The Marketing Millennials: Bathroom Break #74

Episode Summary – "5 Tips to Turn Form Fills into Fans"

Hosts: Daniel Murray & Jay Schwedelson
Release Date: September 22, 2025

Overview

In this lively "Bathroom Break" mini-episode, Daniel Murray (The Marketing Millennials) and Jay Schwedelson (Do This, Not That podcast and Subjectline.com) share rapid-fire, actionable tips for increasing conversion rates on website forms. Framed with amusing parenting and "bathroom break" stories, the hosts dive into practical strategies for turning routine lead capture forms into high-performing, user-friendly assets that drive actual business results.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of No Scroll and Two-Step Forms

• Jay’s Breakthrough Tip:

  • No Scroll Forms: Converting all forms to a no scroll experience (form is visible, no extra page content or distraction, few fields) led to a 60% increase in conversion rates.
    • (03:00)

      "[We] came up with this form that you can’t scroll. There’s nothing. You’re stuck on that one page and there’s not a lot of fields. And our conversion rates went up by like 60% just by not having any ability to scroll."
      — Jay Schwedelson

• Daniel’s Go-To:

  • Two-Step Forms: First grab the email (to enable remarketing/retargeting), then on the second step, collect more info necessary to identify your ideal customer profile (ICP). Particularly useful for B2B.
    • (03:36)

      "Get to the least amount of fields as possible, but the most amount of fields in the sense to get who your ICP is ... but always the two-step form or quiz forms."
      — Daniel Murray

2. Using Quantifiable Social Proof

• Beyond Generic Testimonials:

  • Replace vague praise with specific, data-backed testimonials ("saved $27/month", "my team saved 12 hours a month")—these drive up conversions significantly.
    • (04:30)

      "A quantifiable testimonial ... will increase your conversion rates by over 15% versus a regular testimonial."
      — Jay Schwedelson

• Other Social Proof Elements:

  • Use logos of clients, partners, or even awards—even seemingly minor ones—to build credibility and increase user trust.
    • (05:23)

      "You do have logos ... awards that you have won. It doesn’t matter if it’s the most meaningless award."
      — Jay Schwedelson

3. Crafting Compelling Offers & Calls to Action

• Offer Formatting:

  • "Request a demo" is no longer enough; specify the benefit (e.g., "Save 20% today!") and highlight it at the top of the form page.
    • (05:50)

      "You need to have something that is action based, not just saying, click here."
      — Daniel Murray

• CTA Button Copy Matters:

  • Never use 'Submit' as the button text. Test CTAs such as:
    • “Yes, I’m in!”
    • “Yes, order right now”
    • “Yes, send it my way”
  • Always A/B test button text.
    • (06:33)

      "If it says Submit you should quit your job ... the final button is your closing statement."
      — Jay Schwedelson

4. Optimizing Form Experience

• Microcopy & Progress Indicators:

  • Add brief messages for reassurance (“We’ll never spam you”, “Takes only 30 seconds”) and use progress bars or multi-step forms to ease perceived effort.
    • (07:25)

      "Micro copy for reassurance ... or a progress bar is a very good thing."
      — Daniel Murray

• Site Speed & Auto-fill:

  • Fast load times are critical. Enable auto-filling where possible, so repeat users aren't forced to re-enter info—this reduces friction and repeat complaints.
    • (08:30)

      "If you have downloadables ... the next time they come on the form, they only have to fill out one or two fields." — Daniel Murray

    • (09:03)

      "The number one complaint that we get is people saying, I already filled this out ... I want to autofill for everyone ... it is the tactic to do." — Jay Schwedelson

5. Light-Hearted Parenting Parallels & Bathroom Mishaps

While the core of the episode focuses on marketing forms, Daniel and Jay intersperse the conversation with stories of parenting misadventures—particularly messy “bathroom breaks”—providing both humor and relatability.

• Daniel’s Baby Carrier Disaster:

  • (00:49)

    “One minute into the call, the baby just poops. And the poop’s dripping down his leg everywhere ... I’m sitting in this meeting smelling his poop. ... He falls asleep on me. ... It was the worst experience of my life.”
    — Daniel Murray

• Jay’s Bird Incident:

  • (12:14)

    "Bird crapped on me ... I put that in my newsletter ... got inundated with 'that's good luck.' It doesn't feel like good luck in the moment."
    — Jay Schwedelson

Notable Quotes

• On Form Simplicity:

  "If you've never done a no scroll page, do it."
  — Jay Schwedelson (03:11)

• On Social Proof:

  “A quantifiable testimonial will increase your conversion rates by over 15% versus a regular testimonial.”
  — Jay Schwedelson (04:50)

• On Reassuring Microcopy:

  "Sometimes I like microcopy for reassurance like 'We’ll never spam you' or 'This only will take 30 seconds to fill out.'"
  — Daniel Murray (07:25)

• On Autofill Frustrations:

  "The number one complaint ... is people saying I already filled this out, why do I have to fill it out again?"
  — Jay Schwedelson (09:03)

Episode Timestamps

• 00:02 Introduction & Parenting/Bathroom Story Kickoff
• 02:33 Hard Pivot to Forms: Why Form Placement & Simplicity Matters
• 03:00 No Scroll Form Tip & Results
• 03:36 Two-Step Forms & Quiz Forms
• 04:30 The Power of Quantifiable Testimonials
• 05:23 Using Social Proof & Company/Partner Logos
• 05:50 Making the Offer & CTA Front and Center
• 06:33 CTA Button Copy / Microcopy / Progress Bars
• 08:30 Site Speed & Autofill: Reducing Repeat Friction
• 09:03 User Complaints & Autofill Challenges
• 10:00 Lighthearted Parenting Back-and-Forth
• 12:14 Bird Incident & Outro

Conclusion

Daniel and Jay’s five actionable form tips:

1. No Scroll Forms – Increase conversions through focused, minimal distractions.
2. Two-Step or Quiz Forms – Simplify initial data capture, ask only what's necessary.
3. Use Quantifiable, Relevant Social Proof – Make testimonials and logos meaningful.
4. Craft Better Offers and CTA Copy – Make the ask clear, specific and appealing.
5. Optimize the Experience – Fast site speed, microcopy for reassurance, and leverage auto-fill.

Blending marketing smarts with real-life humor, this episode delivers clear and quick strategies to transform your forms from generic to fan-generating.