Do This, NOT That: Marketing Tips with Jay Schwedelson

Latest Episodes:

Are You Proud of Yourself? ⚡ Jay’s SCOOP | Ep. 473 Jan 08, 2026

Show notes

Some days you wake up feeling like everyone else has it figured out and you're the only one barely holding it together. In this honest solo riff, Jay Schwedelson shares what has actually been running through his head lately, from self-doubt and negative self-talk to the tiny brave moves that quietly changed his career and life. He unpacks how being grateful to your past self, brave for just 10 seconds, and kind to your future self can shift how you show up this year without needing some huge reinvention.

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Best Moments:

(00:16) Jay admits he is just as full of doubts and mental noise as everyone else and calls out how invisible most people's struggles really are.

(02:18) The question that reframed everything for him: what are you grateful your past self dared to do that makes your life better today?

(04:30) The behind-the-scenes story of COVID panic, payroll stress, and the walk with his wife that pushed him to finally launch Guru Conference.

(06:45) Why you do not need a massive life overhaul, you just need to be brave for 10 seconds to send the message, start the convo, or take the next step.

(07:55) Using those 10 seconds of bravery in your personal life, from saying hi to someone you are drawn to, to opening doors to an entirely new chapter.

(09:15) Reframing the new year away from catastrophic thinking and into a quieter pact with your future self to try, stumble, and still keep going.

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Partner with Jay: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/contact

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Check out Jay Schwedelson's new book: Stupider People Have Done It

All net proceeds are donated to The V Foundation for Cancer Research, let's kick cancer's butt: https://www.amazon.com/Stupider-People-Have-Done-Marketing/dp/1637635206

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Subscribe to Jay's newsletter for weekly marketing tips and tactics: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/newsletter

ㅤ

Check out Eventastic (FREE + VIRTUAL!) https://www.eventastic.com

ㅤ

Connect with Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwedelson/

Check out Jay's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@schwedelson

Check out Jay's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayschwedelson/

Ask Jay anything: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/ask

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Leave a comment and follow the show, it really helps us out!

What’s Up THIS WEEK: New Social Media Law? Email Trending Tactic? Stranger Things? 😱 | Ep. 472 Jan 06, 2026

Show notes

Social media caps for teens, AI-written subject lines, and the fact that people now search TikTok like Google all collide in this week's chaos as Jay Schwedelson riffs on what actually matters for marketers right now. You will pick up a tiny email tweak that can lift opens, a smarter way to write social posts for search, and a frankly unhinged dose of pop culture takes from Avatar 3 to the return of My Strange Addiction.

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Best Moments:

(00:34) Virginia limits social media scrolling for users under 16 to 60 minutes a day and Jay wonders how platforms, parents, and free speech lawsuits will actually shape what happens next.

(02:04) Jay shares new World Data Research results showing that all lowercase email subject lines can outperform polished AI title-cased subject lines and lift open rates by around 14 percent.

(03:30) Between new Forbes and eMarketer stats, Jay breaks down why social platforms are becoming the primary search engine and why captions, transcripts, and on-screen text now need to be written like search hooks, not clever throwaways.

(05:19) Jay cannot get over Avatar 3 passing a billion dollars at the box office when he does not know a single human who admits to seeing it.

(06:29) The return of My Strange Addiction sends Jay into a horrified recap of car romances, Eiffel Tower marriages, and drywall eating that makes him question both humanity and his own viewing choices.

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Partner with Jay: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/contact

ㅤ

Check out Jay Schwedelson's new book: Stupider People Have Done It

All net proceeds are donated to The V Foundation for Cancer Research, let's kick cancer's butt: https://www.amazon.com/Stupider-People-Have-Done-Marketing/dp/1637635206

ㅤ

Subscribe to Jay's newsletter for weekly marketing tips and tactics: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/newsletter

ㅤ

Check out Eventastic (FREE + VIRTUAL!) https://www.eventastic.com

ㅤ

Connect with Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwedelson/

Check out Jay's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@schwedelson

Check out Jay's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayschwedelson/

Ask Jay anything: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/ask

ㅤ

Leave a comment and follow the show, it really helps us out!

SPECIAL SERIES ==> Stop Taking Terrible Marketing Advice 🚽 <== | BATHROOM Break #89 COLLAB: The Marketing Millennials + Do This, Not That Jan 05, 2026

Show notes

New year, same avalanche of bad marketing advice, and Jay Schwedelson and Daniel Murray are calling it out in the most cathartic way possible. From the myth that you need to be everywhere on social to the dangerous habit of letting "I don't like it" kill good ideas, they walk through the worst guidance floating around your feed right now and what to do instead. If you have content guilt, AI anxiety, or a content calendar you secretly hate, this Bathroom Break will make you feel seen and send you back to work with a much saner playbook.

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Follow Daniel on LinkedIn and check out The Marketing Millennials podcast for sharp, no-fluff marketing insights. Subscribe to Ari Murray’s newsletter at gotomillions.co for sharp, actionable marketing insights.

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Best Moments:

(02:16) Jay rants about how every marketer suddenly becomes a futurist in January and why most of that big-brain advice is "epic toilet paper, garbage, trash."

(02:46) Daniel rips apart the idea that you need to be on every social platform and explains why being A-plus on one channel beats being C-minus everywhere.

(03:38) Jay goes off on the classic "I wouldn't click that" feedback and lays out why you are not your audience and testing culture has to beat personal opinion.

(04:34) Daniel demolishes the obsession with perfect content, arguing you should ship above-average ideas and obsess over distribution and formatting instead.

(05:38) Jay calls rigid content calendars a waste of time and shows how the best performing posts are usually the unplanned ones that move at the speed of culture, Gap hoodie and all.

(06:40) Daniel and Jay tag team the AI panic, insisting it will replace lazy, task-only work long before it replaces real marketers with taste, strategy, and curiosity.

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Partner with Jay: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/contact

ㅤ

Check out Jay Schwedelson's new book: Stupider People Have Done It

All net proceeds are donated to The V Foundation for Cancer Research, let's kick cancer's butt: https://www.amazon.com/Stupider-People-Have-Done-Marketing/dp/1637635206

ㅤ

Subscribe to Jay's newsletter for weekly marketing tips and tactics: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/newsletter

ㅤ

Check out Eventastic (FREE + VIRTUAL!) https://www.eventastic.com

ㅤ

Connect with Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwedelson/

Check out Jay's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@schwedelson

Check out Jay's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayschwedelson/

Ask Jay anything: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/ask

ㅤ

Leave a comment and follow the show, it really helps us out!

The 5 Soundbites That Make People Buy 😳 Donald Miller from StoryBrand at Guru Conference | Ep. 470 Jan 02, 2026

Show notes

Messaging gets way easier when you stop trying to sound smart and start trying to sound clear, and this quick Guru Conference convo nails why. Alongside Jay Schwedelson, Donald Miller breaks down the “cognitive load” trap that quietly kills conversions, then hands you a dead-simple framework for turning what you sell into something people instantly get. The best part is its practicality: you will leave knowing what to say, how to say it, and why repeating one line beats explaining ten features.

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Go to StoryBrand to learn the four ways Donald helps teams build their five soundbites, including the on-demand course, a live workshop in Nashville, a private on-site workshop, or a Donald Miller strategy session.

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Best Moments:

(03:30) The “Kids love aquariums” example that doubled sales with three words

(05:34) The five soundbites that invite customers into a story without rambling

(06:00) Why your customer is the hero and you are the guide with the rope

(08:45) If you claim you solve 10 problems, you are basically solving none

(15:15) How repetition trains AI to associate your brand with one specific “hole”

(26:13) The simple email flow that consistently beats “clever” copy

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Partner with Jay: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/contact

ㅤ

Check out Jay Schwedelson's new book: Stupider People Have Done It

All net proceeds are donated to The V Foundation for Cancer Research, let's kick cancer's butt: https://www.amazon.com/Stupider-People-Have-Done-Marketing/dp/1637635206

ㅤ

Subscribe to Jay's newsletter for weekly marketing tips and tactics: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/newsletter

ㅤ

Check out Eventastic (FREE + VIRTUAL!) https://www.eventastic.com

ㅤ

Connect with Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwedelson/

Check out Jay's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@schwedelson

Check out Jay's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayschwedelson/

Ask Jay anything: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/ask

ㅤ

Leave a comment and follow the show, it really helps us out!

SPECIAL SERIES ==> 📩 “Open This Email” Works?! <== | BATHROOM Break #88 COLLAB: The Marketing Millennials + Do This, Not That Dec 29, 2025

Show notes

New Year, new gym guilt, and somehow that turns into a surprisingly useful marketing trick: people do what you literally tell them to do. Alongside Jay Schwedelson and Daniel Murray, this Bathroom Break gets into simple, slightly annoying-to-admit tactics that boost opens, saves, and shares when you’re direct about the action you want.

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Best Moments:

(01:30) Jay admits he times the bench press so nobody sees how weak he is

(02:23) Daniel’s all-time max bench press gets revealed, and it’s absurd

(03:00) The “tell people what to do” tactic that works across email, social, and ads

(03:17) “Screenshot this and send to your team” as a sneaky share trigger

(04:30) “Open this email” at the start of a subject line can lift opens by about 15%

(05:00) Adding “save this post” in LinkedIn copy boosts saves in the analytics

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Partner with Jay: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/contact

ㅤ

Check out Jay Schwedelson's new book: Stupider People Have Done It

All net proceeds are donated to The V Foundation for Cancer Research, let's kick cancer's butt: https://www.amazon.com/Stupider-People-Have-Done-Marketing/dp/1637635206

ㅤ

Subscribe to Jay's newsletter for weekly marketing tips and tactics: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/newsletter

ㅤ

Check out Eventastic (FREE + VIRTUAL!) https://www.eventastic.com

ㅤ

Connect with Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwedelson/

Check out Jay's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@schwedelson

Check out Jay's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayschwedelson/

Ask Jay anything: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/ask

ㅤ

Leave a comment and follow the show, it really helps us out!

Ask Us ANYTHING: Worst Trash TV of 2025, No Mercy 🍿 | Ep. 468 Dec 23, 2025

Show notes

A fake holiday hijacks a doctor’s office phone greeting, and somehow that spirals into a super practical marketing hack: using Jay Schwedelson’s favorite ChatGPT trick to predict which subject line will actually win before you hit send. Then it takes a hard left into the worst trash TV of 2025, with zero apologies and maximum side-eye.

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Best Moments:

(00:52) A doctor’s office answers “Buddy the Elf, what’s your favorite color?” and Jay is not emotionally prepared

(02:15) Why sticking to one AI tool is a marketing mistake

(03:49) The “micro-pause” test for whether your LinkedIn post survives a busy feed

(05:30) Upload your A and B versions and have ChatGPT call the winner before the test runs

(06:45) The 89% accuracy claim that changes how you should run A/B tests

(08:15) Jay’s worst trash TV of 2025 list goes fully unhinged

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Partner with Jay: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/contact

ㅤ

Check out Jay Schwedelson's new book: Stupider People Have Done It

All net proceeds are donated to The V Foundation for Cancer Research, let's kick cancer's butt: https://www.amazon.com/Stupider-People-Have-Done-Marketing/dp/1637635206

ㅤ

Subscribe to Jay's newsletter for weekly marketing tips and tactics: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/newsletter

ㅤ

Check out Eventastic (FREE + VIRTUAL!) https://www.eventastic.com

ㅤ

Connect with Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwedelson/

Check out Jay's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@schwedelson

Check out Jay's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayschwedelson/

Ask Jay anything: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/ask

ㅤ

Leave a comment and follow the show, it really helps us out!

SPECIAL SERIES ==> January Email Hangover 🤯 <== | BATHROOM Break #87 COLLAB: The Marketing Millennials + Do This, Not That Dec 22, 2025

Show notes

January marketing has a weird hangover, and it messes with way more than your motivation. Jay Schwedelson and Daniel Murray get very specific about what to do in those first two weeks, what not to freak out about, and the tiny “swap 2025 to 2026” moves that can quietly outperform your big new ideas.

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Best Moments:

(01:39) The first two weeks of January are not “normal marketing,” and you have to treat them differently

(02:15) Set monthly goals for the next three months so you do not start the year feeling behind

(03:30) Do not kill a new test just because it flops around January 8 or 9

(03:46) Why late-January promo email click rates jump about 30% compared to early January

(04:00) Audit every automation and trigger and delete anything that still screams 2025

(05:31) Shorter copy, more white space, and shorter subject lines win because everyone is overloaded

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Partner with Jay: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/contact

ㅤ

Check out Jay Schwedelson's new book: Stupider People Have Done It

All net proceeds are donated to The V Foundation for Cancer Research, let's kick cancer's butt: https://www.amazon.com/Stupider-People-Have-Done-Marketing/dp/1637635206

ㅤ

Subscribe to Jay's newsletter for weekly marketing tips and tactics: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/newsletter

ㅤ

Check out Eventastic (FREE + VIRTUAL!) https://www.eventastic.com

ㅤ

Connect with Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwedelson/

Check out Jay's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@schwedelson

Check out Jay's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayschwedelson/

Ask Jay anything: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/ask

ㅤ

Leave a comment and follow the show, it really helps us out!

Amy Porterfield!! Her NEW Email Playbook!💥 Guru Conference Session | Ep. 466 Dec 19, 2025

Show notes

When a once-reliable podcast promo email suddenly tanks to 15% opens, you either keep pretending it’s fine or you blow it up and rebuild it from scratch. You’ll hear Jay Schwedelson and Amy Porterfield get honest about what changed in her newsletter, why “being more you” is now a real growth strategy, and how to experiment without freaking out when people unsubscribe.

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Subscribe to Amy Porterfield’s newsletter, listen to The Amy Porterfield Show, and follow her on Instagram.

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Best Moments:

(03:45) When 15% open rates forced a total newsletter reset.

(05:03) Why letting your real personality show matters even more in the AI era.

(07:06) Turning “YOUR cringe” feedback into a subject line that popped open rates.

(08:06) The email metrics she still watches, and why beating your own baseline is the point.

(13:10) Cart-close urgency is shifting, so she frontloads webinars in the first 48 hours.

(17:12) The custom AI tool move that makes “just use ChatGPT” the wrong answer.

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Partner with Jay: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/contact

ㅤ

Check out Jay Schwedelson's new book: Stupider People Have Done It

All net proceeds are donated to The V Foundation for Cancer Research, let's kick cancer's butt: https://www.amazon.com/Stupider-People-Have-Done-Marketing/dp/1637635206

ㅤ

Subscribe to Jay's newsletter for weekly marketing tips and tactics: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/newsletter

ㅤ

Check out Eventastic (FREE + VIRTUAL!) https://www.eventastic.com

ㅤ

Connect with Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwedelson/

Check out Jay's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@schwedelson

Check out Jay's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayschwedelson/

Ask Jay anything: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/ask

ㅤ

Leave a comment and follow the show, it really helps us out!

Guest! Stop Trying to DO IT ALL! 🧠 w/GURU Legend - Jeremy Byars talking COGNITIVE LOAD | Ep. 465 Dec 18, 2025

Show notes

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 lessons to an unexpectedly honest story about why he has a room full of Superman collectibles.

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Connect with Jeremy Byars on LinkedIn, especially if you’re in utilities or comms and want to swap notes.

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Best Moments:

(04:45) The quiet trap of saying yes to everything, and why letting go feels so hard

(08:30) “If you want a village, be a villager,” and the career upside of participating like a human

(10:15) Comedy, content, and marketing all have the same truth - you fail way more than you win

(16:00) How being a caretaker reshaped Jeremy’s ego, priorities, and gratitude

(18:25) The real reason behind the Superman collection, and why “hope” is the whole point

(22:25) Jeremy’s simple ask - connect with him on LinkedIn and start a real conversation

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Partner with Jay: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/contact

ㅤ

Check out Jay Schwedelson's new book: Stupider People Have Done It

All net proceeds are donated to The V Foundation for Cancer Research, let's kick cancer's butt: https://www.amazon.com/Stupider-People-Have-Done-Marketing/dp/1637635206

ㅤ

Subscribe to Jay's newsletter for weekly marketing tips and tactics: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/newsletter

ㅤ

Check out Eventastic (FREE + VIRTUAL!) https://www.eventastic.com

ㅤ

Connect with Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwedelson/

Check out Jay's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@schwedelson

Check out Jay's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayschwedelson/

Ask Jay anything: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/ask

ㅤ

Leave a comment and follow the show, it really helps us out!

What’s Up THIS WEEK: New ChatGPT Marketing! Instagram Big Change? | Ep. 464 Dec 16, 2025

Show notes

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.

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Best Moments:

(00:30) ChatGPT 5.2 rolls out and why it matters even if you are not an AI person.

(01:51) The new superpower: simulating human scan behavior to predict what gets attention

(02:15) The “two-second scan path test” prompt you can copy and use on any email or creative.

(03:51) Instagram tests 24-hour early access Reels for followers, and why that could boost follows

(04:36) TikTok’s Nearby feed is back, and it could become a local discovery game changer

(05:18) LinkedIn ads get creepy-personal with your name, title, and company pulled into the copy

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Partner with Jay: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/contact

ㅤ

Check out Jay Schwedelson's new book: Stupider People Have Done It

All net proceeds are donated to The V Foundation for Cancer Research, let's kick cancer's butt: https://www.amazon.com/Stupider-People-Have-Done-Marketing/dp/1637635206

ㅤ

Subscribe to Jay's newsletter for weekly marketing tips and tactics: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/newsletter

ㅤ

Check out Eventastic (FREE + VIRTUAL!) https://www.eventastic.com

ㅤ

Connect with Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwedelson/

Check out Jay's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@schwedelson

Check out Jay's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayschwedelson/

Ask Jay anything: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/ask

ㅤ

Leave a comment and follow the show, it really helps us out!

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