Do This, NOT That: Marketing Tips with Jay Schwedelson

What’s Up THIS WEEK?! NEW AI Must Do’s, 1990s Impact, Subject Line Tips, TV Recos? | Ep. 491

April 14 · 10 min · Episode 491 · 10.0 MB

0:00-10:24

Streams straight from the publisher. podnod never proxies or re-hosts episode audio.

The data landed this week, and it quietly changes how you should be titling just about everything. Jay Schwedelson unpacks three tactics that are already moving the needle on AI visibility and email open rates, including one that produces what he describes as the most poorly written subject lines imaginable, and it still outperforms. Add in a genuinely spicy Coachella take and some unexpected news from Levi's, and this one earns its 10 minutes.

ㅤ

Best Moments:

(00:30) Content titles that start with a number are getting picked up by AI overviews nearly 22% of the time, the highest rate of any content type

(01:45) Starting your subject line with "And," "But," or "Plus" is lifting email open rates by around 15%, and yes, it looks as weird as it sounds

(03:00) Comparison-style content like "X vs Y" is showing up in AI answers 45-60% more than other formats

(04:45) Levi's 517 jeans saw a 25% sales spike this quarter, and a JFK Jr. TV show gets partial credit

(05:30) Why Kylie Jenner's cigarette post at Coachella is one 90s trend that should stay buried

(06:00) Jay's full-throated defense of Justin Bieber's Coachella set and why calling it lazy is just wrong

ㅤ

Big shoutout to our sponsor, Knak!

Marketers, you know the pain… You spend hours on a campaign, and then it gets stuck in review cycles and barely looks like what you started with.

Knak makes it simple. Design emails and landing pages, collaborate, and launch - all in one place. No tool hopping, no messy handoffs, with AI built in to help you move faster.

See how it all works, get started at knak.com/demo

ㅤ

Partner with Jay: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/contact

ㅤ

Pre-order Jay Schwedelson's new book, Stupider People Have Done It (out June 9, 2026).

All net proceeds are donated to The V Foundation for Cancer Research, let's kick cancer's butt: https://www.amazon.com/Stupider-People-Have-Done-Marketing/dp/1637635206

ㅤ

Subscribe to Jay's newsletter for weekly marketing tips and tactics: https://www.jayschwedelson.com/newsletter

ㅤ

Check out Eventastic (FREE + VIRTUAL!) https://www.eventastic.com

ㅤ

Connect with Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwedelson/