Podcast Summary: "Do This, NOT That: Marketing Tips with Jay Schwedelson"

Episode Title: SPECIAL SERIES == Are Followers Still a Thing? Let’s Get Real 🎯 | BATHROOM Break #66 COLLAB: The Marketing Millennials + Do This, Not That
Release Date: July 28, 2025
Hosts: Daniel Murray (Marketing Millennials) and Jay Schwedelson (Do This, Not That)

Introduction to the Episode

In this special collaboration episode of "Bathroom Break #66," Daniel Murray from Marketing Millennials teams up with Jay Schwedelson from "Do This, Not That" to discuss a pressing question in the current marketing landscape: Do followers still matter? The hosts delve into the evolving significance of follower counts across various social media platforms and explore how these metrics influence business credibility and marketing strategies.

Main Discussion: Do Followers Still Matter?

1. The Role of Followers in Social Proof and Credibility

Jay Schwedelson opens the discussion by questioning the current importance of follower counts:

"Do followers even matter anymore? There's all the different platforms, there's all different things. It used to be followers were everything we had to grow our follower count. Is that the world anymore?"
[00:59]

Daniel Murray responds by emphasizing the continued relevance of followers as a form of social proof:

"It's less the world. But I still think it's important because I think social proof matters on pages. And let me tell you why. Because if you're on Instagram and you're looking at a business that you want to and some of your followers or friends follow that company or that restaurant or that product, like, you're more likely to be like, oh, they think it's cool. I want to buy from that product."
[01:54]

He further explains that a substantial follower base can enhance a business's legitimacy:

"If you have a hundred thousand followers as a restaurant versus 10 follows the restaurant you look like not as legit."
[02:00]

2. Algorithm Changes and Content Circulation

The conversation shifts to the impact of algorithm changes on content visibility, independent of follower counts.

Jay Schwedelson shares his experience with YouTube's algorithm:

"I recently launched a YouTube channel. And for anybody who cares, not that you do, it's Ettleson. And we are messing around lots of different formats and different things with thumbnails and, and the reality of it is my shorts are getting a lot more views in circulation even though we have barely any subscribers as compared to people that have 20x 30x the number of subscribers that we have."
[03:00]

He highlights that algorithms now prioritize content that resonates, allowing smaller accounts to gain visibility:

"It's no longer just about, oh, you have a lot of followers, it's going to circulate to a lot of people. It’s this thing resonating with people and then the algorithm picks it up and runs with it."
[04:18]

Daniel Murray concurs, noting that quality content can level the playing field:

"I think we're in an age where you can be any size company and beat any big company by putting out better content. And I like that. That way you're competitive enough, you can compete now on a level playing field, especially on Instagram YouTube shorts. TikTok."
[04:25]

3. Strategic Management of Follower Counts

Both hosts discuss strategies businesses employ to maximize reach without solely focusing on follower numbers.

Daniel Murray mentions the tactic of creating multiple accounts to increase content circulation:

"People are doing strategies now. If you see companies or creators, they'll create multiple accounts so they'll have like their main account and they'll have like clips and they'll have this and they'll have that because they know that like they can put like four different clips and the five follow count account is going to get more reach and they're trying to get as many eyeballs."
[04:50]

Jay Schwedelson advises maintaining a baseline follower count to ensure legitimacy across platforms:

"Get very focused on what is the minimum number that you need to have to not embarrass your company, right? So when someone goes to the page like, all right, they're legit. And rather than focus on how do we get a zillion people on this platform, whatever, make sure that you have the baseline across all platforms so you don't have a negative signal out there when people are checking you out."
[05:54]

Daniel Murray adds that follower counts also influence the effectiveness of broadcast channels and newsletters:

"LinkedIn has newsletter which like if you have followers like you, it blasts and you have more traffic traction to get these. The private community group, which you can have as well. So that's also a plus for followers is these broadcast channels for Instagram and then newsletters for LinkedIn."
[05:30]

Insights and Takeaways

1. Social Proof Remains Valuable: follower counts continue to serve as a metric for credibility and trustworthiness, influencing consumer purchasing decisions.

2. Content Quality Over Quantity: Modern algorithms prioritize engaging and resonant content, allowing smaller accounts to achieve significant reach without massive follower bases.

3. Strategic Follower Management: Maintaining a baseline follower count across platforms is crucial to avoid negative perceptions, while also leveraging multiple accounts and diverse content strategies to maximize visibility.

4. Platform-Specific Advantages: Followers enhance the effectiveness of platform-specific tools like LinkedIn newsletters and Instagram broadcast channels, further integrating follower counts into broader marketing strategies.

Conclusion

In this episode of "Bathroom Break #66," Daniel Murray and Jay Schwedelson provide a nuanced perspective on the relevance of followers in today's marketing environment. While follower counts still play a role in establishing credibility and social proof, the emphasis is shifting towards the quality of content and its ability to engage audiences effectively. For marketers, the key takeaway is to balance maintaining an authentic follower base with producing compelling content that resonates with target audiences, leveraging platform-specific features to enhance reach and engagement.

Notable Quotes:

• Jay Schwedelson: "Do followers even matter anymore?... Is that the world anymore?"
  [00:59]

• Daniel Murray: "Social proof matters on pages... you're more likely to be like, oh, they think it's cool. I want to buy from that product."
  [01:54]

• Jay Schwedelson: "It's no longer just about, oh, you have a lot of followers... it's this thing resonating with people and then the algorithm picks it up and runs with it."
  [04:18]

• Daniel Murray: "You can be any size company and beat any big company by putting out better content."
  [04:25]

• Jay Schwedelson: "Make sure that you have the baseline across all platforms so you don't have a negative signal out there when people are checking you out."
  [05:54]

Stay tuned to "Do This, NOT That!" and "Marketing Millennials" for more insightful discussions and actionable marketing strategies.