Ep. 270-1️⃣0️⃣,0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣Hours = Expert?😡WRONG! INSTANT Boost to Marketing Campaign Performance with Zero Experience! Jay’s SCOOP

Summary

Episode Summary: Ep. 270-1️⃣0️⃣,0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣Hours = Expert?😡WRONG! INSTANT Boost to Marketing Campaign Performance with Zero Experience! Jay’s SCOOP

Podcast Information:

• Title: Do This, NOT That: Marketing Tips with Jay Schwedelson | Presented By Marigold
• Host: GURU Media Hub
• Release Date: February 7, 2025

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Introduction to the Myth of the 10,000-Hour Rule

In Episode 270, Jay Schwedelson challenges the widely accepted notion that achieving expertise in any field, including marketing, requires 10,000 hours of deliberate practice—a concept popularized by Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers (2008). Jay vehemently disputes this idea, labeling it as "garbage" and "harmful" to personal and business growth (00:40).

Key Points:

• Origin of the 10,000-Hour Rule: Jay explains how Malcolm Gladwell reintroduced the concept based on Anders Ericsson’s research on violinists. While Ericsson's findings highlighted the dedication of top performers, Jay argues that Gladwell oversimplified and misapplied the principle, leading to unrealistic career expectations and the proliferation of imposter syndrome (00:40 - 02:00).
• Malcolm Gladwell’s Reassessment: Gladwell himself has acknowledged that the 10,000-hour rule is not a one-size-fits-all measure of success, emphasizing that multiple paths exist to expertise and achievement (02:00).

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Embracing Action Over Extensive Preparation

Jay advocates for a proactive approach, encouraging marketers to dive into projects without waiting to become experts. He shares his personal strategy of leveraging existing resources to launch initiatives immediately, even with minimal prior knowledge.

Notable Quotes:

• “The best way to know stuff is to just do the thing.” (02:00)
• “I have a mountain of content. I have hundreds of videos, and I want to do something with them.” (03:08)

Strategies Discussed:

1. Trial and Error:

   • Jay emphasizes the importance of experimentation. He shares his plan to start a YouTube channel despite having no experience, expecting initial failures and negative feedback as part of the learning process (03:09 - 03:55).
   • “I'm going to start testing a zillion different things. I'm going to start failing at the videos that I'm posting.” (03:55)

2. Poll-Based Decision Making:

   • Specific Polls: Jay suggests conducting targeted polls on platforms like LinkedIn or Instagram to gauge audience interest in new ideas before fully committing resources.
   • Example: A SaaS company might ask, “What if we replaced our user manual with a TikTok-style video series?” (05:13 - 05:53)
   • Outcomes: Depending on the responses, businesses can pivot and implement ideas that resonate with their audience, even without prior expertise in the new area.

3. Low-Budget A/B Testing:

   • Ad Spend Death Match: Jay shares a successful tactic where his team ran multiple small-scale ad campaigns ($5 each) to identify the most effective creative. Over two weeks, this method enabled them to find a high-performing ad within a $700 budget, significantly lowering their cost per acquisition (06:55 - 07:05).
   • “We just went in there, said, you know what? We're going to blow a little bit of money. We're going to do it in this creative way.” (07:05)

4. Public Launches Pre-Readiness:

   • Launch Before Ready: Announcing a new product or idea before it’s fully developed can provide valuable feedback and guide the final product based on audience reactions. Jay recounts how he launched his podcast based on audience demand despite having no prior podcasting experience, leading to initial poor quality but eventual success (07:04 - 08:26).

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Case Studies and Personal Experiences

Jay illustrates his points with real-life examples, demonstrating how taking action without waiting for expertise can lead to substantial growth and improvement.

Notable Quotes:

• “I have no expertise, I have no right to even say that. But that is how you get to that next point.” (03:55)
• “I made a podcast. My first few episodes were terrible, but I figured it out, and here we are.” (08:51)

Examples:

• YouTube Presence: Despite lacking experience, Jay decided to produce content consistently, embracing the inevitable failures and criticisms as part of the growth process.
• Podcast Launch: With overwhelming audience support, Jay launched a podcast without prior experience, learned through successive iterations, and refined the content based on listener feedback.

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Additional Marketing Tactics

Beyond the primary focus on discarding the 10,000-hour rule, Jay shares other actionable marketing strategies that require minimal initial expertise but can drive significant results.

1. Gamification of Processes:

   • Transforming traditional processes into game-like experiences can increase engagement and user interest.
   • Example: “What if we turned our onboarding process into a game?” (05:53)

2. AI Integration:

   • Incorporating AI tools, even without deep knowledge, can enhance product offerings and meet customer demands.
   • Example: “What if we gave you an AI coach that answered your questions instantly?” (05:53)

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Critical Views on Current Media

In an unexpected turn, Jay shifts focus to critiquing contemporary television shows and movies, sharing his personal opinions on various popular media.

Key Points:

• Disappointment in Popular Shows:
  • Jay expresses strong criticism of XO Kitty Season 2, Cordially Invited on Prime, despite featuring high-profile actors like Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell (09:20 - 11:08).
  • “I cannot tell you to avoid the show more strongly. It’s unwatchable.” (09:20)
• Endorsements and Recommendations:
  • Despite his critiques, Jay praises Severance for its intriguing content, though he notes pacing issues in the latest season (11:08).
  • Recommends The Substance featuring Demi Moore for its unique and bizarre narrative, highlighting Demi Moore’s performance (11:08).

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Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Jay wraps up the episode by reiterating his stance against the 10,000-hour rule, emphasizing the value of taking immediate action and learning through doing. He encourages listeners to adopt the discussed tactics to enhance their marketing strategies without waiting to become experts.

Final Quotes:

• “This idea that you need 10,000 hours is total and complete garbage.” (08:26)
• “You can do little things like that. Or how about a launch before you're ready campaign.” (07:55)

Closing Remarks:

• Jay promotes his personal website, jschwedelson.com, inviting collaborations and partnerships.
• The co-host encourages listeners to subscribe for more actionable tips and chaos from top marketers, humorously requesting a five-star review despite labeling the episode as “the worst podcast of all time” (12:30 - 12:47).

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Key Takeaways:

1. Debunking the Expertise Myth: Extensive preparation (10,000 hours) is not a prerequisite for success. Immediate action and iterative learning can lead to rapid growth.
2. Action-Oriented Strategies: Implementing low-risk experiments like polls, A/B tests, and public launches can provide valuable insights and drive business improvements without significant upfront investment.
3. Embrace Failure: Initial setbacks and criticisms are part of the growth process and should be leveraged as learning opportunities.
4. Adapt and Iterate: Continuous testing and refinement of strategies based on real-time feedback can optimize marketing efforts effectively.
5. Personal Experiences Matter: Jay’s real-life examples underscore the practicality and effectiveness of his advocated approaches, providing relatable and actionable insights for marketers.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• “The best way to know stuff is to just do the thing.” – Jay Schwedelson (02:00)
• “I'm going to start testing a zillion different things. I'm going to start failing at the videos that I'm posting.” – Jay Schwedelson (03:55)
• “We just went in there, said, you know what? We're going to blow a little bit of money. We're going to do it in this creative way.” – Jay Schwedelson (07:05)
• “This idea that you need 10,000 hours is total and complete garbage.” – Jay Schwedelson (08:26)

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Recommendations for Listeners:

• Adopt a Do-First Attitude: Start new projects without waiting for perfect expertise. Learn and adapt as you go.
• Engage Your Audience: Use polls and feedback mechanisms to guide your marketing strategies and product developments.
• Experiment Boldly: Implement small-scale tests and be willing to pivot based on results.
• Learn from Failures: Embrace setbacks as essential components of the learning and growth process.

Tune into future episodes of "Do This, NOT That!" to continue mastering marketing insights, leveraging actionable tips, and navigating the dynamic landscape of marketing with confidence and agility.

Transcript

[Jay Schwedelson]

Foreign.

[Co-host]

Welcome to do this, not that.

[Jay Schwedelson]

The podcast for marketers.

[Co-host]

You'll walk away from each episode with actionable tips you can test immediately. You'll hear from the best minds in.

[Jay Schwedelson]

Marketing who will share tactics, quick wins, and pitfalls to avoid.

[Co-host]

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.

[Jay Schwedelson]

We are back for do this, not that podcast presented by Marigold and I want to talk about one of the biggest lies in a person's career or business. And it's this belief that it takes 10,000 hours of practice or 10,000 hours of doing something to really reach a high level of expertise. And you need these 10,000 hours to get on that path to success. This is beyond garbage. This is actually harmful. And I'm going to go through some quick win tactics on doing stuff without even having 10 hours of expertise and how it could lead to even greater success. But before we get to that, how did we arrive at this nonsense that 10,000 hours is really important? How did this come to be? Well, Malcolm Gladwell, who I think is an incredible author, I've read a bunch of his books, super smart dude, he kind of reintroduced this idea of the 10,000 hour rule in his book Outliers back in 2008. And basically he was arguing that it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to achieve world class expertise in any field. And he based this idea on research from this psychologist, Anders Ericsson, who studied this, like violinists all around the world. And he found that these violinists that spend 10,000 hours were able to become the greatest violinist on the planet. Well, that's great.

[Audience Member]

Okay.

[Jay Schwedelson]

But it made it sound like that you needed to put in 10,000 hours, okay, before you could do the thing to really be an expert, to really get ready to launch your career and your business. And that's what we all ran with, okay? It became the career advice we all got. It became the thing of if you're growing a business, you need to put in these 10,000 hours. And in my opinion, it's kind of like the birthplace of imposter syndrome. And the best part about all this, and then we'll get into the tactics, is that in recent years, because that thing came out in 2008, Malcolm Gladwell himself, okay, has said people took the rule too literally and there are many paths to success and expertise and kind of like put that off to the side a little bit because it ain't it. The 10,000 hours thing but why does this actually matter? Because you think, okay, that you don't know enough about something to try something. But the best way to know stuff is to just do the thing. Okay, I'm going to share some tactics on what you can do in trying stuff that can radically change your business, your marketing tactics, everything. And let me share with you for myself what I mean by this. Just putting stuff in action.

[Audience Member]

YouTube, okay?

[Jay Schwedelson]

I have almost no experience as it relates to YouTube, like none am I going to. I, and I very much want to have a huge YouTube presence. This is what I think is important for my business overall.

[Co-host]

All.

[Jay Schwedelson]

But I don't know anything about it.

[Audience Member]

Okay?

[Jay Schwedelson]

Am I going to spend the next five years and 40 hours a week? Because that equals 10,000 hours studying YouTube, looking at the YouTube videos, trying to come up with a plan, and then after that I'm going to get. Get into motion. No, I'm not going to do that at all. Because here's the deal. I have a mountain of content. I have hundreds of videos, and I want to do something with them. So you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to start testing a zillion different things. I'm going to start failing at the videos that I'm posting. They're going to be terrible. I'm going to get haters telling me that whatever I'm posting is absolute garbage.

[Audience Member]

Okay?

[Jay Schwedelson]

And then over time, over like a few weeks, maybe a few months, it might take me six months, I'm going to figure it out. And that's because I'm going to be doing it. I'm not going to be waiting to do the thing and it's okay, right? And a year from today, I'm saying it out loud. So that way it has to happen. I'm going to have thousands and thousands of YouTube subscribers because I won't stop until I do. And I have no expertise, I have no right to even say that. But that is how you get to that next point. Okay, so what are some tactics that you could do right now that you're not an expert in? You have no business doing it, but if you keep at it, you can transform your career. You could transform your business. One of them that I love is doing a very specific poll. You could do this poll on LinkedIn. You could do it on Instagram, you could do with an email send. And the poll is this. It is. What if we did this poll? Right? Let's say that you are a SaaS company, you sell some sort of software, okay? And you put out this poll. This. What if we did this poll? Instead of launching a full fledged product or campaign, you just ask your followers and your audience this what if Question. All right? So, for example, you could write something like this. What if we replaced our user manual with a TikTok style video series?

[Audience Member]

Okay?

[Jay Schwedelson]

And here's the situation. You have never made short form videos. You don't know anything about TikTok, and you're putting it out there and you're going to get this reaction and people say, oh, my God, that'd be so cool if you had that. That would be amazing. You should totally do that. Or you'll get crickets. Everyone be like, who cares? That's stupid, that's dumb, whatever. But you're putting it out there in this. What if we did this poll, right? And then all of a sudden, ooh, I'm going to figure out how to make that TikTok style video series. Or what if your. What if we did this poll was what if we turned our onboarding process into a game, right? And you say, oh, wow. And then the reaction's wild.

[Audience Member]

That.

[Jay Schwedelson]

That would be so cool. Gamification is where it's at. This is the best idea. You should totally do that. But, oh, I don't know anything about games. I stink at video games. I don't even have an Xbox or PlayStation. But you know what? You're going to figure it out. Because that gamification is what people want. They got excited about it. You put it out there in this. What if we did this poll? Or what if you ask this question? What if we gave you an AI coach that answered your questions instantly? And then the poll was like 90% of people like, this is the best idea. I love this idea, blah, blah, blah, blah. But guess what? You don't know anything really about AI. You're super embarrassed about how little you know about how to get AI integrated into your product, your business, your thing. But now you're gonna figure it out, right? So I love this idea of what if we did this poll now, Other random tactics. We just did this a few months back and it changed our marketing dramatically, which was. And this is so ridiculous, it is. The $50 ad spend. Death Match. What? Here's what we did.

[Audience Member]

Okay?

[Jay Schwedelson]

You, here's what you do. And I'll tell you what we did. You launched two completely different ad creatives with just $50 each.

[Audience Member]

Okay, this is ridiculous.

[Jay Schwedelson]

So two different ad creatives with just $5 each for each ad creative. And you could do this on Facebook. On LinkedIn, on Google Ads, okay? And then the winning ad, you put more budget to, and then the losing ad, you let it die. And then you repeat the same thing every 48 hours, right? And so we did this. We did this for 14 days where we did this $50 ad spend death match, right? Where we had all these different creatives. One had to beat the other and beat the other and beat the other. And then at the end of 14 days, we had only spent $700 and we had an ad creative that we are now using. That is crushing it. It is radically lowered our cost per acquisition. And you know what? We don't have to be an expert on Facebook ads or on Google Ads or on any ads. We just went in there, said, you know what? We're going to blow a little bit of money. We're going to do it in this creative way. And I'm not spending 10,000 hours trying to figure out how to do this. You can do little things like that. Or how about a launch before you're ready campaign. This is secret sauce stuff, okay? Go out there on any platform, maybe it's in your email newsletter, and publicly announce a new product, offer, or idea before it's even finished, before you have any clue what you are doing. Why? Because depending on the reaction you get, that'll tell you, yes, you should go forward. You should do that. That is how this podcast started.

[Audience Member]

Okay?

[Jay Schwedelson]

I didn't know anything about podcasting. Literally.02 years ago, I didn't even. I never even listened to a podcast before. But I went on LinkedIn and I was like, you know what? Maybe I should have a podcast. And I put up a poll and I said, hey, I'm thinking about a podcast, because you know what? The world needs another podcast. And I said, if this poll gets over 50% of people saying that I should make a podcast, I'm gonna do it. And I knew nothing about podcasting.

[Audience Member]

Okay?

[Jay Schwedelson]

And I did it. We ended up getting 95% of people said, yeah, you should have a podcast. I made a podcast. My first few episodes were terrible, but I figured it out, and here we are. Okay, so this idea that you need 10,000 hours is total and complete garbage. All right, before we get to. Since you didn't ask, I want to let you know that's the ridiculous portion of this podcast. As if this whole thing's not ridiculous. But this podcast is presented by Marigold. I love Marigold. I send my email out through marigold.

[Audience Member]

Okay?

[Jay Schwedelson]

Meet marigold.com if you want access to the Best email sending platform. It is a roll up of sail through campaign monitor. My Emma Cheetah Digital Live clicker. I am telling you, big, small consumer B2B. If you want loyalty programs, you do not like your platform. I know you don't like your platform. You think it stinks. You think their tracking reports think. You think you can't get in the inbox. You just think it stinks. Well, guess what? Marigold does not stink. You need to check them out@meet marigold.com. i strongly endorse them. Check them out. All right, let's get into. Since you didn't ask, I want to break down what's going on with TV right now. What I'm watching, what you should not be watching, and what's going on out there. First off, I cannot believe that the number two show in the world and in the United States on Netflix right now is XO Kitty Season 2. Now, for those of you don't know, okay, there was a movie where which was called to all the Boys. I've loved before. This was an excellent movie. And then they made a TV show called Xo Kitty. Season one was horrible. Season two is even worse. I cannot tell you to avoid the show more strongly. I don't understand why it's so popular. It's unwatchable. Speaking about other things that are unwatchable, I just tried to watch your Cordially Invited, which is on Prime. That is the new romantic comedy with Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell. I love Reese Witherspoon. I really love Will Ferrell. That dude's like the funniest guy on the planet. I'm like, this is going to be great. This thing stinks. I don't understand. They're too good of actors and comedians or whatever to not have made something great. I am sorry. It's a, it's a must miss if you ask me. Severance. I'm all caught up on Severance. I love the show Severance on Apple, but they need to, they need to speed it up.

[Audience Member]

Okay?

[Jay Schwedelson]

This is the show with Adam Scott and Ben Stiller's like the director, producer, whatever. And I watched all season one, which was incredible. But this season is moving so slowly. I cannot take it. I am losing my mind. They need to move it along with what's going on. I know you don't care. I know you're like, what is he talking about? I don't know what I'm talking about. I also just watched the Substance with Demi Moore. She's amazing. I mean, this movie went off the rails. I recommend watching the substance, but it is bizarro kind of gross. And it gets really, really, really weird. But Demi Moore, Demi Moore, whatever. She should win the Academy Award. I have no idea who she's up against. She was incredible. This movie is two thumbs up for me, but very weird. Oh, then the Real Housewives in New York. I just finished the the First Reunion. Wow. That season was terrible. But the reunion was bonkers. So you got to check out Real Housewives of New York, the Reunion, and then the thing that's coming up, Love is blind. Season eight starts February 14th. I'm going to be locked in on that. So lots of important things going on. I appreciate you being here. Listen, check out jschwetelson.com you can go there. We could partner together, we could work together. You can come on the podcast, I'll go on your podcast, we'll talk about TV. I don't know what's happening. Just go check out jschwettletson.com and thanks for being here later. You did it.

[Co-host]

You made it to the end. Nice. But the party's not over.

[Jay Schwedelson]

Subscribe to make sure you get the.

[Co-host]

Latest episode each week for more actionable tips and a little chaos from today's top marketers.

[Jay Schwedelson]

And hook us up with a five.

[Co-host]

Star review if this wasn't the worst podcast of all time.

[Jay Schwedelson]

Lastly, if you want access to the.

[Co-host]

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. Guru events.com check it out.