Podcast Summary
Do This, NOT That: Marketing Tips with Jay Schwedelson
SPECIAL SERIES: The $5 Social Surge | BATHROOM Break #84 COLLAB: The Marketing Millennials + Do This, Not That
Release Date: December 1, 2025
Host: Jay Schwedelson (Do This, NOT That, subjectline.com)
Guest: Daniel Murray (The Marketing Millennials)
Episode Theme:
Maximizing Social Media Going Into 2026 — Actionable Insights and Strategies
In this fast-paced special “Bathroom Break” edition, Jay Schwedelson and Daniel Murray break down their top five takeaways from a year of experimenting with social media — and what strategies will matter most as we head into 2026. With practical anecdotes and a playful tone, they explore what's working, what to leave behind, and how to unlock the true potential of modest social media budgets.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Power of LinkedIn Commenting
- Daniel’s Insight: Commenting on LinkedIn—particularly on company pages—has emerged as a high-impact growth lever since LinkedIn launched impression metrics for comments.
- Best Practices:
- Don’t post generic comments (“good job” or “thanks” aren’t enough).
- Comments should be thoughtful, funny, or provocative—“basically, testing for future posts.”
- Engaged comments drive impressions and follower growth, especially for company accounts.
- Quote:
"The power of commenting on LinkedIn... actually grew the Marketing Millennials LinkedIn page way more than if I just posted in-feed posts." — Daniel Murray [02:58]
2. Micro-Budget Boosting: The $5 Social Surge
- Jay’s Insight: Putting even tiny amounts of money behind your best-performing organic content can make it take off exponentially, thanks to social platforms incentivizing new advertisers.
- Platform Examples:
- YouTube: $5 can amplify a video with some traction.
- Instagram/LinkedIn: Boost-budget sweet spot is under $50.
- Actionable Tip: Only boost posts that already show clear organic momentum.
- Quote:
"You can put the smallest amount of money... and you will see [content] take off exponentially. These platforms are trying to onboard as many ad clients as they can." — Jay Schwedelson [04:10]
3. The Growth of Short-Form Video (and How to Make It Work)
- Daniel’s Perspective: Short-form video is dominant and will only get bigger in 2026 (Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts). Content needs to be designed for shareability.
- Formula for Success:
- First 3 seconds = critical hook.
- Storytelling matters.
- Include a call-to-action or a loop to keep audience engaged.
- Testing for Virality: Design posts for sharing in direct messages, group chats, or Slack channels.
- Quote:
"When you're thinking about doing reels or YouTube Shorts, you have to think about — is this going to be shared in the DMs? Is this going to be shared in Slack channels?" — Daniel Murray [05:28]
4. Only Boost Winners, Never Losers
-
Jay’s Takeaway (inspired by Gary Vaynerchuk):
- Never spend budget trying to "fix" or amplify underperforming content—focus only on what’s already working.
-
Counterintuitive Email/Social Crossover:
- It's not just about getting social followers onto your email list; reverse works too.
- Use newsletters and emails to drive traffic to social: e.g., embed a hero image that links to a special social post and prompt subscribers to interact there.
-
Quote:
“We would put paid dollars behind content that didn't do well... losers are losers for a reason, whether you like it or not. Amplifying winners is secret sauce.” — Jay Schwedelson [07:07]
“It’s bringing people from our email databases to then follow us on social and it's getting those social posts to do really, really well.” — Jay Schwedelson [07:27]
5. Build "Owned" and "Rented" Audiences — and Bridge Platforms
- Daniel’s View:
- Email is still your owned audience, but don’t neglect the importance of being present on multiple platforms.
- If one platform goes away, you'll want to be omnipresent; some people won’t open your emails but might see your social.
- Quote:
"I always say rented and owned audience... You as important are people getting off your list, it's as important to nurture the community on the platforms you have." — Daniel Murray [08:00]
6. Stories & DMs: Using Instagram Stories for Off-Platform Engagement
- Daniel’s Tactic:
- Use Stories not just to click links but to spark DM conversations (e.g., “DM me a word and I’ll get back to you” for private events).
- More responses to your Stories = algorithmic boost; they’ll get shown more in feeds.
- Use automation tools (like ManyChat) to help field DM volume if needed.
- Quote:
“The more people reply to your Instagram Story, the more people get fed your Instagram Story and more people see it.” — Daniel Murray [09:20]
Bonus: Lighthearted Holiday Banter
-
The hosts exchange relatable, humorous anecdotes about holiday shopping, Black Friday chaos, and their personal quirks (e.g., hoarding baby clothes for cute photos, procrastinating on sock purchases).
-
Memorable Exchange:
"I don't think there's a worse investment than baby clothes because, terrible. You buy it and then within 60 days, your baby's too big for them." — Jay Schwedelson [01:35]
"It's just for the pictures. It's not for anything else." — Daniel Murray [01:46] -
Jay’s tongue-in-cheek call to action:
“If anybody wants to send me DMs [of Black Friday brawls], I think that is the downfall of humanity... I encourage people fighting over weird stuff... dive on it and curse at other people.” — Jay Schwedelson [10:43]
Key Timestamps for Core Segments
- [02:54] — Daniel on the LinkedIn commenting strategy
- [04:00] — Jay on micro-budget social boosting
- [05:16] — Daniel on short-form video shareability
- [06:21] — Jay on boosting winners, not losers, and driving email > social
- [07:47] — Daniel on building both “owned” and “rented” audiences
- [08:44] — Daniel on leveraging Stories and driving DMs for engagement
- [09:33-11:00] — Holiday shopping banter and audience engagement CTA
Takeaways for 2026 Social Media Success
- Lean into platform features (commenting, stories, video) that boost authentic engagement.
- Be fiercely selective: amplify only content that’s already winning organically.
- Think cross-channel: drive your email list to social and vice versa; maximize audience touchpoints.
- Use modest budgets to test and scale winning content.
- Double down on content designed for shareability and conversion, especially via video and Stories.
- Keep the tone human and relatable—audiences respond best to authenticity and community-building.
