Podcast Summary
Episode Overview
Podcast: The Marketing Millennials
Host: Daniel Murray
Guest: Jay Schwedelson (Host of "Do This, Not That" Podcast & Subjectline.com)
Episode: Five Email Lessons to Take Into 2026 | Bathroom Break #85
Date: December 8, 2025
In this special “Bathroom Break” episode, Daniel Murray and Jay Schwedelson deliver a punchy 10-minute rundown of five impactful email marketing lessons marketers should carry into 2026. Drawing from real campaigns, data-driven observations, and candid personal stories, the duo break down what’s actually working — and what’s not — in today’s crowded inboxes.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Getting Replies is the New KPI
[03:05 – 04:07]
- Daniel’s Perspective:
- Proactively prompt replies: Use CTAs at the top, middle, and bottom of emails to encourage audience engagement.
- Keep it simple and personal: “I don’t make it too deep. I make it like an easy thing to reply to, like what is your favorite holiday cookie, or what restaurants do you go to?”
- Benefits: Higher open rates, better deliverability, and stronger relationships.
- Quote:
- “I want a low lift response, but I want people to respond to my emails. I want to build that relationship with my audience.” — Daniel [03:23]
2. Dispelling the “Best Time to Send” Myth
[04:07 – 05:12]
- Jay’s Perspective:
- The idea of a “best day and time” to send marketing emails is outdated and misleading.
- Track the weekly aggregate of unique humans opening and clicking, not just isolated email performance.
- Vary your send times to reach different audience segments.
- Quote:
- “I think this idea of having your best day and time is absolute garbage.” — Jay [04:51]
3. Measuring ‘Verified Subscriber’ Engagement
[05:12 – 06:08]
- Daniel’s Approach:
- Separate subscribers into verified (in your ICP) vs. general list to track engagement more meaningfully.
- Helps identify what your most valuable audience cares about.
- Analyze what topics verified subscribers open and click most to inform your content strategy.
- Quote:
- “We do verified subscriber and open rates, click rates…I want to know, truly, in ICP what they like and what they don’t like.” — Daniel [05:25]
4. Using Domain Frequency Reports for Deliverability and Opportunity
[06:08 – 07:22]
- Jay’s Advice:
- Run reports to see which email domains (e.g., gmail.com, ford.com, aol.com) dominate your list.
- Identify problematic domains for deliverability (e.g., blocks from corporate servers or dead domains like aol.com).
- Spot business opportunities (e.g., “wow, 60 Ford Motor Company emails — can we turn that into a relationship?”).
- Quote:
- “By running a domain frequency report…it will uncover a lot of issues and opportunities.” — Jay [07:11]
5. Repurposing Content with AI for Email
[07:22 – 08:24]
- Daniel’s Recommendation:
- Use AI tools to distill webinars, podcasts, and talks into tactical email content.
- Prompt AI with transcripts to find takeaways relevant to your audience.
- This adds value, increases runs without extra content creation, and cross-promotes other channels (podcasts, webinars).
- Quote:
- “It’s an easy way to add an extra send…use AI as a way to repurpose all your content into email.” — Daniel [07:52]
6. Open Rates & Preheaders Still Matter (Ignore the Hype)
[08:24 – 09:31]
- Jay’s Strong Stance:
- Dismiss ‘hot takes’ that open rates or preheaders don’t matter because of changes (like Apple’s privacy moves).
- These are still leading indicators and critical for optimization.
- Purging unresponsive subscribers is still best practice.
- Quote:
- “Open rates still matter. I don’t care what anybody says…Preheaders still matter…Whenever people say things don’t matter, they do matter and they’re losers and they have no life.” — Jay [08:24]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- Daniel on Engagement: “I want a low lift response, but I want people to respond to my emails. I want to build that relationship...” [03:23]
- Jay on Timing Myths: “Having your best day and time is absolute garbage.” [04:51]
- Daniel on Metrics Evolution: “We do verified subscriber and open rates…I want to know, truly, in ICP what they like and what they don’t like.” [05:25]
- Jay on Domain Analysis: “It will uncover a lot of issues and opportunities.” [07:11]
- Jay on Ignoring Metrics Myths: “Anybody that says otherwise is a dork…Whenever people say things don’t matter, they do matter and they’re losers and they have no life.” [08:24]
Bonus: Personal Stories & Fun Moments
December Traditions and “Snow Stories”
[00:40 – 02:44, 09:33 – 11:41]
-
Daniel and Jay kick off the episode with fun banter about their families’ December routines and vacations.
-
Daniel jokes about being married to someone in e-commerce during the holiday rush, and about starting baby traditions.
-
Hilarious discussion on “snow deprivation” in Florida and the West Coast, including bringing in artificial snow for kids.
Jay: “For everyone around the country…we’re talking about you’ve never seen snow. Yeah. Daniel, by the way, you could DM…he loves shoveling snow, he will come to your home.” [11:12]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Holiday/Vacation Banter: [00:40 – 02:44]
- Lesson 1 – Getting Replies: [03:05 – 04:07]
- Lesson 2 – Timing is Garbage: [04:07 – 05:12]
- Lesson 3 – Verified Subscriber Metrics: [05:12 – 06:08]
- Lesson 4 – Domain Frequency Reports: [06:08 – 07:22]
- Lesson 5 – Repurposing Content: [07:22 – 08:24]
- Lesson 6 – Metrics That Matter: [08:24 – 09:31]
- Snow Stories & Wrap-up: [09:33 – 11:41]
Takeaways for Marketers
- Focus on two-way email engagement with simple, personal CTAs.
- Ignore generic advice about “best send times”; experiment and measure unique reach over time.
- Segment reporting to see which parts of your list are driving value – especially your ICPs.
- Regularly analyze domain distribution for both deliverability problems and hidden opportunities.
- Use AI to transform existing longform content into valuable email sends.
- Don’t get baited by “email is dead” or “preheaders don’t matter” talk—keep tracking the fundamentals, including open rates.
For more quick tips, follow Daniel on The Marketing Millennials and Jay on "Do This, Not That" for Marketers. Catch the next Bathroom Break for more punchy marketing wisdom!