Episode Overview

Podcast: The Marketing Millennials
Episode: Bathroom Break #83 – "A New Email Metric to Track in 2026"
Hosts: Daniel Murray (The Marketing Millennials) and Jay Schwedelson (Do This, Not That / subjectline.com)
Date: November 24, 2025

Main Theme:
This quick-hit “Bathroom Break” episode dives into the emerging importance of “reply rate” as a key metric in email marketing, forecasted to become essential in 2026. Daniel and Jay discuss why encouraging replies to your emails—beyond simple opens and clicks—not only deepens audience engagement but tangibly boosts your deliverability and fosters first-party insights. The conversation is peppered with tactical examples, fun personal stories, and a few Thanksgiving and holiday movie tangents.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Thanksgiving Banter & Icebreakers (00:20–02:33)

• Jay riffs on Daniel’s South African roots, joking about Thanksgiving traditions.
• Daniel shares he grew up without Thanksgiving customs and dislikes dry turkey and unnecessary salad at holiday meals:

  “I also don't like when you go to a place where you're ordering good food and someone says, can we add a veggie? And it's like, we're ready. What is that going to do to this meal of pizza, pasta and stuff?” – Daniel (02:18)

2. The Rise of “Reply Rate” in Email Marketing (02:33–05:07)

• Jay introduces the core topic:
  AI-fueled efficiency and human responses to email are converging, making the act of replying to marketing emails a powerful new metric for measuring engagement and improving inbox placement.

• Daniel on why reply rate matters:

  • Shows your content is resonating: “You’re talking to humans here that have lives.”
  • Distinguishes brands from generic AI-generated email noise.
  • Tactics shared:
    • Ask personal questions or inject light conversation prompts (“What’s your favorite dish on Thanksgiving?”).
    • Hide “Easter eggs” in your content ("If you see this, reply this word..." to reward readers and track engagement depth).

  “If you add an Easter egg... it showed that people were reading to the middle of my email, which was a good sign for me that people are reading.” – Daniel (04:37)

3. Tactical Ways to Drive Replies and Why It Matters (05:07–07:30)

• Jay’s actionable advice:

  • Request a reply instead of clicks or form fills for special offers/downloads.
  • Example: Instead of linking to a landing page, ask “Reply ‘guide’ to receive the HR guide.”
  • Benefits:
    • Increases interaction above industry norms.
    • “The number one signal to stay in somebody's inbox... and not go to spam or junk folder—is getting them to actually reply.” (06:13)

• Daniel adds:

  • The same principle applies on social, especially Instagram Stories. Getting DMs as replies to a story boosts its reach within the algorithm.

  “Reply rate is going to get even better because people want to interact with you as a brand... it also helps you get more attention in the email inbox and on social as well.” – Daniel (07:19)

4. Automation & ManyChat Anecdote (07:30–08:07)

• Jay tells a story:

  • At a conference, someone was surprised to receive a DM from Jay’s Instagram while he was on stage.
  • Jay explains the use of ManyChat—automation to instantly send “replied” content, scaling personalized interaction.

  “He goes how did you do that while you were on stage? I'm like are you kidding me bro?... It wasn't like a magic trick.” – Jay (07:47)

5. Broader Impact: First-Party Data and Knowing Your Audience (08:07–09:30)

• Daniel emphasizes:

  • Reply rate provides unique, valuable first-party data and audience insights.
  • Use replies to learn about audience interests, refine content, and integrate pop culture or offbeat topics.
  • The feedback loop (e.g., if people reply about reality TV, keep integrating it).

  “The amount of first party data I get from replies and insights about my my audience from reply rate is astronomical.” – Daniel (08:32)

6. Personalizing Content: Holiday Movies & Audience Engagement (09:30–10:54)

• Jay’s example:

  • Recently asked newsletter readers to reply with favorite holiday movies.

• Hosts’ favorite holiday flicks:

  • Die Hard (“Is Die Hard a holiday movie?”—the eternal debate).
  • Home Alone
  • The Grinch
  • The Holiday, Love Actually, plus shout-outs to Hallmark Channel (“the most underrated movie channel in the world” – Daniel (10:39)).
  • Netflix holiday movies.

• Key insight: Even “non-business” questions generate deep audience connections and replies that feed marketing intelligence.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On reply rate as a deliverability hack:

  “The number one signal to stay in somebody's inbox... in email marketing... is getting them to actually reply to an email that you sent. It is a signal that they like your stuff.”
  – Jay Schwedelson (06:13)

• On using email “Easter eggs”:

  “If you add an Easter egg in the middle of your email that says... reply this... it showed that people were reading to the middle of my email, which was a good sign for me that people are reading.”
  – Daniel Murray (04:37)

• On first-party data:

  “The amount of first party data I get from replies and insights about my my audience from reply rate is astronomical.”
  – Daniel Murray (08:32)

• Holiday movie tangent:

  “I think Hallmark is like one of the most underrated movie channel in the world. And they're so badly promoted... but some of the movies are just so good, and they're just... No, they get lost in the ether.”
  – Daniel Murray (10:39)

Important Timestamps

• 00:20–02:33 — Thanksgiving food banter, personal backgrounds
• 02:33–05:07 — Introduction to “reply rate” as a metric; Daniel’s tactics
• 05:07–07:30 — Jay’s practical strategies to drive replies (“Reply ‘guide’…”), impact on email and social
• 07:30–08:07 — Automation and ManyChat story
• 08:07–09:30 — Using replies for deeper audience understanding; first-party data
• 09:30–10:54 — Tying engagement to personalized, cultural topics (holiday movies); Hallmark Channel riff

Summary Takeaways

• “Reply rate” is poised to be a pivotal metric in email and social marketing.
• Driving replies signals inbox providers your content is wanted, improves deliverability, and collects critical first-party insights.
• Actionable tactics: ask personal questions, include “Easter eggs,” offer value in exchange for replies (“Reply ‘discount’ to this email…”).
• The same engagement strategies apply to social stories/DMS.
• Always experiment with personal and cultural prompts—they create surprising engagement and data opportunities.

Overall:
This episode delivers fast, practical advice as promised, blending marketing insight with relatable stories and humor—a perfect “bathroom break” learning session.