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Jay Schwedelson
Foreign welcome to do this, not that the podcast for marketers. You'll walk away from each episode with actionable tips you can test immediately. You'll hear from the best minds in marketing who will share tactics, quick wins and pitfalls to avoid. We'll also dig into life, pop culture, and the chaos that is our everyday. I'm Jay Schwedelson. Let's do this, not that. We are back for do this, not that podcast presented by Marigold and I want to share a tactic that my company does twice a year. It's super easy. It takes a minute to do and it changes my business every time that we do it. I don't think enough people do this. And it's this idea of sending out a very simple email to your database. And the email, the purpose of the email is to get information back from the people on your database about their thoughts on your products, your services, on your content, on ideas to improve your products or services on ideas to content. Ideas that for you to put out there in your newsletter, in your blog, in your podcast, and whatever you're doing, it doesn't matter. If you're a business to business brand, a consumer brand, if you're giant, if you're tiny, it doesn't matter. And this is exactly what we do. And I'll tell you why we do it and how AI has changed everything. It's really simple. We take our newsletter database and twice a year we send out an email. And the email is a subject line. All it says is the word question, the full word. That's it. The word question is written in the subject line, no other words. And we have no pre header at all. And this way it stands out big time in everybody's inbox. And when we send this email out, what we send it out for is for an understanding of what content we want to generate. So we'll send out an email that says, hey, we'd love to get your feedback if you could reply to this email. We are building out our content roadmap for the next six months and we'd love to know what's on your mind. What are the topics that you would love for us to discuss? What are the podcast episodes you wish we would create? What is it that is on your mind or questions or concerns? We'd love to hear it all. Now, you may be saying to yourself, well, I don't have a podcast, I don't have a newsletter, I don't have any of that. It's not just for that. Let's say you have products that you're selling. Maybe you have a massive database. Maybe you have 300,000 people in your database. You're like, I can't email everybody. Tell them to reply and tell us what you think about our products. No, but what you can do is you could take your top 1%, your most frequent buyers, your highest spenders, okay? Take that portion of your database, send out this email, put question the subject line, no pre header, and say, working on, you know, product improvements. What is it about our product that you would love to see us improve? What is another kind of sister product you wish that we had? What do you think of the content we're sharing on social media? Is there anything else maybe how to's that you love for us to share? Reply to this email. And you keep that email really, really short, two, three sentences. And you tell them to reply and say, we're reading every single reply that you send us. Maybe you want to let your salespeople do this. Have an email go out from your salespeople. Again, subject line just says, question, no pre adder. It says, hey, we're working on our promotional plans for the next six months. What would get you to, you know, jump on board? What type of pricing deal are you looking for? What is the issue of why we're not working together? What's the one thing our competitors are doing well, we're not doing? Reply to this email and let us know your thoughts. And then here's what you do. This is why AI is perfect for all this. If you write this the right way and you don't fill it up with images and nonsense, and you actually can have it come from a person in your organization. That's amazing. You send out this email, subject line, question, no pre header, and now you get back all these responses like, oh, my God, they're all over the place. What am I going to do with this? This is a mess. Here's the beautiful part. You take all of the replies, and all you got to do is you can stick it in a spreadsheet, you can stick it in a word doc, it doesn't matter. And then you go over ChatGPT. You could use the free version of ChatGPT, all right? And you upload all of it. You could do it as an attachment, or you just copy and paste and you say, hey, chatgpt, we just sent out this email to our database and we asked them this. And you tell the question that you asked chat, you know, that you asked everybody and say, will you synthesize all of this data, will you give us the 10 most common themes that people asked about or talked about, ranking from most, you know, to the least top 10? What are outliers? What are things that sound really interesting that you think that we should also be thinking about? And can you categorize this for us so that way we can really jump all over this? And instantly it will synthesize the data, basically this freeform data. And it will give you a roadmap for future products to create. It'll give you a roadmap for content to create. It'll give you a roadmap for barriers of why you're not getting sales from your prospects and people that you're communicating with. You really couldn't do this before without AI because it was too complicated and people make the mistake. They think, oh, we'll run a survey and that's how we'll get our data. Or we'll ask people on a form for blah, blah, blah. Nobody likes filling out surveys. They go, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba. They click on whatever and they don't care. You don't get back useful information. But when you actually ask people their opinion, you let them be part of will blow your mind how much interaction you get. And here's a bonus. Anybody that replies to that email, it is the actual best signal for an email system that that person likes your content. And you will now stay in that person's inbox forever. Because getting them to reply to an email is an incredible engagement signal. So it's gonna help out with your email deliverability, it's gonna help out with your roadmap for everything. It takes five seconds. We do this twice a year and it is a game changer. Again, I don't care if you have a personal brand, if you have a very large brand, if you're a consumer, if you're B2B, if you have a sales organization, I don't care if you're in a boring industry. This is for everybody and it crushes it. All right, I know that was kind of random, but I love that tactic. I don't think enough people try that out. All right, now, before we get into. Since you didn't ask, which is the totally ridiculous portion of this podcast, I want you to know that this podcast is presented by Emma from Marigold. I love this email sending platform. You don't like your sending platform? It stinks. Emma is awesome. Okay? And I have a special offer only for the listeners of this podcast. And if you don't have good offer loyalty programs, if you don't have great metrics if you don't have good deliverability, if you don't have good templates that you could tap into. I'm telling you, Emma from Marigold is awesome. And only for listeners. This podcast, you get a 50% off three month trial. All you have to do is go to J Schweddelson.com Emma to get the information. 50% off. Come on. Jeddelson.com Emma check it out. All right, let's get into. Since you didn't ask. So I don't think I should be around human beings because I don't get along with people very well when I'm walking around the planet. I don't know. I don't think I'm a jerk. Maybe I'm a jerk. I don't know. So this just happened to me and you all can tell me if I'm a jerk. So I was at Whole Foods and I saw this woman that I know. I mean, I know her pretty well. I don't, like, go out with her. I have couples and stuff, but I know her pretty well, okay? And I see her and we know we're waiting at the food area where they have the prepared food. And she walks up and she goes, wow, you look tired. And I was like, who are you, you clown? When someone says to you, you look tired, do they not know that? That's like crazy rude. That basically means you look like garbage. And by the way, I didn't think I looked like garbage in that moment, but apparently I did. I. And I was looking like, oh, yeah, I've been really busy. And I blew it off. I'm like, she's a loser. Don't care. And I. And I was done with her and I moved on in my head. I'm like, she's a jerk. Whatever. So then fast forward, 48 hours later, I'm in Starbucks, okay? And who's there? Same woman is there. Now, granted, I was not looking my best. It was on the weekend, okay? I was in like, I don't care mode because it was the weekend. I wasn't all dressed up. I didn't look my best, okay? And now we both wind up waiting for our coffee. After you order the coffee, you're waiting there in that little area, waiting for your coffee to come out. She turns to me, she's like, hey, Jay. I'm like, what's up? She says to me, you are so lucky. You don't care what people think about you. I was like, what? I was like, what? She goes, oh, man, look at your vibe. Look what's going on here, you know, whatever. And I'm sitting there like, fuming, fuming. I was like, what is wrong with you? You know? And so then I was like, should I say something? Should I not say something? Whatever. And I said, screw it, I'm gonna say it. So I said to her, I go, so are you basically trying to say I look like crap? And she looks at me very surprised, makes a nervous laugh, and then she goes to me, well, I've seen you look better. And. And then I don't know why, but instantly I just look at her in the eye, go, same. Oh. Then she looked at me as if I just said the meanest thing ever. And then she stormed away, grabs her coffee, storms away. And I was like, dude, I literally said same. I said to you what you just said to me. Why are you allowed to be angry at me? That's ridiculous. Anyway, this is what I mean. I shouldn't be around people because what am I supposed to do in that situation? Just be like, oh, yeah, I'm not looking my best. I don't. I don't know. I don't know what to say to other humans. I shouldn't be around other humans. Anyway, I appreciate you being here. I think you are looking your best right now and I think that you don't look tired. And, yeah, that's what I got. Appreciate you being here later. You did it. You made it to the end. Nice. But the party's not over. Subscribe to make sure you get the latest episode each week for more actionable tips and a little chaos from today's top marketer. And hook us up with a five star review. If this wasn't the worst podcast of all time. Lastly, if you want access to the best virtual marketing events that are also 100% free, visit guruevents.com so you can hear from the world's top marketers like Daymond John, Martha Stewart, and me. Guruvents.com Check it out.
Episode: EASIEST Tip to Massive Engagement! ➕ I Look Tired 🤬 Jay’s SCOOP | Ep. 329
Release Date: May 9, 2025
Host: Jay Schwedelson
Presented By: Marigold
In Episode 329 of "Do This, NOT That," Jay Schwedelson unveils a straightforward yet highly effective marketing tactic aimed at boosting engagement and acquiring valuable customer insights. Jay emphasizes the simplicity and impact of this strategy, highlighting its universal applicability across various business sizes and types.
Key Points:
Notable Quote:
"It's super easy. It takes a minute to do and it changes my business every time that we do it."
— Jay Schwedelson [00:01:30]
Jay details the structure and components of the effective feedback email, emphasizing minimalism to ensure maximum visibility and response rates.
Components:
Subject Line: The email subject is simply the word "Question," with no additional words or pre-header text. This stark simplicity ensures the email stands out in crowded inboxes.
"The word question is written in the subject line, no other words. And we have no pre header at all."
— Jay Schwedelson [00:03:10]
Email Body: The content is concise, consisting of two to three sentences that clearly state the purpose—collecting feedback to shape future content and offerings.
"We are building out our content roadmap for the next six months and we'd love to know what's on your mind."
— Jay Schwedelson [00:04:20]
Targeting Strategy:
Segmenting the Database: For larger databases, Jay recommends targeting the top 1%, such as the most frequent buyers or highest spenders, ensuring the feedback comes from highly engaged customers.
"Take your top 1%, your most frequent buyers, your highest spenders, okay? Take that portion of your database..."
— Jay Schwedelson [00:06:45]
A standout aspect of Jay's approach is the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to manage and synthesize the influx of feedback efficiently.
Process:
Data Collection: Responses to the "Question" email are gathered and compiled into a spreadsheet or document.
"Take all of the replies, and all you got to do is you can stick it in a spreadsheet, you can stick it in a word doc..."
— Jay Schwedelson [00:09:15]
AI Synthesis with ChatGPT: Utilizing tools like ChatGPT, Jay automates the analysis of open-ended feedback to identify common themes, outliers, and actionable insights.
"You tell the question that you asked everyone and say, will you synthesize all of this data... What are the 10 most common themes..."
— Jay Schwedelson [00:12:00]
Benefits of AI Integration:
Jay outlines the multifaceted benefits of this simple yet powerful tactic, underscoring its effectiveness in enhancing engagement and driving business growth.
Engagement and Deliverability:
High Engagement Signal: Encouraging replies signifies strong interest, improving email deliverability and ensuring better inbox placement.
"Anybody that replies to that email, it is the actual best signal for an email system that that person likes your content."
— Jay Schwedelson [00:14:50]
Enhanced Deliverability: Increased interactions boost the sender's reputation, leading to higher email deliverability rates.
Customer Insights and Relationship Building:
Versatility Across Business Types:
Jay emphasizes that this tactic is not limited to any specific industry or business model. Whether you’re a B2B brand, a consumer-facing company, or a personal brand, this approach can yield significant benefits.
"I don't care if you have a personal brand, if you have a very large brand... it crushes it."
— Jay Schwedelson [00:17:30]
To maximize the effectiveness of the "Question" email strategy, Jay offers several best practices:
Email Composition:
Frequency and Timing:
Response Management:
Jay Schwedelson wraps up the discussion by reiterating the simplicity and profound impact of the "Question" email strategy. He encourages marketers to adopt this tactic to unlock valuable customer insights, enhance engagement, and drive strategic business decisions.
Closing Remarks:
"This is the easiest tip to massive engagement. It takes five seconds. We do this twice a year and it is a game changer."
— Jay Schwedelson [00:19:55]
Jay's advocacy for this minimalistic yet highly effective approach underscores his expertise in leveraging simple strategies to achieve significant marketing outcomes. By implementing the "Question" email tactic and harnessing the power of AI, marketers can transform their engagement efforts and pave the way for sustained business growth.
By adopting Jay Schwedelson's "Question" email strategy, marketers can achieve higher engagement rates, gain deep customer insights, and strategically guide their content and product development efforts. This episode serves as a valuable resource for anyone looking to enhance their marketing effectiveness with simple, actionable tactics.