or run campaigns.

Not perform miracles.

Not overcome fake followers with clever headlines.

Not make spam emails deliver through sheer force of personality.

When someone asks "What have you done for me lately?"

The answer should be: "I did exactly what we agreed I'd do based on the information I had. Next time I'll ask better questions upfront."

And if they can't understand that...

They're not your client.

Even if they're your friend.

Stop pricing blind,

Laura