The Marketing Millennials — Bathroom Break #87

Episode Title: What to Do During the First 2 Weeks of January
Hosts: Daniel Murray (The Marketing Millennials) & Jay Schwedelson (Do This, Not That Podcast, Subjectline.com)
Date: December 22, 2025

Episode Overview

On this special “Bathroom Break” mini-episode, Daniel Murray and Jay Schwedelson zero in on a critical but often-overlooked topic for marketers: what smart companies and creators should (and shouldn’t) do in the first two weeks of January. This annual “reset” period is notorious for recycled content, distracted audiences, and low engagement—so the hosts break down actionable strategies and share personal routines for setting the right pace for Q1, with tangible advice for B2B and B2C professionals alike.

Key Discussion Points & Actionable Insights

1. Don’t Phone In Your Marketing: January Momentum Matters

• Daniel: Emphasizes that January is the worst time to be passive. If you slack in early January, you’re likely to stay behind for the rest of Q1:

  "If you get behind in January, you’re going to be behind in February. Then you’re going to be behind in March. So set small monthly goals.” (02:06)

• Tip: Set monthly, not quarterly goals for better momentum and progress tracking in the new year.
• Jay: Notes that Q1 is about building—not coasting on—last year’s efforts. Avoid the tendency to treat early January as a throwaway period.

2. Understand the Data: Low Engagement Is Normal

• Jay: First two weeks of January show consistently poor performance across channels (“historically horrible” for testing new ideas or campaigns).
  • Promotional email click-through rates are on average 30% higher in the last two weeks vs. the first two weeks of January. (03:27)

  “Those first two weeks are historically horrible because everyone’s just getting themselves straight, they’re catching up, they’re doing things.” (03:27)

• Advice: Avoid judging the potential of new campaigns or channels based on these atypical early-January numbers.

3. Audit & Update Your Marketing Collateral

• Jay: Make sure nothing still says “2025”—out-of-date triggers, documents, or emails send a bad brand signal:

  "Go through all your automation streams... get 2025 out of there. There’s nothing worse than a negative signal to start the year.” (03:50)

• Daniel: Rather than churning out brand-new content, repurpose high-performing assets from last year. A simple update (“2025” → “2026”) can make stale material feel fresh and relevant.

4. Shrink and Simplify Your Messaging

• Jay: Recognizes the specific mindset of early January: audiences are overwhelmed, inboxes are overflowing, attention spans are short.

  “We want to see short copy, we want to see a lot of white space… shorter subject lines. We don’t realize it, but shorter is what we want to consume.” (05:21)

• Tip: Use short, high-impact copy and white space in emails and social posts to maximize engagement.

5. Mine Last Year’s Inbox for Inspiration

• Daniel: Suggests looking back at your inbox from last January for inspiration on what worked—then leveraging that with a fresh spin for this year:

  “Go back to your inbox of January last year and see what you would have opened... Now you have AI. You can audit the subject lines, audit things that people did in the first week of last year.” (06:12)

• Actionable Lift: Use AI to rapidly analyze and generate improvements on what resonated in past Januaries.

6. Keep an Eye on Trends (and Don’t Get Distracted!)

• Memorable sidebar: Jay playfully quizzes Daniel on his pop culture knowledge (the new Avatar movie), highlighting how easy it is to lose track of trends when busy with work and family (07:07-07:53).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Daniel on momentum:

  “If you get behind in January, you’re going to be behind in February. Then you’re going to be behind in March. So set small monthly goals.” (02:06)

• Jay on holiday distractions:

  “Those first two weeks are historically horrible because everyone’s just getting themselves straight, they’re catching up, they’re doing things.” (03:27)

• Jay on brand perception:

  “Go through all your automation streams... get 2025 out of there. There’s nothing worse than a negative signal to start the year.” (03:50)

• Jay on messaging:

  “We want to see short copy, we want to see a lot of white space… shorter subject lines. We don’t realize it, but shorter is what we want to consume.” (05:21)

• Daniel on looking back:

  “Go back to your inbox of January last year and see what you would have opened... Now you have AI. You can audit the subject lines, audit things that people did in the first week of last year.” (06:12)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:20-01:37 – Intro banter: What’s “Bathroom Break” about, and will anyone listen over the holidays?
• 01:42-03:27 – Why early January is NOT business as usual; monthly vs. quarterly goals; understanding the B2B audience post-holidays
• 03:27-04:27 – Jay’s performance data: Why you shouldn’t test (or panic) during the first two weeks; using the time for content audits and updates
• 04:27-05:21 – Repurposing and refreshing content for the new year with minimal lift
• 05:21-06:12 – Mindset: The “short and simple” rule for early-year communication
• 06:12-06:48 – Auditing your own and competitors’ previous January messages for insight
• 06:48-07:53 – Light moment: Avatar movies, pop culture FOMO, and the speed of trends

Final Thoughts

This quick-hit Bathroom Break episode is packed with pragmatic guidance for making the most of a tricky marketing window. Both Jay and Daniel stress the importance of auditing automation, refreshing existing content, and setting shorter-term goals to avoid a slow Q1 start. Equally, they caution that abysmal early-year response rates shouldn’t derail your 2026 plans. Above all—keep content simple, relevant, and forward-looking.

Find Daniel Murray and The Marketing Millennials on LinkedIn and Instagram, and email in your requests for future Bathroom Break topics!