Podcast Summary:

Do This, NOT That: Marketing Tips with Jay Schwedelson
Episode 459 – What’s Up THIS WEEK: New Engagement Trend for B2B and Consumer That’s Working!
Date: February 10, 2026
Host: Jay Schwedelson (GURU Media Hub)

Overview of the Episode

This short, energetic episode zeroes in on a rapidly-emerging trend in marketing engagement: preseason marketing and associated tactics to drive early action. Jay Schwedelson discusses how brands are achieving higher engagement and earlier conversions—both in B2B and consumer contexts—by nudging audiences to act ahead of traditional timelines. He also spotlights fresh ad innovations (notably on Reddit), sprinkles in candid pop culture commentary, and closes with some personal asides, all in his characteristically witty, conversational style.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Rise of Preseason Marketing

[00:40 – 05:30]

• Definition:
  Preseason marketing refers to promoting offers, events, and products markedly earlier than normal—accelerating timelines to build anticipation and capitalize on urgency far in advance of the actual date.
• Examples:
  • Retail: “People start selling Christmas decorations in the summer earlier and earlier every year.”
  • B2B: Salesforce started pushing Dreamforce 2026 signups in February 2026, eight+ months ahead.
  • Consumer: Coca Cola launched 2026 World Cup promotions months in advance.
• Impact:
  “Early access marketing across both business and consumer categories is up 35% year over year.” (Jay Schwedelson, 02:45)

2. Actionable Tactic: The “First To” Approach

[05:35 – 08:30]

• Webinars Example:
  • Creating FOMO by offering a special benefit (e.g., on-demand access) only to early registrants.
  • “You double [your average registrations] and then in your subject lines, in your promotions, you tell everybody the first hundred people to register will get on demand access.” (Jay Schwedelson, 06:50)
  • Secret: You still give everyone on-demand access—this is just about framing the incentive to spark urgency and action.
• Event Marketing:
  • Use “control” as a lever: “Early registrants choose the session order… get to vote on potential speakers… get access to agenda draft first.” Give a sense of agency for faster conversions.
• Adaptations:
  • Consumer: “Early access locks in pricing.”
  • Nonprofit: “Early supporters get listed as a founding supporter.”
• Mindset:
  Leveraging people’s post-holiday urge for fresh starts and early deals works especially well in Q1 (first quarter).

3. Spotlight: Reddit’s “Reminder Ads”

[08:31 – 10:15]

• Emerging Channel:
  • Jay spotlights Reddit as a marketing testbed with low-cost, innovative ad units: “You can test for like 50 bucks. It’s nothing.”
• Reminder Ads:
  • Launched this week; lets users click ‘Remind Me’ for an event or deal, pushes out notifications later, and delivers lead info to the advertiser.
  • “It’s a super cool ad unit… you actually will get a reminder, you’ll get a notification of whatever it is that you need to be reminded about and then the advertiser actually gets the lead.” (Jay Schwedelson, 09:35)

4. Quick News & Pop Culture Sidebar

[10:16 – 13:00]

• Pizza Hut Closes 250 Locations:
  Jay riffs on pizza chains, humorously ranking Domino’s and commenting, “Never going to get them as a sponsor. Facts.” (Jay Schwedelson, 11:25)
• Upcoming Film – Wuthering Heights:
  Playful critique of Hollywood casts: “Why does everybody look like they just got done doing…Pilates? Was everybody hot in the 1700s?” (Jay Schwedelson, 12:14)
• Excited for HBO’s “Neighbors”:
  Jay’s anticipation for a reality show on neighbor feuds morphs into personal revelations:
  • “I do not know my neighbors’ names… 17 years I’ve lived in my house. What does that mean? I think it means I’m a weirdo.” (Jay Schwedelson, 12:55)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On urgency in marketing:
  “We’re always using urgency to drive everything. Two days left. Today’s your last chance, whether it’s for a webinar registration or a sale, whatever other nonsense you’re doing.” (01:20)

• On the FOMO tactic for webinars:
  “What you are doing is you’re creating this FOMO—fear of missing out—around getting that on demand access. And people register early because they want to be in the first two.” (07:05)

• On authenticity in period dramas:
  “Can they have some people walking around that look like garbage? That, like, look like they probably haven’t showered in a month… because I feel like that’s probably was the real vibe.” (12:25)

• On personal neighbor relations:
  “I try very hard not to talk to my neighbors other than ‘hello, how are you,’ because I really don’t care and I don’t want to know what’s going on with them.” (13:20)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | Notes | |-----------|-----------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:40 | Preseason marketing emergence | The accelerating shift of marketing calendars | | 02:45 | Early access marketing up 35% | Key data insight | | 05:35 | The "first to" tactic for webinars | Actionable technique with example | | 07:05 | Creating FOMO for early signups | How fear of missing out fuels engagement | | 08:31 | Reddit’s Reminder Ads explained | Upcoming low-cost ad unit for event-driven marketing | | 10:16 | Pizza Hut closures & pizza riff | Lighthearted interlude | | 12:14 | Wuthering Heights film cast commentary | Humorous pop culture tangent | | 12:55 | “Neighbors” show + personal anecdote | Jay on neighbor relations and reality TV excitement |

Tone & Style

Jay’s delivery is casual, quick-witted, and peppered with self-deprecating humor. He jumps between actionable tips and wry asides, keeping the episode breezy and approachable, yet packed with legitimately useful marketing tactics.

Summary Takeaways

• Act early: Embrace preseason marketing—move up your promotions to drive urgency and outpace competitors.
• Tap into FOMO: Use “first to” incentives to spark early engagement, particularly in event and webinar signups.
• Give control: Empower your earliest audience members (session picks, voting, early agendas) to further increase urgency.
• Test new channels: Platforms like Reddit are rolling out innovative, affordable ad products perfect for experimentation.
• Have fun: A little humor and pop culture keeps things light—never hurts your marketing (or your day).