In this short midweek episode of the "Do This, Not That" podcast, host Jay Schwedelson and producer Kristen Nagle answer one work-related question and one ridiculous question submitted by listeners. They discuss whether selfies are appropriate for LinkedIn and what they plan to buy themselves this holiday season. Main Discussion Points: - Non-formatted, authentic social media content (like selfies) gets more engagement than slick, polished posts - Overcoming feeling awkward publicly po...
Nov 22, 2023•7 min•Ep 31•Transcript available on Metacast This podcast is all about using emojis effectively in marketing emails and other digital content. Jay provides data and convincing examples of how emojis can help grab attention and boost engagement, even in professional business-to-business communications. Listeners can expect to learn best practices for utilizing emojis in subject lines, preheaders, social media, and more to stand out and connect with their audience. Key Discussion Points: - Over 95% of email recipients can view emojis, so tec...
Nov 17, 2023•13 min•Ep 30•Transcript available on Metacast In this short episode of the "Do This, Not That" podcast, hosts Jay Schwedelson and Kristin Nagel tackle one business question and one fun question related to Thanksgiving. Listeners can expect tips on re-engaging dormant email subscribers and a lively debate on classic Thanksgiving dishes. Main Discussion Points: - Strategies for re-engaging dormant email subscribers through "verification" style subject lines (e.g. "Are you still with [company]?"). This leads to hi...
Nov 15, 2023•6 min•Ep 29•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of 'Do This, Not That', Jay delves into the power of multi-identities and testing various from names, drawing inspiration from big players like Apple. Don't miss out on leveraging this overlooked aspect of email marketing to enhance engagement without annoying your recipients. Discover how adding specific offers in the 'From Name' section can increase opens by up to 25% and why certain names outperform brand names. Main Discussion Points: - The “from name...
Nov 10, 2023•13 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Jay interviews Kris Rudeegraap , Co-Founder and CEO of Sendoso , about using gifting and direct mail to stand out in sales and marketing. They discuss the power of sending physical gifts versus just relying on digital outreach, how Sendoso automates and scales gifting for companies of all sizes, creative ways to select meaningful gifts, and how gifting ultimately boosts sales by building stronger connections. Main Discussion Points: - Kris founded Sendoso 7 years ago after reali...
Nov 10, 2023•16 min•Ep 27•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of the Do This, NOT That podcast, Jay Schwedelson answers two questions: one work question, and one ridiculous question. Jay shares valuable tips and advice for email marketers looking to enhance their strategies for the holiday season. From doubling down on promotional emails to leveraging auto-responses for indirect networking opportunities, Jay reveals tactics and quick wins that can make a significant impact on your marketing efforts. Main discussion points: - For consumer ma...
Nov 08, 2023•7 min•Ep 26•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Do This, NOT That, Jay discusses the value of email tracking metrics like open and clickthrough rates. He explains why open rates are still important directional metrics, despite claims they are inflated by bots. Jay also provides a tip for detecting bot clicks in your email campaigns. Main Discussion Points: - Open rates are still valuable as directional metrics, even though absolute numbers may be inflated by bots - You can compare open rates between A/B test email campaigns...
Nov 03, 2023•15 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast In this short episode of "Do This, NOT That- Ask Us ANYTHING", host Jay talks with producer Kristen Nagel about improving webinar registration and who they would want to play themselves in a movie about their lives. Main Discussion Points: - Why continuously pushing for internal changes to improve webinar registration is not always the right approach - Key things to consider before trying to optimize conversion rates - Who Jay would want to play himself in a hypothetical biopic and why...
Nov 01, 2023•6 min•Ep 24•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Jay talks about the importance of not ignoring your best prospects in email marketing. He shares data showing that a significant percentage of clicks happen after an offer expires, and that those late responders have much higher lifetime value. Jay stresses the need to provide relevant follow-up content to these late responders instead of just showing a generic "offer expired" page. Main Discussion Points - 22% of click through traffic happens after an offer expires - ...
Oct 27, 2023•9 min•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Do This Not That, Jay is joined by pop culture & marketing expert Brianne Fleming . They discuss how brands and marketers can leverage trending pop culture topics and effectively tie them into content marketing and social media efforts. Listeners will learn creative strategies for capitalizing on pop culture moments to engage audiences. Key Discussion Points: - Pop culture can make unfamiliar topics feel familiar and accessible for audiences by tying them to trending momen...
Oct 27, 2023•19 min•Ep 22•Transcript available on Metacast This week's podcast episode features advice from Jay on how companies can better position their offerings when pitching to prospects. Jay discusses why trying to showcase all of your services and capabilities at once can actually hurt your chances of closing deals. Main discussion points: - Leading with too many offerings can overwhelm prospects and make it hard for them to understand what your company really does. - Successful brands are known for one core thing - like Bombas for socks or ...
Oct 25, 2023•6 min•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast Introduction: This podcast episode is hosted by Jay , who discusses the importance of the first email you send to new subscribers or customers. He explains why this initial email is so critical for establishing a relationship and getting your future emails delivered to the inbox. Jay also shares tips on crafting compelling subject lines and content to get high open and click rates. Main Points: - The first email you send when acquiring a new subscriber establishes a technical relationship betwee...
Oct 20, 2023•12 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast This short episode of Ask Us ANYTHING features Jay answering two listener questions - one about getting a promotion at work in marketing, and one asking for fantasy football advice. Listeners can expect tips from Jay on making the most of work software subscriptions to stand out at work, as well as a humorous take on Jay's own lack of fantasy football knowledge. Main Discussion Points: - Many companies use only 10% of the capabilities of the expensive software they subscribe to. Doing a dee...
Oct 18, 2023•4 min•Ep 19•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of the Do This, NOT That podcast, Jay busts some common email marketing myths that he believes are holding marketers back. Jay tackles misconceptions around Gmail's promotions tab, using the word "free" in subject lines, and more. Listeners can expect to learn the truth behind these email marketing myths and walk away with tips to improve their marketing performance. - Jay explains the myth that you want to avoid having your emails go to Gmail's promotions tab...
Oct 13, 2023•13 min•Ep 18•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Do This, NOT That, Jay interviews email marketing expert Andrew Kordek from iPost . They discuss best practices for email engagement, including sending more targeted emails instead of just more emails, watching for drops in engagement sooner rather than later, and "secret shopping" your own email signup flows. Main Discussion Points - Sending more targeted, personalized emails instead of just sending more emails in general - Watching for drops in engagement within th...
Oct 13, 2023•16 min•Ep 17•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Jay delves into the powerful concept of social proofing and how it can be effectively incorporated into marketing strategies. Discover how the collective societal brain influences consumer decisions and learn tips for leveraging the word 'most' and customer testimonials to drive higher engagement. Listeners will learn specific tactics to use social proof in emails, landing pages, ads, and more to boost engagement and conversions. Tune in and gain valuable insights that...
Oct 06, 2023•11 min•Ep 16•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Do This, NOT That, Jay discusses how your marketing strategy and messaging should shift once October hits to maximize engagement and performance. He provides tips on optimizing content, email marketing, and promotions for the busy Q4 period through tactics like focusing on the upcoming year, leveraging seasonal and holiday-related keywords, and creating 2024 calendars. As we enter October, Jay explains that consumers and business professionals become focused on Q4 and the new ...
Sep 29, 2023•11 min•Ep 15•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Do This, NOT That Jay chats with Pierce Ujjainwalla , co-founder and CEO of email design platform Knak , about email marketing. They bust myths around embedding videos in emails and discuss how animated GIFs can increase engagement. Listeners will learn tips for creating effective animated GIFs, as well as when and how to use them in emails for both B2B and B2C audiences. Main Discussion Points: Animated GIFs can increase clickthrough rates by over 20% in emails You cannot emb...
Sep 29, 2023•14 min•Ep 14•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Do This, NOT That, Jay discusses the power of LinkedIn newsletters and why every marketer should be taking advantage of this feature. Jay explains how LinkedIn newsletters work, their benefits, and tips for getting started. Key Points: - LinkedIn allows you to publish a newsletter directly on their platform if you have over 150 connections. This gives you instant access to your network. - When you publish your first newsletter, LinkedIn will automatically invite all of your co...
Sep 24, 2023•10 min•Ep 13•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Do This Not That, Jay dives into the importance of call-to-action (CTA) buttons in marketing campaigns. He explains why the specific wording you use on CTA buttons can greatly impact performance, and shares tips for optimizing your buttons to drive more clicks and conversions. Listeners can expect to learn easy ways to improve their CTAs. Main Discussion Points: - Using words that focus on the benefit to the recipient rather than words about the action itself can increase CTA ...
Sep 22, 2023•12 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Do This, NOT That, Jay shares simple yet impactful marketing tips that can help increase engagement and performance for email, social media, and other campaigns. Listeners can expect to learn quick hacks to try in their own marketing efforts. Jay shares proven tips for optimizing your email campaigns, including changing the sent time, adding a powerful PS at the end of your emails, and mindfully omitting social sharing links that don't align with your campaign goals. Thes...
Sep 17, 2023•11 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Jay dives into the world of content marketing and the power of repurposing. Learn why you don't need to constantly come up with new ideas and how to make the most of your best-performing posts. Jay introduces the game-changing strategy of operating on a 60-day cycle for repurposing successful LinkedIn content. Plus, get ready for some fascinating discussions on pop culture! From movie recommendations to superhero movie frustrations, teen romance surprises, and even impactfu...
Sep 15, 2023•13 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Do This Not That, host Jay provides tips and strategies for creating more engaging email newsletters. He first advocates for the importance of having a newsletter, even if you don't have a large following, as it helps build your skills as a writer and content creator. Jay then offers specific tactics to increase open and click rates, including sending your newsletter twice, changing the subject line and send time for the second version, making it more personal by having i...
Sep 08, 2023•14 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of the Do This Not That podcast, host Jay Schwedelson speaks with Brian Minick, COO of Zero Bounce, about email validation and ways to improve email marketing performance. They discuss the importance of validating email lists, tips for maintaining good sending reputation, and segmentation strategies. Listeners can expect to learn best practices for ensuring email deliverability. Brian Minick is the COO of Zero Bounce , an email validation and verification service. Brian has exten...
Sep 08, 2023•22 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Jay unveils his approach to elevating LinkedIn engagement, promising real-time and measurable improvements. His approach includes unconventional advice like "Nobody cares about whatever greatness your company is doing. Nobody cares whatever greatness you're doing." Offering actionable steps, Jay prioritizes providing value before promoting, while also leveraging the LinkedIn algorithm. He critiques the common self-promotion strategies and offers a valuable 'g...
Sep 01, 2023•11 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast Join us on this week's episode as Jay discusses the essential need for marketers to adapt to changing consumer behaviors and preferences. "Sometimes marketers be like, oh, this channel doesn't work. Search doesn't work for us, or social or email doesn't work for us, when in fact it's the offer they're promoting," Jay explains, emphasizing the importance of identifying what truly works in the contemporary marketing landscape. In this episode, Jay dives into...
Aug 25, 2023•12 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast In this enlightening episode of 'Do This, Not That,' host Jay chats with best-selling author and marketing leader Ann Handley in a podcast that's brimming with wisdom on content marketing, writing strategies, and the increasing role of AI in the modern marketing world. Prepare to contemplate crucial questions such as: - How does Artificial Intelligence serve as a tool for faster and more effective content creation? - How can newsletters be launched from scratch and made successful...
Aug 25, 2023•19 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast Unsubscribes are GREAT for marketers! People only unsubscribe from emails primarily for 2 reasons. Their life has changed and they are no longer in market They forgot about your company and are cleaning up their inbox But most marketers look at unsubscribes ONLY as an indicator that their last email didn't land well. And try to radically adjust their strategy moving forward. Jay advises against overreacting to an increase in unsubscribes and emphasizes that they do not negatively impact del...
Aug 17, 2023•12 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast The unconscious mind drives behaviors, making it crucial for marketers to understand and tap into these subconscious drivers. And in this episode of Do This, Not That!, you'll learn 3 quicks tips from Nancy Harhut on how to do just that. Jay & Nancy talk about the power of social proof and how it can be used to influence consumer behavior. Nancy explains that people are more likely to take action when they see others doing the same, and provides examples of how this can be applied in ma...
Aug 17, 2023•17 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast A 10% conversion rate is terrible. But currently, we celebrate it. And there is definitely a better way to convert traffic on your landing pages. In this podcast episode, Jay Schwedelson discusses the importance of optimizing landing pages to improve conversion rates. He provides actionable tips such as: Removing distractions like your main site navigation Using multi-step forms Incorporating social proof These tactics have generated improved conversion rates of over 50%! So, if you want your tr...
Aug 17, 2023•13 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast 
