Let’s be honest: you’ve put so much into building your group program or membership. The content, the energy, the late-night launch planning—it’s all been leading to this. And now that it’s live… it’s attracting the wrong clients.
You know what I mean: people who constantly complain, need a ton of extra hand-holding, or never follow through on the work. The energy feels off, and you’re spending more time managing people than celebrating progress.
This is not what you signed up for.
If you’re nodding along, you’re not alone. Many of my clients come to me with this exact problem—they’re doing all the right things, but their messaging is pulling in the wrong crowd. And when that happens, it affects everything: the program experience, your results, your energy, and yes, your bottom line.
The good news? This is 100% fixable. And it usually comes down to one thing: your copy.
Let’s talk about how to change that.
What’s Actually Causing All Those ‘Not a Fit’ Members
Here’s what I see happening a lot:
Your messaging is unintentionally attracting people who aren’t aligned with what your program really offers. Some clients join without fully understanding what they signed up for. Others come in expecting something totally different—and feel disappointed, frustrated, or disengaged. That’s when the refund requests and ghosting tend to show up.
And instead of doing the work you love—coaching, supporting, creating transformation—you’re stuck in support inboxes and second-guessing your offer.
But the problem isn’t your program. It’s how you’re talking about it.
When your messaging is too broad, too vague, or focused on the wrong thing, it ends up attracting people who aren’t the right fit.
Let’s fix that.
Here’s Why It Keeps Happening (Even Though Your Offer Is Solid)
Most of the time, this problem goes deeper than just tweaking a headline or adjusting a few bullet points.
Here’s what’s often really going on behind the scenes:
You’re using the language you would’ve responded to years ago
You’re writing to your past self, and while that can be a great starting point, it’s not always accurate. Your ideal clients may be in a different mindset, with different motivators. And what worked for you back then might not land for them now.
You’re repeating language from early clients (who maybe weren’t the best fits)
Maybe you got a few sales early on and used that client feedback to guide your messaging. Smart, right? But if those clients weren’t exactly who you want to keep attracting, you’re just reinforcing the same cycle. You’re building messaging around the wrong data.
You assume making sales means your messaging is working
It’s easy to think, “Well, people are buying, so it must be working.” But not all sales are equal. The same offer can appeal to totally different types of clients depending on how it’s positioned. If you’re consistently attracting the wrong clients—even while making money—it’s a sign your message needs tightening.
You’re afraid to change what’s “working”
This one’s big. You’re getting sales. You’re in a rhythm. So messing with your copy feels risky. But if you’re attracting the wrong people, is it really working? Sometimes the only way to build something better is to break the old version first. And I know that can be scary, but what’s the alternative? Keep working with people who are draining you?
Messaging isn’t just about selling—it’s about attracting the right people.
The ones who get results. Who make your program better. Who make you want to show up fully. And that all starts with what you say before they hit “buy.”
Let’s talk about how to get your messaging to work for you instead of against you.
How to Stop Attracting the Wrong Clients
Look, there’s no overnight fix here, but there are a few things you can start doing immediately to shift who’s attracted to your program, without overhauling everything.
Figure Out What Actually Motivates Your Ideal Clients
Ask them. If you’re not already doing this, start tracking what people say when they join your program. Add a question to your onboarding form like, “What made you say yes?” Pay attention to the words they use, not just the surface-level answers. That language is gold for writing copy that resonates.
But—and this part is crucial—make sure the clients you’re pulling that language from are actually ideal clients.
If you’re quoting someone who wasn’t a good fit, you’re just going to attract more of the same. This is where good market research comes in (and yes, that’s something I do for every single copy project).
Make Sure You’re Setting the Right Expectations
Sometimes the issue isn’t the offer—it’s how you’re explaining the offer.
Maybe your sales page is vague about what’s actually included. Or you’re making big, sweeping promises without clarifying how those results happen. Or—most common—you’re unintentionally setting expectations you never meant to set.
That’s when people join thinking it’s one thing, only to discover it’s not what they expected. And that disconnect? That’s where refund requests, ghosting, and unhappy clients usually start.
So double-check your copy:
- Are you being clear, or just trying to sound clever?
- Are you overselling the transformation without grounding it in the actual work involved?
- Would someone reading your sales page know exactly what they’re signing up for?
Clarity and transparency will always convert better than hype and fluff. And they’ll attract people who are genuinely ready to do the work—not just chasing the promise of an overnight win.
Be Intentional With the Tone
The way your copy feels is just as important as what it says.
Does your tone feel empowering and grounded, or is it leaning too hard into pain points, or big “breakthrough” energy that might attract the wrong people?
This is something I see a lot when people rely on templates or AI without much editing. You end up with generic sales copy that hits all the “right” points… but in a way that either overpromises or unintentionally disempowers the reader.
To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with calling out pain points. That’s part of good copy. But there’s an art to doing it in a way that attracts people who are ready to change, not stuck in their pain.
The same goes for big transformation claims. If you’re using bold promises like “scale to 100k months fast” or “finally lose all the weight you’ve been trying to for years,” make sure the rest of the copy backs it up with specifics—who it’s for, what’s actually included, and how you’re going to get them there (ie. your signature framework).
Because your tone sets the energy, and that energy is what determines who hits “buy.”
Now, doing this alone is possible—but honestly, it can be a pain in the ass. Most of my clients have already tried a DIY approach (sometimes for months or even years) before realizing they need someone who can nail it quickly and effectively.
If you’re ready to stop guessing and just get your messaging right from the jump, keep reading. I’ll explain exactly how we can fix this together.
Here’s the Easier Way
I’m a sales copywriter—but I’m not here to just write pretty words on a page.
What I actually do is help you tell the story of your offer in a way that makes sense to the right people.
That means:
- Making sure your sales copy reflects how your ideal clients think, talk, and make decisions.
- Showing how your offer fits into their bigger picture—so they see what it is and they get why it matters.
- Positioning it in a way that highlights why it’s different from everything else they’ve tried before… and why it’s the thing that will actually work.
I start with real research—on your audience, your past clients, your brand voice. I look at testimonials, interviews, sales calls, and even the words people use when they sign up. That gives me the raw material to build copy that’s not just persuasive but relevant and real.
And instead of relying on heavy pain points or money promises, I build a narrative that feels aligned with how your best clients think. So when they land on your sales page, it doesn’t feel like a pitch—it feels like, “Yep, this is exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
That’s what makes the difference between copy that converts some people—and copy that brings in the right people. Every time.
What It’s Like to Work With Me
If you’re finding that your launches are bringing in people who aren’t quite the right fit—or worse, people who end up unhappy, disengaged, or asking for refunds—it’s probably time to revisit your messaging.
That’s where I come in.
My Custom Launch Strategy & Copy Package is a done-for-you offer where I help you get really clear on what your offer is, who it’s for, and how to communicate it in a way that actually connects with the right people, so you stop attracting the wrong clients.
Here’s what that looks like:
- A proper deep-dive into your offer, your goals, and the clients you actually want to work with (I’ll ask better questions than most coaches you’ve paid)
- Clear positioning and messaging that reflect the real value of what you’re selling—not just the surface-level stuff
- A full sales page, email sequence, and launch content written in your voice, grounded in narrative, and designed to connect with the people you want to attract
- Voxer access during launch for support, edits, and “wait, what do I say here?” moments
What you get isn’t just copy—it’s a strategy you can build from. You’ll walk away with messaging that:
- Attracts the right people from the start
- Filters out the ones who aren’t a fit (before they ever hit “buy”)
- And makes your launch feel a whole lot smoother and more aligned
No more writing and rewriting your sales page on a Sunday night. No more refund requests from people who “misunderstood what the program was.”
Just solid messaging that reflects what your offer actually is—and who it’s really for.
If that’s what you’ve been needing, here’s where you can see all the details:
Don’t Just Take My Word for It
Here’s what one of my clients, Kate McKibbin from Hello Funnels, had to say after working together:
“Cheryl is such a delight to work with! She not only spun up some beautiful words that totally nailed our tone of voice, but she’s got the added bonuses of a really sharp marketing brain, so it’s not just pretty words with no substance. Cheryl’s pages are as strategic as they are hilarious, and I couldn’t recommend her more.”
This is the goal. Copy that’s on-brand, on-point, and strategic. Messaging that makes the right people buy (and the wrong ones lose interest).
Ready to Attract the Right Clients?
If you’re constantly attracting the wrong clients—fielding refund requests, managing complaints, or just feeling off about who’s joining your programs—you don’t need to change your offer.
You need messaging that’s clearer, more aligned, and actually speaks to the people you built this offer for.
That’s exactly what we’ll do together inside the Custom Launch Strategy & Copy Package.
Click below to see everything that’s included—and how we can work together to refine your message and start attracting the right people from the start:
Check out my Custom Launch Strategy & Copy Package right here.
The Bottom Line
If your program keeps filling with the wrong people—people who don’t engage, don’t follow through, or just aren’t the right fit—it’s not because your offer isn’t valuable. And it’s definitely not because you’re bad at selling.
It’s your messaging.
And the good news is, that’s totally fixable.
You don’t need to overhaul your whole business. You just need copy that makes it clear who your offer is for—and just as importantly, who it’s not for.
That’s the kind of work I love doing. And if you’re ready to finally feel proud of what your sales page is saying (and who it’s bringing in), I’d love to help.
