Subject lines that tap into who your audience wants to be, a bathroom emergency at a Nashville hot chicken spot, and a minus-200 degree cryotherapy experiment all show up in this Ask Us Anything with Jay Schwedelson. Jay riffs on a listener's challenge to share a subject line test they probably have not tried yet, breaking down the idea of aspirational personalization that speaks a level above your current audience. Then he answers a not-so-serious question about his health that turns into a ridiculous story involving Boca Raton, Brass Monkey, and a frosty recovery chamber.

ㅤ

Best Moments:

(00:16) Jay explains the Ask Us Anything format and how to send him your own work and ridiculous questions through his site.

(01:15) Hattie B's "shut the cluck up" hot chicken story ends with a bathroom line so long he swears they need 74 restrooms.

(02:15) Jamie's challenge for a subject line test they have never tried sets Jay up to go beyond basic personalization.

(03:38) Jay introduces aspirational subject lines that speak to the C level or lifestyle people want instead of the role they have now.

(05:30) He shares data from 50 million sends showing aspirational subject lines lifting open rates by roughly 24-28 percent in both B2B and consumer campaigns.

(06:30) Bill's jab about Jay's health leads to a cryotherapy adventure in Boca Raton, complete with Brass Monkey and dancing in a minus-200 degree box.

ㅤ

Check out Jay’s YOUTUBE Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@schwedelson

Check out Jay’s TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@schwedelson

Check Out Jay's INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/jayschwedelson/

Holiday gift snooping, F-bomb subject lines, and an AI country hit somehow all end up in the same conversation, and Jay Schwedelson has opinions. From Lowe's genius decoy gift boxes to a wildly misjudged suit sale email to a simple subject line trick that quietly spikes opens, this week is part marketing therapy, part pop culture catch-up. If you've ever wondered where the line is between clever and cringe, or how targeted your targeting should really be, this one will get you rethinking your next send.

Best Moments:

(00:20) Lowe's leans into holiday chaos with free decoy boxes so parents can hide gifts in plain sight from snooping kids.

(01:25) A suit brand fires off a Black Friday email with a "grow the f**k up and buy a suit" subject line that explodes into a full-blown PR apology tour.

(03:02) Double personalization in subject lines like "pet parents of anxious dogs" or "mid-market CMOs Q1 pipeline fix" quietly crushes with big open rate lifts and way better qualified clicks.

(04:18) Jay breaks down why narrowing your audience with ultra-specific segments may lower volume but massively upgrade intent and sales potential.

(06:05) An AI-generated country song hits number one on the Billboard charts, and Jay questions whether machine-made music should even be allowed on human charts.

(05:12) Streaming recs get personal as Jay walks back his early take on Netflix's The Beast in Me and admits he still cannot bring himself to care about Stranger Things or the Taylor and Travis wedding frenzy.

Check out Jay’s YOUTUBE Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@schwedelson

Check out Jay’s TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@schwedelson

Check Out Jay's INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/jayschwedelson/

December might feel slow for B2B, but Jay Schwedelson and Daniel Murray are using it to double down on what actually worked in their email programs this year. They trade five real world email lessons headed into 2026 - from reply worthy CTAs and smarter list metrics to domain reports and AI powered repurposing - while calling out the bad hot takes about what does and does not matter in your metrics. You get practical tweaks you can ship immediately, plus a little peek into their real lives as humans who occasionally leave their inboxes.

ㅤ

Follow Daniel on LinkedIn and check out The Marketing Millennials podcast for sharp, no-fluff marketing insights. Subscribe to Ari Murray’s newsletter at gotomillions.co for sharp, actionable marketing insights.

ㅤ

Best Moments:

(03:04) Daniel shares why every email now includes a simple, low lift reply question so he can spark real conversations and keep deliverability strong.

(04:07) Jay explains why the idea of a single "best send time" is garbage and why he tracks weekly unique humans engaging instead.

(05:11) Daniel breaks down his "verified subscriber" metrics to see how true ICP subscribers are opening, clicking, and shaping future email content.

(06:07) Jay walks through running a domain frequency report to spot deliverability bottlenecks and hidden account opportunities inside your list.

(07:21) Daniel shows how to repurpose talks, webinars, and podcasts into tactical emails using AI so you can add sends without adding burnout.

(08:23) Jay and Daniel rant about why open rates and preheaders still matter, how rage bait content confuses marketers, and why cleaning your list is still non negotiable.

ㅤ

Check out Jay’s YOUTUBE Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@schwedelson

Check out Jay’s TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@schwedelson

Check Out Jay's INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/jayschwedelson/