Podcast Summary
Podcast: Do This, NOT That: Marketing Tips with Jay Schwedelson l Presented By Marigold
Episode: What’s Up THIS WEEK: NEW Subject Line Test TRENDING! + TV Watching Update! 📬 | Ep. 437
Date: October 28, 2025
Host: GURU Media Hub
Episode Overview
This week’s “Do This, NOT That!” short episode is a rapid-fire update on the latest marketing tactics, digital features, and pop culture buzz. The host focuses on a trending email subject line tactic, platform updates from Instagram and OpenAI, and rounds out the episode with some humorous takes on TV and Halloween costume trends—delivering both practical tips and light-hearted commentary in a lively tone.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Instagram Rolls Out Watch History Feature
- Highlight: Instagram has introduced a watched history for Reels and videos.
- Detail: Users can view content they’ve watched over the past 30 days by going to their profile → settings → activity → watch history.
- Impact: Makes it easier to find previously watched content, a feature many have wanted.
- Memorable Moment:
“I don't know about you. I'll watch something and then I'll scroll and then it's gone. And I'm like, oh, where is that thing? I can't find it. Actually the most annoying thing of all time.” (A, 00:28)
- Lifestyle Implication:
“It's probably going to also disrupt so many relationships… I'm sure people watch weird stuff and everyone's going to look at each other's watch history.” (A, 01:13)
- Personal Take:
“All I watch is stupid memes. So I'm excited about that.” (A, 01:25)
2. NEW Trending Subject Line Test: Mid-Word Capitalization
- Highlight: Email open rates are boosted by capitalizing a single word in the middle of the subject line (e.g., FREE, NEW, OUTLOOK).
- Source: Data from subjectline.com
- Performance Lift:
- Business-to-business: ~16% increase in open rates
- Consumer: ~21% increase in open rates
- Practical Tip:
“If you've never tested a mid subject line capitalization test, this is a great one to try. It costs nothing, super easy. So that's trending right now, which is kind of cool.” (A, 02:08)
- Quote:
“Not at the start of your subject line and not at the end… somewhere in the middle, you take a word and you capitalize all the letters in the word … And this is crushing it right now.” (A, 01:37)
3. OpenAI’s Project Sharing for ChatGPT Goes Public
- Update: OpenAI (ChatGPT’s parent company) has rolled out project sharing for all ChatGPT users, previously limited to enterprise accounts.
- Implication: Makes ChatGPT more collaborative, in direct competition with Google Drive’s document sharing features.
- Quote:
“What OpenAI now has is basically project sharing where different people can participate and make changes very similar to you can on a Google document.” (A, 02:54)
- Competitive Landscape:
“So much head-to-head battling going on between OpenAI and Google. It is wild.” (A, 03:24)
4. Pop Culture Segment—TV Watching & Halloween Trends
TV Watching Update
- “Love is Blind” Season 9 reunion is the week’s TV highlight for the host.
- Quick reviews of other shows:
- “Nobody Wants This” Season 2: “Not as good as the first season but I still say it's worth watching.” (A, 03:39)
- “The Chair Company” on HBO Max: Not a fan, says, “It makes me uncomfortable… I don't want to be uncomfortable.” (A, 03:46)
Halloween Costume Trends (Google Fright Geist)
-
Top Costumes for 2025:
- Demon hunter costumes (multiple variants)
- Chicken Jockey (Minecraft)
- Labubu (“…if you're dressing up as Labubu, you're on the way out.”)
- Elphaba (“El Faba”) from Wicked
- The Lorax
- Hamilton
- Nightwing (first superhero on the list—formerly Robin from Batman)
- Nurse from Silent Hill
-
Pop Culture Hot Take:
“I don't consider demon hunter superheroes… Nightwing is really cool… Robin was a big tool. So what they did was they turned Robin into Nightwing, okay? And Nightwing became really cool.” (A, 04:41)
- “I have no idea. And then the next one is a nurse from Silent Hill. I actually have no idea what that means. I don't even understand what I just said.” (A, 05:20)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Comment | |-----------|---------|------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:28 | A | “I'll watch something and then I'll scroll and then it's gone. And I'm like, oh, where is that thing? …Most annoying thing of all time.” | | 01:37 | A | “Not at the start of your subject line and not at the end… somewhere in the middle, you take a word and you capitalize all the letters…” | | 02:08 | A | “If you've never tested a mid subject line capitalization test, this is a great one to try. It costs nothing, super easy.” | | 02:54 | A | “What OpenAI now has is project sharing where different people can participate and make changes very similar to Google Docs.” | | 03:39 | A | “I did complete the second season of Nobody Wants This. It was not as good as the first, but I still say it's worth watching.” | | 04:41 | A | “Nightwing is really cool… Robin was a big tool. So what they did was they turned Robin into Nightwing, okay? And Nightwing became really cool.” | | 05:20 | A | “A nurse from Silent Hill. I actually have no idea what that means. I don't even understand what I just said.” |
Timestamps for Main Segments
- Instagram Watch History Feature: 00:14 – 01:32
- Email Marketing Subject Line Test (Mid-Word Capitalization): 01:33 – 02:29
- OpenAI Project Sharing vs. Google Drive: 02:30 – 03:33
- TV/Streaming & Pop Culture Thoughts: 03:34 – 04:13
- Halloween Costume Trends (Google Fright Geist): 04:14 – 05:24
Recap
The episode efficiently combines sharp, actionable marketing tips (mid-word subject line capitalization is this week’s biggest takeaway) with quick hits on tech, pop culture, and holiday trends. Jay Schwedelson’s signature, playful tone keeps things light while emphasizing what’s buzzworthy and what marketing professionals should be testing right now.
Takeaway:
- Try mid-subject line capitalization in emails for big open rate increases.
- Watch for evolving digital platform features and how they can impact end-users.
- Stay tuned for pop culture shifts—they often reflect what's capturing public attention and may shape marketing opportunities.
Host's Sign-Off:
“We've really covered some really important information on this thing today. I have no idea what's going on, as usual. Listen, you're awesome.” (A, 05:26)