Podcast Summary: SPECIAL SERIES ==> January Email Hangover 🤯 <== | BATHROOM Break #87 COLLAB

Podcast: Do This, NOT That: Marketing Tips with Jay Schwedelson
Host: GURU Media Hub
Guests: Jay Schwedelson (Do This, Not That; subjectline.com), Daniel Murray (The Marketing Millennials)
Date: December 22, 2025

Main Theme & Purpose

In this special “Bathroom Break” collaboration episode, Jay Schwedelson and Daniel Murray dive into high-impact marketing tactics specifically for the critical first two weeks of January. They discuss how marketers can avoid the “January Email Hangover”—that lethargy and inattention many audiences face at the start of the year—and share actionable strategies to start strong. With their trademark humor and real-world insights, they explore decision-making, audience psychology, content repurposing, and practical tools to keep marketing fresh and effective as the year begins.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Unusual Nature of Marketing in Early January

[01:39 - 02:04]

• The first two weeks of January are not business as usual; audience behaviors shift, attention spans shorten, and inboxes are flooded.
• Marketers must resist the temptation to “phone it in” or treat January like any other month.
• Daniel Murray: “If you get behind in January, you're going to be behind in February, then you're going to be behind in March.” [02:04]

2. Set Small, Attainable Monthly Goals

[02:04 - 02:56]

• Replace broad quarterly goals with small, focused monthly targets to build early momentum and avoid feeling perpetually behind.
• Marketers, especially in B2B, should be mindful that many prospects are catching up post-holidays and not immediately receptive.

3. Don’t Judge New Tactics by Early January Performance

[03:25 - 03:50]

• Testing new campaigns during the first two weeks of January can yield misleadingly poor results.
• Jay Schwedelson: “Those first two weeks are historically horrible... the last two weeks of January have about a 30% higher average click through rate than those first two weeks.” [03:48]
• Avoid killing promising ideas too soon based on early January data.

4. Audit & Update Your Automated Content

[03:50 - 04:25]

• Clean up dated messaging (e.g., “2025”) in automations, triggers, and evergreen content to present a sharp, relevant brand image.
• “There’s nothing worse than a negative signal to start the year… This is the time to audit all of that.” — Jay Schwedelson [04:11]

5. Low-Lift Content Refreshes Win

[04:25 - 05:20]

• Simple updates — like swapping years (from “2025” to “2026”) in popular blog posts, guides, or social content — can create fresh, relevant assets with minimal effort.
• Daniel Murray: “If you have something that was conferences to attend in 2025, now just switch it up and do conferences attended 2026… Just changing the relevancy.” [04:40]

6. Mindset and Copy Adjustments for January

[05:19 - 06:10]

• At the start of the year, audiences crave concise messaging, shorter subject lines, and lots of white space.
• “Our attention span is actually super short those first two weeks. So really think about the mindset of who you're marketing to and where their head is at.” — Jay Schwedelson [05:40]
• Long-form emails in early January are likely to be ignored.

7. Audit Last Year's Emails For Inspiration

[06:10 - 06:47]

• Review your own inbox from January of last year: What stood out? What did you open? Re-purpose those strong ideas.
• Leverage AI tools to analyze trend-worthy subject lines and content from last January.
• “Go look at what are the emails that were sent out. Audit those. Now you have AI…” — Daniel Murray [06:20]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jay Schwedelson:
  “We are like the only podcast in the entire country that’s just not mailing it in and just reposting greatest hits.” [01:24]
• Daniel Murray:
  “You can’t treat how things are working December to how things are working in January. Especially in the B2B space where people… are just coming back from vacations, coming back from holidays, so their inbox is flooded…” [02:40]
• Jay Schwedelson:
  “Go through all your automation streams, all your triggers... Get 2025 out of there. There's nothing worse than a negative signal to start the year.” [03:57]
• Daniel Murray:
  “Sprinkle some new stuff in and repost that onto your feeds...” [05:03]

Fun & Human Moments

Avatar Tangent [06:47 - 07:51]:

• The hosts take a lighthearted detour into movies, joking about missing movie releases (“Avatar”) as parents and how it parallels missing marketing trends if you’re not paying attention.
• “We found aliens on Earth while you had a baby... Maybe you missed it.” — Jay Schwedelson [07:46]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:39] – Main topic introduction: January marketing strategies
• [02:04] – The danger of “phoning it in,” monthly goals over quarterly goals
• [03:25] – Why not to judge new tactics by early January results
• [03:50] – The importance of auditing automated content
• [04:25] – The value of updating and repurposing content for the new year
• [05:19] – Copywriting tips: short, direct, and mindful of attention span
• [06:10] – Using last year’s January emails as inspiration
• [06:47] – Playful “Avatar” movie tangent
• [08:10] – Quick sign-off and reminders for future episodes

Takeaways & Action Steps

• Audit and refresh all evergreen content for the new year (dates, relevance, automation triggers).
• Set small, achievable monthly targets rather than vague quarterly ones in Q1.
• Don’t give up on tests that underperform in early January; retest later in the month.
• Lean into low-effort wins: Switch up years, tweak subject lines, resurface proven formats.
• Shorten copy, increase white space, and focus on audience mindset for early-year campaigns.
• Use your past inbox and AI for inspiration. See what worked in January before.

Overall Tone:
Conversational, witty, full of practical advice—encouraging marketers to be proactive, adaptable, and smart about making the most of early January, rather than seeing it as a lost cause.