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A
Foreign. Welcome to a new special series called the Bathroom break. That extra 10 minutes you either have to listen to marketing tips or use the bathroom. Or both. But I don't recommend both. But that's your choice.
B
This collab is going to be super fun. We have Daniel Murray from the Marketing Millennials and me, Jay Schwetelson from the do this, not that podcast and subjectline.com each episode in the series, we are going to go over quick tips about different marketing top topics. And if you want to be in the bathroom, fine. Just don't tell us about it. Thanks for checking it out.
A
Welcome back to another episode of Bathroom Break. I'm here with the man, the myth, the legend, Jay Shreddelson of Do this, not that Podcast. And I'm Daniel Murray from the Market Millennials. Excited to chat today. Jay, I want to kick it off with something. I know you are very meticulous or like, your family's very meticulous on what days of the week you eat certain foods. So could I get, like, at least, like, a Monday through Thursday? What are the. What's the schedule?
B
No. I appreciate you asking that. So, yeah, we do. We schedule out on what we're gonna eat every week. The only day that we have fully locked in is Tuesdays, which is salmon night. It used to be Mondays. We've been doing this easily for 10 years. The reason we had to move it from Mondays to Tuesdays is every Monday we'd all get home from work and school and be like, oh, we have the worst meal. We have salmon night. So we had a vote, the four of us, and we moved it to Tuesday night. We also generally have turkey chili sometimes on Thursday nights, not always Thursday nights. But we're very, you know, locked in because if we eat well during the week, then we eat like crap on the weekends. That's kind of the plan. Do you have anything like that in your life? Are you planned out like that?
A
No. Me and Ari actually set a resolution that Thursday nights is always going to be our date night from now on. So Thursday is when we're gonna always go on date night. So we're gonna do this thing where we, like, have chill meals like the rest the week, and Thursday night is where we're just gonna ball, get really.
B
Fancy, go out and really dress up.
A
And do it all the night.
B
Look at you. Very nice. I like it.
A
But once I. Once I settle down more like you. I can do salmonite, but at least you can hear Omega 3. So I'm. I'm happy for that?
B
Yeah, I tried it. Gotta be healthy, gotta be out there. So let's talk about today's topic. Today we're talking about hot take, which is clickbait. And I'm gonna just say it out loud. Clickbait is good. What. What do you think about that hot take?
A
I think the word clickbait has got a bad rap. It shy markers away from doing actions that they should be doing to get people to open the emails, watch their videos, read their LinkedIn posts. But it works. It's part of a human's psyche that it works. So you should lean into it. But there is such thing as clickbait is when you write a hook that has nothing to do with what you're talking about. So if the hook doesn't deliver on the promise of the email or isn't referenced in the email, then I think it's just a spammy clickbaity. Whatever. The actual things that people think of clickbait, that's my take on that and.
B
I totally agree with that. And let me give you some forms of clickbait which are total garbage, but I don't agree with, and ones that I think are important. So let's talk about email. For example, when I say clickbait is good, it does not mean I'm a fan of the fake re. Colon subject lines, the fake reply subject lines. To me, that's total garbage. That's weird clickbait. I'm not into it, but when I say clickbait is good, I'm really talking about aggressive hooks, especially in your subject lines. For example, that if you're not using them, people are going to ignore your emails and you need to get the email open. So when a subject line says something like, you know, you're not going to believe this, dot, dot, dot, or this is one mistake. You could not. One mistake could cost you everything. Or are you making this huge error? You know, these types of subject lines, while they may be deemed people might call them clickbait, to me they're a hook. And whether it's in your email subject line, it's the start of your social media, a video, the first few words that you're saying, if you're not hooking people in early, they're not staying. So that's the type of clickbait that I think is worth testing and getting comfortable doing, even if you're uncomfortable doing it.
A
And I think I saw a stat that a negative subject line, a negative hook is actually three times more effective than something positive. It's just the human nature to open that email. I mean, the whole point of us as marketers is to get people to watch our videos, to get people to read our emails. I mean, the founder of Work week, Adam Ryan, always agree that the number one goal in marketing is to get attention, whether you like it or not. Like, if you're not getting attention, you're failing at marketing. So our whole goal is trying to get attention. And this is one of the best ways to at least grab initial attention with your audience. Yeah.
B
And nobody's gonna give you the time that you want, meaning, like, if you don't get them in the first few seconds, you're done. You know, one of the biggest changes that's happened right now on LinkedIn, for example, is LinkedIn, every day is getting more and more like TikTok and now LinkedIn videos, especially on the app, which is the majority of where people are consuming the content. When you see a video, a vertical video on LinkedIn, no longer are the words that you're writing to go along with that video post showing up in a prominent way. They're. They've really been downgraded in terms where they're putting the actual written words along with that video. So now you not only need a hook at the start of what you're saying in your LinkedIn video, you need the hook to be written on the actual screen to start the video. Like the first four words. Like, you need to see this tactic or latest 20, 25 trends, whatever, and it needs to be written in bold letters on your video as a written hook, because that's a big change now that's happened.
A
LinkedIn, and I mean YouTube and TikTok have done this because they're more of a grid, grid type post. So when you scroll down, it kind of gives you a thumbnail of what this video is going to be about. But LinkedIn just hasn't really caught on to being good at videos. But I'll give some things that I saw this video the other day and I think this is actually, I'm going to try to remember what they said. But there are certain words you can talk about when doing a hook for your video. For example, like what would flop or what wouldn't flop. So, for example, instead of saying, I think for your video, you say, here's why. Instead of saying, watch this, you say, don't miss this. Instead of saying, help, you say, get you. Instead of saying, try this, you say, do this. Instead of saying, you shouldn't do, you should say, stop doing. Instead of saying, Think about, you should say, imagine there's like certain words that can change a video from flopping. And actually, I'll actually tell you one thing, Jay, because I don't know if you know this. Instagram just released a new feature that you can trial your reels with a non follower group before you post it to everybody else so you can flip on the trial video. So what I've seen people doing is they post two videos with two different thumbnails or two different hooks, put them both on trial, see which one works better, and then let the one that with the try, the one that's succeeding go to their followers. So that's the technique that people are doing right now where you could test different.
B
That's cool. I have to test that out. I have to get better with my hooks. And so really the theme of the day is clickbait is really not, in my opinion, a thing. It's aggressive hooks. And if you think you're just gonna win the day by having these boring subject lines and boring social media posts, good luck to you. But please keep doing them, because then Daniel's posts and my posts and our emails will stand out because we'll be doing the hooks. So we need you all to write the boring stuff so our stuff stands out. So you keep doing you. So do you already have a place picked out for date night this week or is that not there yet?
A
Yeah, we're doing this Italian restaurant that's in our town. So we have date night picked out tonight and we will have me and Arya splitting up, like planning the Thursday night date night. So, yeah, that's our resolution is to keep. Make sure that we. We're pretty good at date nights, but we want to make sure that it lasts on beyond this year, next year, the following year. So we picking a day like Salmon. Salmon Tuesday.
B
Yeah, it's very. Salmon night is very romantic night. Absolutely. Well, as usual, we've covered a lot of ground here. So everybody follow Daniel. Show the market Millennials. And if you get really bored, you can check out do this, not that, and we will see you later. Daniel, Come on, man. I gotta get back to work. Get out of there. All right, while he's still in there. This is Jay. Check out my podcast, do this, not that for marketers. Each week we share really quick tips on stuff that can improve your marketing, and I hope you give it a try. Oh, here's Daniel.
A
He's finally out back from my bathroom break. This is Daniel. Go follow the Mark and Millennials podcast, but also tune into this series. It's once a week, the Bathroom Break. We talk about marketing tips that we just spew out. And it could be anything from email subject line to any marketing tips in the world. We'll talk about it. Just give us a shout on LinkedIn and tell us what you want to hear. Peace out.
B
Later.
Episode Summary: SPECIAL SERIES: Hot Take: Clickbait is… | Bathroom Break #38 🚽
In this engaging episode of Bathroom Break, Daniel Murray from The Marketing Millennials teams up with Jay Schwetelson from the Do This, Not That podcast and SubjectLine.com to explore the controversial topic: Clickbait is Good. Released on January 13, 2025, this episode delves deep into the nuances of clickbait, distinguishing between its detrimental forms and its potential as a powerful marketing tool.
The episode kicks off with a light-hearted exchange between Daniel and Jay, blending personal anecdotes about meal planning and date nights with their professional insights. This friendly banter sets a relaxed tone, making complex marketing concepts more approachable for listeners.
Daniel initiates the core discussion by challenging the negative connotations associated with the term "clickbait." He emphasizes that while the term often implies misleading or irrelevant content, effective clickbait—which he prefers to term as aggressive hooks—can be a legitimate strategy to capture attention.
Daniel Murray [02:24]: "The word clickbait has got a bad rap. It shies marketers away from doing actions that they should be doing to get people to open the emails, watch their videos, read their LinkedIn posts. But it works. It's part of a human's psyche that it works. So you should lean into it."
Jay concurs, agreeing that not all forms of clickbait are created equal. He categorizes fake reply subject lines and deceptive headlines as "total garbage," unsuitable for reputable marketing. Instead, he advocates for using aggressive yet honest hooks that entice the audience without misleading them.
Jay Schwetelson [04:26]: "When I say clickbait is good, it does not mean I'm a fan of the fake reply subject lines... I'm really talking about aggressive hooks, especially in your subject lines."
Daniel introduces statistics indicating that negative hooks in email subject lines can be up to three times more effective than positive ones. This insight leverages human curiosity and the innate desire to avoid negative outcomes.
Daniel Murray [05:04]: "A negative subject line, a negative hook is actually three times more effective than something positive. It's just the human nature to open that email."
He underscores the importance of capturing attention, referencing Adam Ryan, the founder of Work Week, who believes that "the number one goal in marketing is to get attention, whether you like it or not."
Jay discusses the evolving landscape of LinkedIn, highlighting its shift towards a TikTok-like format where vertical videos dominate. He points out the necessity of incorporating written hooks directly within videos to compensate for the reduced visibility of accompanying text.
Jay Schwetelson [06:05]: "When you see a video, a vertical video on LinkedIn... you need the hook to be written on the actual screen to start the video."
Daniel shares a cutting-edge technique utilizing Instagram's new feature that allows marketers to test different hooks with a non-follower group before a full-scale launch. By experimenting with various thumbnails and written hooks, marketers can identify the most effective strategies to engage their audience.
Daniel Murray [07:46]: "Instagram just released a new feature that you can trial your reels with a non-follower group before you post it to everybody else... so you can test different hooks."
As the episode wraps up, both hosts reiterate their stance that aggressive hooks—when used ethically—are indispensable tools in a marketer's arsenal. They encourage listeners to move beyond mundane subject lines and social media posts to differentiate their content in a crowded marketplace.
Jay Schwetelson [07:46]: "But when I say clickbait is good, I'm really talking about aggressive hooks... they need to get the email open."
The conversation seamlessly transitions back to their personal lives, reinforcing the podcast's blend of professional insights with relatable content. This balance ensures that listeners not only gain valuable marketing knowledge but also enjoy an entertaining listening experience.
Daniel Murray [02:24]: "The word clickbait has got a bad rap... But it works. It's part of a human's psyche that it works."
Jay Schwetelson [04:26]: "I'm really talking about aggressive hooks, especially in your subject lines... they're the start of your social media, a video, the first few words that you're saying."
Daniel Murray [05:04]: "A negative subject line, a negative hook is actually three times more effective than something positive."
Jay Schwetelson [06:05]: "You need the hook to be written on the actual screen to start the video."
Daniel Murray [07:46]: "You can test different hooks... see which one works better, and then let the one that's succeeding go to their followers."
This episode of Bathroom Break offers a thought-provoking perspective on clickbait, transforming it from a disparaged tactic to a strategic tool when employed with integrity. Daniel and Jay's collaboration provides actionable insights, encouraging marketers to harness the power of effective hooks to capture and retain their audience's attention.
For more in-depth discussions and marketing strategies, be sure to follow The Marketing Millennials on LinkedIn and Instagram, and join the conversation through their newsletter.