Make Your Thinking Feel Expensive (So People Stop Treating It Like Free)

Why free advice rarely get you sales (and what does instead)

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A silly idea just made me $750

I was selling a $39 masterclass. Simple page. Clear promise. Nothing flashy. Someone read it. Skipped the ticket. And asked instead if they could work with me one-to-one for $750.

Nothing about my expertise changed that day.

I didn’t add insight. I didn’t work harder. I didn’t suddenly become impressive. One thing changed. I’d named my ideas.

• Not thoughts. Frameworks.

• Not advice. Processes.

• Not opinions. Tools.

Same brain. Different presentation.

This is why people nod and move on. It’s the difference between being read and being taken seriously. If your ideas don’t feel valuable, people treat them like they’re optional.

When they feel like assets, people lean in.

Let me show you the move.

Why good ideas still don’t get paid for

Most writers think pricing is about confidence.

Or courage. Or finally believing in yourself enough to charge. It’s not. Pricing is downstream of perception. People don’t pay for value. They pay for what value feels like in their hands.

Long before money enters the picture, your reader has already decided: Is this a passing thought… or something I can actually use? If your insight arrives as a casual idea, it gets consumed casually. If it arrives as a tool, it gets respected. If it arrives as a system, it gets paid for.

That’s why you can give genuinely helpful advice and still get ignored. Not because it isn’t good. Because it doesn’t feel finished.

Your pricing problem is usually a presentation problem.

Why helpful writing keeps getting ignored

Substack is full of sharp thinking dressed like leftovers.

Thoughtful posts. Generous essays. Careful replies in DMs. People say, “This is really helpful.” Then they disappear. Here’s what’s happening. Your ideas show up as opinions, not objects. There’s nothing to hold. Nothing to return to.

Nothing that signals: this matters.

Imagine opening a kitchen drawer where everything spills out. Batteries. String. Old receipts. All useful. All annoying. Now imagine the same drawer with labelled compartments. Same items. Different experience.

That’s what framing does.

Without it, your thinking leaks value. With it, people pay attention.

The moment your ideas start sounding real

This is where the resistance shows up.

Value should speak for itself.
I don’t want to sound salesy.
Naming feels fake.

Those thoughts sound principled. They’re also expensive. Because unnamed ideas don’t feel real.

Compare this:

• A checklist vs The Precision Stack

• Some tips vs The Conversion Engine

• General thoughts about writing vs The Tuesday Morning Reset

Nothing got exaggerated. The idea didn’t change.

It just stood up straight. Naming removes ambiguity. It tells the reader: This isn’t a vibe. It’s something you can use.

And when ideas feel usable, people treat them carefully.

How to stop giving your best thinking away

Premium doesn’t mean more effort.

It means your ideas stop floating and start landing. Right now, your work is probably being skimmed between meetings. Saved “for later.” Nodded at while someone scrolls.

That’s not a motivation problem. It’s a commitment problem.

Here’s the shift.

1. Package what you already repeat
   Notice what you keep explaining in comments, emails, or DMs. That’s not repetition. That’s demand.

2. Give it a deliberate name
   Not clever. Not cute. Clear enough that someone could point to it and say, “That’s the thing I’m using.”

3. Anchor it to a specific outcome
   What’s different after Tuesday morning? What stops feeling confusing? What becomes easier?

4. Put a price on it — and don’t apologise
   Not to extract money. To change behaviour.

Because here’s the quiet truth:

The moment someone pays, they stop skimming and start showing up. They read more slowly. They try the thing instead of admiring it. They return with questions instead of compliments. Payment doesn’t just validate the work. It activates the reader.

That’s the real journey:

Free advice → reframed insight → paid attention.

People don’t need more information.

They need a reason to take your ideas seriously — including themselves.

The part most writers miss

If your ideas feel loose, people treat them lightly. If they feel solid, people invest.

What you name, people take seriously.

And what people take seriously… they pay for.