A Canadian Psychology Company Asked Me: “How Much to Edit an AI-Written Blog?”

This article does NOT contain affiliate links or paid promotion of any kind.

Oh boy, this is going to be a fun one because I’ve been wanting to vent about this for over a year. You can either read the summary below and be gone or put on a pot of popcorn to enjoy the drama, because, I’ve got receipts for this one!

TL;NR (too long;not reading) version is:

• A prestigious Ontario psychology company reached out for my copywriting services.
• They fondled me for information and used AI to reply to many of my emails (I offered a free 20-minute call to actually discuss the project but they never claimed it).
• After being ghosted and never receiving relevant information to provide a legit quote, they asked: “How much would you charge to edit our AI slop?“
• My answer? No thanks.

The following is a real negotiation with a psychology service in Ontario.

I’ve waited over a year to post this so you’ll want to put on a pot of popcorn to enjoy this one.

Based on my research, here’s the details I have about this prospect:

1. 3 physical clinics plus virtual service across Ontario
2. 11–50 employees based on their LinkedIn, with roughly 27–31 practitioner profiles on the site
3. A mix of psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, and social workers — likely only 3–6 registered psychologists, since those are the expensive ones running the assessment programs
4. Sessions starting at $135 for 50 minutes, with psychological assessment programs running into the thousands
5. Estimated gross billings of $3–6M a year, though a large share flows straight back out to practitioners on a split
6. 45–50 core pages on the site, plus junk pages and broken sitemap entries

Now that you know the boring stuff, let’s jump into the juicy details!

Disclaimer: The following screenshots are 100% unaltered emails with sensitive information redacted thanks to Claude.

New Lead: Full website copywriting + brand messaging (Jun 30, 2025)

I love getting a new lead from my copywriting website⁠.

But, wait a second…

Who the f*** is Sarah?

Re: Full website copywriting + brand messaging for psychology center in Ontario (Jul 1, 2025)

Oi! Don’t judge me.

I was calling myself a UX copywriter at that time. I was transitioning from B2B copywriter to HX Copywriting but worried that no one would understand what HX meant (HX = Human Experience).

Look, let’s not lose focus here. Remember:

• Who the f*** is Sarah?

That’s my sister’s name and I know for a fact that she's not a copywriter!

Re: Apologies for the confusion (Jul 1, 2025)

Well, that’s a relief.

But now I know they’re considering other copywriters.

Hm…

I wonder which Sarah it could be?

• Sarah McKenzie - SEO Website Copywriter from Toronto
• Sarah Kaufmann - Creative Copywriter from Toronto
• Sarah M Rutherford - Award-winning creative director and copywriter from Toronto

I guess we’ll never know!

Re: Thanks for the clarification :) (Jul 1, 2025)

Let’s play ball!

At this stage, I still know nothing beyond their generic “job description” (which was meant for Sarah).

So, I shared a few relevant projects (and sites). 

I also flexed my academic credentials.

I shared the fact that I added a Psychology minor to my BSc degree. I also spent a year in Winnipeg as a frontline worker for kids in care. I spent a year getting an Applied Counseling Certificate from the University of Manitoba to upgrade my counseling skills.

Clearly, I’m the best fit for this job, no?

So…

It makes sense to have a 20-minute chat? Say, next week?

Let’s see if I get a reply back with their availability.

Re: We’re Cheap! (Jul 2, 2025)

Are you f***ing kidding me?

Straight to budget and pricing?

Yet, I know nothing about what you actually need?

Okay… let’s look at your sitemap and I’ll pull a number out of my ass.

Mmmmmkay?

Re: Me NOT Cheap + Your Current Site Sucks! (Jul 2, 2025)

Yup, you read that correctly, I quoted $7,500 to 12,500 CAD for a 30-day engagement. If you’ve never hired a copywriter before, that’s still CHEAP when it comes to writing “the current size of their website.“

Remember, they didn’t reveal how many pages.

I made my guess based on their sitemap, and…

I’ve quoted more and have been paid in full.

I’ve also been happy to work for less.

The issue here is… scope!

Like WTF do you actually want?

Why was the original inquiry some convoluted mystery? Just say the # of pages and a price you’re willing to pay for each.

I tell ya, this is why I don’t offer FREE consulting/strategy calls anymore.

There’s just too many tire kickers, window shoppers, and time wasters.

I did my best to call out their previous web designer and prove my value as a copywriter who also knows web design.

You can see their site was built with WordPress + Elementor.

Their sitemap revealed that their previous web designer sucked balls. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen an Elementor designer reveal their templates and pages that shouldn’t be accessible to the public in the sitemap.

If you’re a small business owner that needs a new website, please contact me first (especially if they’re about to build your website with Elementor).

Don’t get sucked into these shitty Elementor web designers! 

Ask them about the technology they intend to use. If it’s WordPress, ask them which theme. If they say custom, ask them again: WHICH F***ING THEME.

Unless you’re paying some high-end custom coder to hand build your site, you’re likely about to hire a liar who won’t reveal their technology to you.

Me?

Here’s what I use when it comes to WordPress:

• Theme I love: GeneratePress
• Hosting I use: Kinsta
• Where I buy domains: CloudFlare

Anyway…

I would never f*** you over the way these shady Elementor web designers do.

Every website I build is done right the first time.

Now, let’s see how they responded, shall we?

Or, do you need a popcorn top up?

It’s cool, the words below can wait…

Re: I’m lazy so here’s an AI-generated reply (Jul 3, 2025)

At this point I’m asking myself whether this company is either:

A) Too corporate for me (possibly)

OR

B) They’re lazy af and just learned AI can do EVERYTHING.

My guess is B.

Why I think that?

Well, just look at the spacing between text/paragraphs. Just look at the additional spacing in the email. It’s likely a copy-pasted from AI.

But also, look at that list of questions.

Didn’t I offer 20-minutes the following week to hop on a call to discuss? And I thought my previous emails detailed these points?

I’m confused.

Are you reaching out for my services? Or are you lying and pretending to work for this company when actually you’re a recruiter for this psychology company in Canada?

Seriously.

One day you reply to a message and it seems genuine.

And the next is:

“How is SEO integrated into your copywriting process? Are you able to create a strategy plan to build our website?“

WHAT THE FUCKING, FUCK?

I know you’re outsourcing web design to an external agency. But are you outsourcing EVERYTHING to a new AI-powered recruitment company?

Maybe. Maybe not.

But finally you reveal you want a copywriter to write 30+ pages.

AND you want strategy, keyword research, plus the full master plan?

Are you on drugs?

What did your therapist prescribe you?

Re: When I say jump, you say: “‘Kay, how high?” (Jul 4, 2025)

I wrote a long ass email and I’m too lazy to redact everything.

But, I replied this was because you never know with big companies. They be putting you through loops and take 1 to 3+ months to pay invoices because that’s how the big dogs play.

They could be legit and this is the process.

Re: When I say jump, you say: “How high?” (Jul 4, 2025)

Wait, time out.

I’m so confused now.

“We are considering doing a pilot project…“

Okay, paid tests are normal.

But…

How much would you charge for:

• Landing page for a paid AD campaign
• Writing a 500-word SEO article

Sorry, what’s the test?

Are you going to get me to:

1. Write a landing page and test it against ads?

And:

2. Write a SEO article and wait to see if it gets ranked and converts?

Good question.

How much would I charge?

Re: Start Now for $750 CAD+HST!!! (Jul 5, 2025)

I know!!

Calm down.

$750 CAD is too cheap for landing page AND a 500-word article.

But sometimes, when you’re negotiating a 5-figure project, you have to offer a steppingstone to prove your worth.

I swear, this usually works 90+% of the time!

Re: Hello? Are you ghosting me? (Jul 8 + Aug 8, 2025)

Okay, so I was ghosted.

Funny how when you put a price tag on things, people back away.

They didn’t even balk at the price (then again, I pitched $7,500 to $12,500+ before and they didn’t comment on it).

Ah well, it’s summer!

Maybe they’re busy.
Went on a holiday.
Missed my email?

Here’s what I actually wrote in the month-later follow up:

Just wondering what happened here with this project opportunity.

Did you find someone else?

Do you still need help?

Was it something I wrote? 😬

Re: How much do you charge for editing our AI slop?

Finally, they’re actually replying and writing emails again (I think, or maybe ChatGPT got an update that doesn’t kill formatting when copy-pasted).

Oddly enough, I’m FINALLY getting transparency:

• “The budget at the moment is not in line with the estimate you have provided us.“

Okay, still AI-ish, no?

Also very corporate. Then again, maybe not corporate.

It’s knock-off corporate. Corporations either HAVE budget and move forward or they don’t reply and ghost you forever.

My money is on the fact they are cheap small business trying to get a bargain (probably because the other Sarah-copywriters quoted the same or likely much more than me).

Just look at the timestamp. 

My CRM reminded me to follow up a month later.

And this was my reply…

Re: Thanks for Wasting My Time (Aug 15, 2025)

I think the email speaks for itself.

For the prospect…

Shame on you.

Do better.

Share a budget.

Establish a fixed price for a test.

Stop using AI to extract information and value from humans.

Honestly…

Is this how your company treats patients seeking psychological services?

If not…

PLEASE CONTACT ME IMMEDIATELY

I’ve built websites and worked with some incredible psychologists and therapists in Canada.

If your psychology/therapy business needs a website.

I would LOVE to help you.