Podcast Summary:

Do This, NOT That: Marketing Tips with Jay Schwedelson – SPECIAL SERIES: NEW Urgency Tactics Driving Engagement!
Bathroom Break #86 COLLAB: The Marketing Millennials + Do This, Not That
Release Date: December 15, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode is a rapid-fire, holiday-themed installment of the "Bathroom Break" special collaboration series between Jay Schwedelson (“Do This, Not That” podcast and SubjectLine.com) and Daniel Murray (The Marketing Millennials). With the year end—and sales deadlines—looming, Jay and Daniel go deep on the hottest tactics for creating urgency and driving marketing engagement, drawing on behavioral insights and their real-world experience with both B2C and B2B campaigns.

Expect actionable tips (no fluff), examples from direct-to-consumer and B2B, and a good dose of humor as the hosts riff on everything from holiday party attire to the psychology behind limited-time offers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Urgency in Marketing: Why It’s Essential

• Setting the Scene: As holiday season intensifies, urgency becomes a make-or-break factor for closing deals, capturing leads, and boosting end-of-year sales—both in eCommerce and B2B.
• Quote:
  • “Urgency is what drives performance. If it’s available forever, nobody wants it. It’s really not an offer.” — Jay Schwedelson [05:44]

2. B2C Urgency Play: The Timed Discount Drop (Set Active’s “Set Miss”)

• Example from Set Active (Activewear Brand):

  • After Black Friday/Cyber Monday, Set Active runs “Set Miss”—a tightly scheduled series of timed discounts.
    • 10:00-10:30 AM PST = 25% off
    • 10:30-11:00 AM PST = 20% off
    • 11:00 AM onward = 15% off until day’s end
  • The site is “locked down” during these windows, heightening urgency and exclusivity.

• Psychological Triggers: Loss aversion (“Buy now or lose out!”), anchoring bigger discounts to a narrow time frame, and leveraging FOMO.

• Quote:

  • “You have to get on the site at 10 to 10:30 PST to get 25% off. If you aren’t on during that time, you don’t get it... You have to buy. You have no decision not to buy because you’ll lose that offer in 30 minutes.” — Daniel Murray [04:13]

• Key Takeaway:

  • This model can be adapted to any industry through “windows of urgency” and costs very little to implement.

3. B2B Urgency Play: Expiring Content

• Common Mistake: Most companies make their downloadable guides and resources perpetually available (“evergreen”)—this saps urgency and diminishes demand.
• Solution: Impose a time limit on content availability (e.g., “Only available for download over the next 30 days”), with repeated reminders as the window closes.
  • Remove from Resources page after the campaign—optionally re-release later for renewed urgency.
• Jay’s Insight:
  • “Building a campaign around urgency around your content is a great way to get an exponential increase. Evergreen might as well be ever loser—because it’s not going to do anything.” [06:33]
• Real-world Results:
  • “We do this a lot and we do see a huge lift by expiring content that would otherwise maybe be evergreen.” — Jay Schwedelson [06:27]

4. Layering in Seasonal & Themed Urgency: “12 Days of Christmas” for Content Drops

• Tactic:
  • Each day (or themed window) offers a new piece of content/guide/research—a one-day-only chance to download.
• Curation Bonus:
  • End-of-year is an ideal time to bundle and curate your best insights, research, or content into a “limited availability” package.
• Ease of Execution in B2B:
  • No payment or complex checkout needed—just an email exchange.
• Quote:
  • “It’s actually easier [urgency] in B2B—you just have to give an email... If you’re trying to get emails for the end of the year, this is a good time to do that, and it sets you up for the next year.” — Daniel Murray [07:58]

5. Core Principles/Behavioral Science at Play

• Loss Aversion & Scarcity: Making the audience believe an opportunity is fleeting dramatically boosts response.
• Anchoring: Higher early offers create a “base” for perceived value, increasing conversion on later, slightly lesser offers.
• Decision Simplicity: Creating windows (time-limited opportunities) simplifies decision-making, reducing procrastination.

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Ozempic and Personal Habits:

  • “So I ate through the shot, or I don’t know if that’s a thing, but I did... So now what I decide is just not to be a fat slob and eat less.” — Jay Schwedelson [01:36] (Lighthearted, but candid riff on personal behavior and expectations—even marketers can’t shortcut human psychology.)

• On Dress Codes and Holiday Parties:

  • “Daniel is the most casual dresser ever. The first time I met him, it was at this huge conference... I think the dude was in sweatpants.” — Jay Schwedelson [08:51]
  • “I own pants. Don’t know if they fit me because I haven’t worn them for a while...” — Daniel Murray [09:23]

• On Turning 50 and Fashion Advice:

  • “I was told by my family, I’m no longer allowed to wear my hat backwards... Only frontwards from now on.” — Jay Schwedelson [09:47]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:14] – Framing the episode: Urgency tactics for end-of-year sales and engagement
• [03:23] – Set Active’s “Set Miss” timed discount tactic explained
• [05:22] – Jay on expiring B2B content downloads for urgency
• [07:10] – Layering urgency into B2B content (themed drops, curation)
• [08:17] – Holiday party banter, segue to marketing mindsets

Actionable Takeaways

• For eCommerce: Deploy tightly-timed discount windows, even post-cyber sales, to drive FOMO and conversion.
• For B2B: Treat your best guides and research pieces as “limited edition”—time-bound for download, not perpetually available.
• Don’t forget: Even in B2B, urgency works and often requires even less friction (just an email!).
• Test and iterate: Most urgency tactics are easy to run, cost little, and provide rapid feedback—no reason not to try.

Tone & Style:
Casual, direct, brimming with real-world anecdotes, banter, and humor—no corporate double-speak or fluffy theory, just immediately usable insights.

For More:

• Listen to the “Do This, Not That” and “The Marketing Millennials” podcasts for weekly, quick-hit marketing tactics.
• Connect with Jay and Daniel on LinkedIn and pitch the topics you want them to riff on next!