Do This, NOT That: Marketing Tips with Jay Schwedelson

The fun part of this chat is watching Jay Schwedelson try to reverse-engineer how one human can juggle a million hats and still keep a sense of humor. Jeremy Byars from United Systems & Software, Inc. gets real about cognitive load, impostor syndrome, and the weirdly powerful career move most people ignore: showing up for your community like an actual person. It goes from practical leadership...

Marketing feels like guesswork until you can actually predict what people will notice before you hit send. Jay Schwedelson shares a simple way to use the new ChatGPT 5.2 to test “two-second” attention, then swings through the latest platform experiments that might change how followers and local discovery work. Plus, a quick victory lap for a dead meme and a wild Home Alone casting almost-mistake....

Holiday urgency is real, whether you are trying to squeeze into your jeans or squeeze in those last few deals, and on this Bathroom Break Daniel Murray pulls Jay Schwedelson into a fast, funny riff on how to make that urgency actually pay off. They get into a wild "ate through the shot" Wegovy story, then flip it into simple, budget friendly tactics that push people to buy or opt in without feelin...

Subject lines that tap into who your audience wants to be, a bathroom emergency at a Nashville hot chicken spot, and a minus-200 degree cryotherapy experiment all show up in this Ask Us Anything with Jay Schwedelson . Jay riffs on a listener's challenge to share a subject line test they probably have not tried yet, breaking down the idea of aspirational personalization that speaks a level above yo...

Holiday gift snooping, F-bomb subject lines, and an AI country hit somehow all end up in the same conversation, and Jay Schwedelson has opinions. From Lowe's genius decoy gift boxes to a wildly misjudged suit sale email to a simple subject line trick that quietly spikes opens, this week is part marketing therapy, part pop culture catch-up. If you've ever wondered where the line is between clever a...

December might feel slow for B2B, but Jay Schwedelson and Daniel Murray are using it to double down on what actually worked in their email programs this year. They trade five real world email lessons headed into 2026 - from reply worthy CTAs and smarter list metrics to domain reports and AI powered repurposing - while calling out the bad hot takes about what does and does not matter in your metric...

Think your B2B world is doomed to be dry and boring? Kathryn Frankson sits down with Jay Schwedelson to prove the opposite, pulling stories from massive fintech stages, tiny city libraries, and even her own tea obsession to show how human your marketing could be. From last touch attribution myths to three year event strategies that actually leave room for creativity, this conversation is basically...

December might feel like a throwaway month, but Jay Schwedelson is here with a simple shift that turns the end of the year into a lead and revenue spike by using intent signals as your actual offer. He walks through how to spot and capture real buying intent across B2B, consumer, and nonprofit campaigns, then finishes with some very honest (and funny) thoughts on holiday cards and those ridiculous...

From under-16 social media bans in Australia to the sneaky reason your email should never go out exactly on the hour, this weekly rundown packs in plenty of usable takeaways and a little chaos. Jay Schwedelson connects policy shifts, inbox strategy, influencer math, and the latest AI land grab so you can keep your marketing sharp without living in a news feed. He even throws in some wild traffic s...

A quick-hit Bathroom Break with Jay Schwedelson and Daniel Murray that actually makes social feel manageable again — from tiny boost budgets that move mountains to a commenting play that beats mindless posting. You’ll also hear why short video still wins, how to turn email into a social flywheel, and a sneaky Stories tactic Daniel swears by. ㅤ Follow Daniel on LinkedIn and check out The Marketing...

Most people cranking out content feel like they’re on a hamster wheel, and this one is Jay Schwedelson basically turning his own burnout into a live strategy session with Caleb Ralston . They get into why copying 400-post-a-week creators is wrecking your brain, how to reverse engineer a cadence that actually fits your life, and what it really means for a personal brand to “work.” If you care more...

AI sounds like a shortcut until your “great” ideas flop in the wild, and that is exactly what Jay Schwedelson digs into here. He breaks down a simple 100,000 person prompt that quietly flips AI out of generic creative mode and into deeper statistical thinking, then shares what happened when he A/B tested it on subject lines and CTAs. Plus, a surprisingly relatable question about hating phone calls...

Getting ready for Thanksgiving has nothing on the chaos swirling around AI, privacy rules, and even Instagram trying to make you watch 20-minute reels. Before the turkey coma hits, Jay Schwedelson digs into everything from the death of the em dash to Google’s sneaky new flight deal superpower, plus a few very strong opinions on Netflix holiday movies. Somehow it all ties together in a way that’ll...

Holiday email engagement is somehow both nerdy and genuinely fun here, as Jay Schwedelson and Daniel Murray use Thanksgiving food opinions, Hallmark movies, and Bathroom-Break banter to get into why replies matter way more than most marketers think. They dig into how to engineer responses in your emails and stories, why reply rate is a killer signal for both humans and algorithms, and how AI plus...

Event folks like to joke about chaos, but Jay Schwedelson and Rachel Andrews get into what it actually takes to build a career inside that chaos. Rachel shares how she went from school events and holiday parties to leading a massive global events program, why “embrace the suck” is secretly great career advice, and what is really changing for attendees on-site. They also talk about burnout, boundar...

If you’re scrambling for a few last marketing wins before everyone mentally checks out for the holidays, Jay Schwedelson has you. He runs through ridiculously simple, data-backed plays you can still pull off in December to drive engagement, then pivots to underrated holiday movie picks you probably forgot existed. It’s fast, a little unhinged, and full of ideas you can steal right away. ㅤ Best Mo...

If you’re looking for a quick spark for your marketing this week, this one’s packed with clever timing plays and wild cultural moments that Jay Schwedelson breaks down with zero fluff. From riding the wave of Spotify Wrapped to the bizarre reality of Brown Friday, he pulls out the stuff brands can actually use right now and the stuff that’s just too ridiculous not to mention. ㅤ Best Moments: (00:...

Moving chaos, forgotten boxes, and the universal struggle of figuring out where the bathroom is in a new place somehow turn into the perfect setup for a smart chat about a wildly overlooked email tactic. You’ll hear how adding a simple animated gif can lift clicks, stop the scroll, and make your emails feel more alive, all thanks to the always blunt brilliance of Jay Schwedelson and the ever-game-...

If your career path feels like a loop instead of a launchpad, this candid convo is your blueprint for building something smarter on purpose. Jay Schwedelson and Monique Ruff-Bell - Chief Program & Strategy Officer, TED - get into how to stop waiting for permission, add new lanes to your skill set, and turn curiosity, courage, and "how can I help?" into real leadership opportunities. ㅤ Connect...

If you’ve ever wondered how to revive a dead email list or why people make a hard left into the airplane bathroom before takeoff, this one’s for you. Jay Schwedelson dives into his two favorite tactics to wake up unengaged subscribers before year-end—plus manages to work in an oddly passionate defense of Spirit Airlines. It’s classic Jay: part marketing brilliance, part relatable chaos. ㅤ Best Mo...

Bagel Bites just killed a meme, and Jay Schwedelson is here for it. From frozen snacks trying to be cool to the surprising power of lo-fi content, Jay breaks down what’s trending, what’s actually useful for marketers, and even how to hide your Instagram stories before you ruin a holiday surprise. Oh, and somehow it all ends with Hallmark movies and Mormon wives—because of course it does. ㅤ Best M...

The holiday season brings a different kind of marketing energy, and Jay Schwedelson and Daniel Murray are all about helping you use it. Between roasting each other about running habits and gym classes, they dig into why “the most” might be the single most powerful word you can use in your end-of-year campaigns. From “most downloaded” to “most gifted,” this episode shows how to wrap up your content...

Marketers keep saying the funnel is dead, but this chat actually explains what changed and what to do about it. You’ll hear how to rethink content for 23-word questions, why website traffic is shrinking, and what to build instead, plus a hopeful take on AI that puts humans back in charge. And yes, Jay Schwedelson gets personal with Yamini Rangan about college drop-offs, plants that refuse to live,...

Feeling stuck on year-end content? Jay Schwedelson makes the case for a simple, printable calendar as your fastest way to spark signups between Nov 1 and Jan 15, with real numbers to back it up. He shares exactly how B2B, consumer, and nonprofit teams can spin a one-hour build into two months of lead gen, then weighs in on regifting etiquette and the very serious question of reused gift bags. ㅤ B...

Target’s Zoom layoff glitch, a sneaky subject line tweak that lifts opens, and why pop-up moments are the new marketing moat... this week’s quick hit has range. You’ll also hear why showing up well in Gemini matters more than ever and a spicy pop-culture rant from Jay Schwedelson about platform responsibility. ㅤ Best Moments: (00:28) Target’s all-hands layoff Zoom glitches to a black screen and e...