Episode Overview

Main Theme:
This episode of "Do This, NOT That: Marketing Tips with Jay Schwedelson" is centered around a simple, free, and instantly actionable marketing tactic to increase click-through and conversion rates: false choice button pairing. Jay unpacks how altering the wording of call-to-action buttons can boost engagement dramatically, and explores the behavioral science behind this effect. The episode also briefly detours into Jay’s humorous struggle with planning his upcoming 50th birthday.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What Is False Choice Button Pairing?

• Definition: Presenting two call-to-action (CTA) buttons on a landing page where the "No" option is phrased negatively or humorously (“No, I like wasting money”), making the affirmative choice ("Yes, show me the Playbook") feel appealing by contrast.
• This tactic taps into deeper psychological principles by nudging users toward self-identification with the positive option.

Notable Quote:

“When you frame two buttons like that, you have this thing called false choice pairing. And button A sounds like you're the hero of a Marvel movie, and button B sounds like you're still using Internet Explorer.”
— Jay Schwedelson [02:11]

2. Real-World Brand Examples

Jay cites numerous brands that utilize this psychology-driven button pairing:

• Groupon:
  • Yes: Sign up for free deals
  • No: No thanks, I hate saving money
• AppSumo:
  • Yes: Get insane deals
  • No: No thanks, I'm rich already
• Dollar Shave Club:
  • Yes: Start my shave plan
  • No: No thanks, I like overpaying for razors
• Casper:
  • Yes: Get 15% off
  • No: No thanks, I like bad sleep

Notable Quote:

“It could be for a conference, right? ... Save my seat. And then the other button says, ‘No thanks, I hate learning new things.’”
— Jay Schwedelson [03:38]

3. Why Does It Work? (Behavioral Science Explained)

• Rooted in Loss Aversion and the Framing Effect:
  • People are more motivated to avoid negative outcomes or identities than to seek positive ones.
  • Reference to Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky’s research: “They call this, the framing effect, right?... It's basically a version of loss aversion.” [04:50]
• Impact:
  • Users subconsciously avoid choices that make them feel foolish or negative about themselves.
  • The tactic “costs nothing, takes five seconds, and is easy to test.”

Notable Quote:

“You’re really not picking an option, you’re picking an identity.”
— Jay Schwedelson [03:15]

4. Proven Lift: Data & Results

Jay provides conversion lift numbers from real studies:

• Increases from False Choice Pairing:
  • Business offer pages: +24%
  • Consumer offers: +18%
  • Lead magnet pages: +22%
  • Free trial pages: +15%
  • Webinar registrations: +17%
  • Newsletter sign-ups: +28%

[05:20]

Notable Quote:

“World Data Research has done a ton of research on this topic, and there’s some really cool data…”
— Jay Schwedelson [05:01]

5. How to Implement This Tactic

• Just Do It:
  • Apply to any landing page, newsletter signup, free trial, e-commerce offer, nonprofit donation, etc.
  • “Yes, fix my skin” vs. “No, filters are enough.”
• Brand-Friendly:
  • Major brands use it; it’s not “off-brand.”
  • “This is not off brand. This is just framing. This is called marketing. This is how you win.” [06:40]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|------------|-------| | 02:11 | Jay S. | “Button A sounds like you’re the hero of a Marvel movie, and button B sounds like you’re still using Internet Explorer.” | | 03:15 | Jay S. | “You’re really not picking an option, you’re picking an identity.” | | 05:01 | Jay S. | “World Data Research has done a ton of research on this topic, and there’s some really cool data…” | | 05:14 | Jay S. | “On lead magnet pages, having false choice buttons will increase your signups by 22% on average.” | | 06:40 | Jay S. | “This is not off brand. This is just framing. This is called marketing. This is how you win.” | | 07:13 | Jay S. | “Costs you nothing. Takes five seconds, easy test to try.” |

[07:30-12:00] Jay’s 50th Birthday Plans — The Chaos Segment

• Jay transitions to a personal tangent about his upcoming 50th birthday (April).
• Despite family excitement, he’s apathetic:

  “My problem is I don’t care. I never care about my birthday.” [07:42]

• His dream celebration? Two days on a farm, doing chores:

  “What I would really like to do is find a farm somewhere. And I want to live on a farm for, like, two days. And I want to get up with the chickens and I want to milk cows, and I want to do whatever you do on a farm…” [08:14]

• Family hates the idea; Jay jokes about his lack of handiness.
• Light-hearted closing plea to listeners:

  “Anybody out there who lives on a farm, can I come stay with you for two days and take care of chickens? I’ll probably want to do it for 10 minutes. I’ll probably want to leave because it probably smells disgusting…” [09:30]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:40] Introduction of the false choice button pairing concept
• [01:45] Examples from major brands
• [04:50] Explanation of the behavioral science (framing effect, loss aversion)
• [05:01] Presentation of real-world data and conversion stats
• [06:40] How to implement; it’s brand-friendly
• [07:30] Segue into Jay’s 50th birthday and personal reflections

Summary & Practical Takeaway

Jay’s main advice:
Test false choice button pairing today. It’s fast, free, fun, and delivers major conversion lifts across business types. Lean into playful, identity-based “No” phrasing to drive results.

Memorable tip:

“This is not off brand. This is called marketing. This is how you win.” [06:40]

Jay wraps up with characteristic humor, reminding listeners it’s okay to break the mold both in their marketing and their birthday plans.

Further Resources Mentioned

• Jay’s Website: jschwedelson.com — Free resources, opportunities to partner
• Upcoming Book: Stupider People Have Done It (net proceeds to the V Foundation for Cancer Research) [11:45]

This summary captures all the key marketing insights, the science behind the techniques, implementation tips, and Jay’s unique voice—perfect for marketers who want to improve results or anyone who enjoys practical tips delivered with humor and authenticity.