In this short weekly update episode, host Jay Schwedelson discusses what's happening in the marketing and social media world this week, including major TikTok updates, the attempted comeback of BeReal, Gmail and Yahoo's email authentication rollout, and more. Key Discussion Points: - TikTok rolling out ability to upload 30 minute long videos (huge for future of marketing webinars and business content) - BeReal social media app allowing celebrity and brand accounts starting February 6th...
Jan 30, 2024•6 min•Ep 61•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of the podcast, host Jay Schwedelson discusses the importance of the "after they do the thing" pages on websites. These are the pages users land on after taking a desired action like subscribing to a newsletter, registering for a webinar, or making a purchase. Jay explains why these pages represent the most valuable real estate on a website and shares statistics on how additional offers on these pages can convert extremely well. Main Discussion Points: - After newslette...
Jan 26, 2024•10 min•Ep 60•Transcript available on Metacast In this week's "Ask Us Anything" episode, Jay tackles a work question about improving email engagement and a fun question about the strangest job he's had. Listeners will learn tips for making their email campaigns less like wallpaper to stand out and drive more clicks. Jay also shares a humorous story from his high school job. Main Discussion Points: - Why high open rates but low click through rates happen in email campaigns - Study showing inserting a letter format email be...
Jan 24, 2024•9 min•Ep 59•Transcript available on Metacast In this week's "What's Up This Week" episode, host Jay Schwedelson discusses some of the big happenings this week, including Apple's new VR headset, using email marketing to promote video content, and the upcoming season of The Bachelor reality TV show. Main Discussion Points: - Apple's Vision VR headset presales sell out in 18 minutes - The best way to get video content watched via email marketing is using a screenshot with a big red "play" button - Jay i...
Jan 23, 2024•6 min•Ep 58•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Do This, NOT That, host Jay Schwedelson interviews Alison Cooley , the Director of Growth Marketing at Marigold, about upcoming changes to Gmail and Yahoo's email deliverability requirements that go into effect on February 1st. They explain the four key requirements, dispel myths about the changes, and share resources to help listeners ensure compliance. Expect to learn practical steps to authenticate your emails, keep spam complaints low, implement one-click unsubscribe ...
Jan 19, 2024•31 min•Ep 57•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of "Ask Us Anything", host Jay Schwedelson answers a work question about whether to remove non-engaged email addresses from email lists, and a "ridiculous question" about his thoughts on waiters not writing down orders at restaurants. Key Discussion Points: - Removing non-engaged email addresses after 2+ years of inactivity to improve metrics and deliverability - Still using non-engaged emails for targeting on platforms like LinkedIn and Meta - An anecdote abo...
Jan 17, 2024•11 min•Ep 56•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of What's Up This Week, host Jay Schwedelson discusses the upcoming presidential primaries and marketing tactics used in political campaigns. He shares insights into the massive volume of political text messages and emails sent to voters, as well as innovative and aggressive strategies used such as emojis that may influence marketing best practices in the future. Main Discussion Points: - 15 billion political text messages were sent leading up to the 2022 midterm elections, ...
Jan 16, 2024•7 min•Ep 55•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, host Jay Schwedelson discusses how staying in tune with current trends, such as AI and the Super Bowl, can skyrocket your engagement rates. Jay also dives into the benefits of leveraging Pinterest Predicts, a trend predictor that helps marketers stay ahead of the game. Main Discussion Points: - Talking about current events and trends like AI can dramatically boost engagement - Including "AI" in email subject lines has increased open rates 20% recently - Using Super Bow...
Jan 12, 2024•13 min•Ep 54•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to another exciting episode of Ask Us ANTHING, where Jay Schwedelson answers burning work-related questions and indulges in some hilariously ridiculous ones. In this episode, we dive into the crucial topic of email signatures and how they can be a game-changer for your marketing efforts! Discover the key tactics and tips to maximize the impact of your email signatures, including adding call-to-actions and banner ads to generate higher click-through rates. Learn how to track performance a...
Jan 10, 2024•8 min•Ep 53•Transcript available on Metacast In this week's "What's Up this Week" episode, host Jay Schwedelson provides updates on recent changes and trends in marketing platforms like Twitter (now Elon Musk's X), LinkedIn, and more. He discusses how shifts in one platform create ripple effects across other platforms, the decline in X's performance, LinkedIn's increasing ad costs, and the growth of AI-generated content. Main Discussion Points: - X (formerly Twitter) has seen drops in performance and majo...
Jan 09, 2024•8 min•Ep 52•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of his podcast, host Jay Schwedelson shares some effective email marketing tips for increasing open and click-through rates. He provides specific advice around using hero stats in subject lines, optimizing email length, structuring paragraphs, and limiting form fields. Listeners can expect to learn data-driven best practices to improve email campaign performance. Main Discussion Points: - Using a compelling "hero stat" instead of promotional language in subject lines li...
Jan 05, 2024•14 min•Ep 51•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Jay interviews Alina Vandenberghe , the co-founder and CEO of Chili Piper , a unicorn startup that helps companies book more meetings and increase inbound conversion. They discuss entrepreneurship, marketing strategies, company culture, personal development tips, and more. Main Discussion Points: - Getting initial customer validation by having prospects sign up and pay for a product idea before it's built - Taking on the role of CMO to better understand marketing even thoug...
Jan 05, 2024•22 min•Ep 50•Transcript available on Metacast In this week's Ask Us Anything episode, Jay tackles a work question about the biggest marketing mistake marketers make and a fun question asking which coffee chain has the best coffee - Starbucks, Dunkin' or McDonald's. Main Discussion Points: - The biggest marketing mistake is related to speed - not getting back to leads and customers fast enough (around 24 hours for business, 5 minutes for consumers) - For business leads, follow up within 24 hours or open and response rates drop...
Jan 03, 2024•10 min•Ep 49•Transcript available on Metacast In this week's "What's Up This Week" episode, Jay discusses key insights from a recent study on optimal platforms for short-form video content. He also shares updates on the latest season of The Bachelor. Main Discussion Points: - A study by Amplify analyzing 1300 brands on TikTok and Instagram found Instagram Reels delivers significantly higher reach and engagement for short-form video compared to other platforms. - Instagram Reels delivers 6x the reach compared to Instagram...
Jan 02, 2024•6 min•Ep 48•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of 'Do This, Not That', Jay Schwedelson reveals the latest subject line trends to maximize email open rates. As an email marketer, boosting your open rate is crucial for success. Join Jay as he shares actionable tips and real-life examples on crafting compelling subject lines that grab attention and drive engagement. From pain point marketing to leveraging the power of comparison, learn how to optimize your subject lines for the highest email open rates in the new year....
Dec 29, 2023•14 min•Ep 47•Transcript available on Metacast Description: In this special edition episode, host Jay Schwedelson and director of Guru Events, Stania Antoine , recap behind-the-scenes details from Guru Conference 2023. They discuss highlights like having Martha Stewart as a keynote speaker, challenges with not offering on-demand access, and ideas for improving the event in 2024. Tune in for industry insights and behind-the-scenes stories from the minds behind Guru Conference! Key Discussion Points: - Having Martha Stewart as a big name keyno...
Dec 29, 2023•23 min•Ep 46•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of "Ask Us Anything", host Jay and Kristin Nagel tackle listener questions - one about work and one more lighthearted. Jay shares his approach to consistently posting on LinkedIn over time to grow his network. They also debate whether it's appropriate for families to send out holiday cards once the kids are grown. Main Discussion Points: - Jay spends 15 minutes a day, 3-4 days a week, posting on LinkedIn to consistently grow his network over time - Key to success o...
Dec 27, 2023•9 min•Ep 45•Transcript available on Metacast In this short Tuesday episode, Jay and Kristin Nagel discuss some of the interesting things going on this week, including a new EU AI law, their thoughts on the hit Netflix movie "Leave the World Behind", and more. Main Discussion Points: - The EU has reached a deal on a sweeping AI law called the AI Act. It will require companies to label AI-generated content and design systems so AI content can be detected. This could have major implications as EU laws often make their way to the US....
Dec 26, 2023•6 min•Ep 44•Transcript available on Metacast In this wide-ranging episode, Jay discusses key marketing trends and strategies for 2024. He talks about what to expect in the first few weeks of January when marketing performance tends to dip, how to account for depressed performance during the 2024 election year, and shares some chaotic personal stories. Main Discussion Points: - First 2 weeks of January see low marketing performance; don't expect much from webinars or high-number lists - Back in stock and massive discounts work in early...
Dec 22, 2023•13 min•Ep 43•Transcript available on Metacast In this short holiday episode of "Ask Us Anything", Jay and Kristin Nagel tackle a work question about proving the effectiveness of email marketing and a lighthearted question about whether there's anything Jay doesn't like about the holidays. Listeners can expect tips on using "holdout groups" to quantify email marketing performance and a funny discussion about Jay's inability to properly wrap presents. Main Discussion Points: - Using a "holdout group&quo...
Dec 20, 2023•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this short episode, Jay and Kristin discuss some interesting news and happenings from the past week, including SmileDirectClub going out of business, Meta's Threads app expanding into the EU, and the never-ending barrage of holiday sales. Key Discussion Points: - SmileDirectClub abruptly shutting down despite huge marketing campaigns and leaving customers on payment plans responsible for finishing payments - Meta's Threads app launching in the EU and why it's an opportunity to ...
Dec 19, 2023•7 min•Ep 41•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of his podcast, host Jay Schwedelson discusses the importance of email preheaders. He defines what preheaders are, common mistakes marketers make with them, and best practices for leveraging preheaders to improve email open and click-through rates. Main Discussion Points: - What is an email preheader and why it's important - Common mistake - only testing emails on desktop and not phones, resulting in preheader code issues - Tips for effective preheaders - Using continuation ...
Dec 15, 2023•14 min•Ep 40•Transcript available on Metacast In this short midweek podcast episode, host Jay Schwedelson tackles a work question about deciding when to redo your company's email newsletter program. Tune in to find out if it's time for a redo of your company's newsletter program and learn tips and tricks to make it more engaging. Jay shares his own experiences, including variations in delivery, subject lines, and content, to help you rethink and revamp your email newsletter strategy. He also addresses a ridiculous question ab...
Dec 13, 2023•7 min•Ep 39•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, host Jay Schwedelson explores the significant impact of time in the marketing sphere. Discover how the value people place on their time influences their decision-making process and learn key strategies to optimize engagement. Jay shares fascinating studies that reveal the power of time indicators in promotional materials, including webinars, email newsletters, subject lines, and pre-headers. Tune into this episode to boost your marketing efforts and to learn where to have the be...
Dec 08, 2023•12 min•Ep 38•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Do This Not That, Jay chats with Ashley Faus , Head of Lifecycle Marketing at Atlassian , about the importance of capturing intent and using explicit CTAs in B2B marketing. They discuss common misconceptions around intent, how to design content and CTAs that attract high-intent leads, and why relying on marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) can hurt both marketing and sales teams. Key Discussion Points - The difference between inferred intent and explicit, stated intent - Titling a...
Dec 08, 2023•18 min•Ep 37•Transcript available on Metacast In this short episode of "Do This, NOT That", host Jay Schwedelson first answers a work-related question. He shares valuable advice on enhancing your LinkedIn feed experience. Discover how to avoid repetitive content and stay updated with the latest posts from people you find interesting. He then shares an embarrassing reveal of the music artists and songs that showed up in his annual Spotify Wrapped. Key Discussion Points: How to make your LinkedIn feed more relevant by changing the d...
Dec 06, 2023•7 min•Ep 36•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of "Do This, NOT That.", host Jay Schwedelson talks about how to grow your email list using contact capture forms (also known as popups). He makes the argument that while some people find popups annoying, they are a highly effective tactic for capturing leads and growing your list at no additional cost. Jay also shares stats on the high conversion rates of popups. Plus, get ready to discuss holiday films as Jay shares his favorite picks, including the ultimate holiday c...
Dec 01, 2023•12 min•Ep 35•Transcript available on Metacast In this short episode of "Do This, Not That", host Jay Schwedelson and producer Kristen Nagle answer one work-related question and one ridiculous question submitted by listeners. They discuss when you should give up on a business idea or product, and Jay shares the last thing he searched on YouTube. Main Discussion Points: - Don't set a strict timeline for when you'll give up on a new business idea or product - be flexible based on traction and progress - Consider offering yo...
Nov 29, 2023•6 min•Ep 34•Transcript available on Metacast In this podcast episode, Jay discusses key marketing strategies and trends for December, including changes coming to Gmail that marketers need to be aware of. He also shares best practices for B2B and consumer email campaigns this time of year, as well as the content that tends to perform well. Discussion Points: - On December 1st, Google is deleting inactive Gmail accounts that haven't been logged into for 2+ years. This will likely lead to an increase in bounce rates. - For B2B, letter fo...
Nov 24, 2023•15 min•Ep 33•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of the Do This, Not That marketing podcast, Jay interviews Courtney Bagby, founder of Little Red Management, an influencer talent management agency. They discuss how the influencer marketing industry works, how much influencers charge for branded content, FTC disclosure guidelines, and predictions for the upcoming finale of "The Golden Bachelor." Listeners can expect to learn insider tips about the influencer business. Key Discussion Points: - How Courtney got into tale...
Nov 24, 2023•19 min•Ep 32•Transcript available on Metacast 
