In this episode of Do This, Not That, host Jay Schwedelson shares updates on business, marketing, and pop culture. He covers the growing trend of offering time off for voting, new email marketing strategies to boost open rates, and the introduction of an AI-powered pet collar. Jay also adds his thoughts on the reality TV show Love Is Blind.

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Best Moments:

(00:58) Companies offering time off for voting

(02:27) Email marketing trends to increase open rates

(04:57) AI-powered pet collar introduction

(06:20) Commentary on Love Is Blind TV show

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Welcome to do this not that, the podcast for marketers. You'll walk away from each episode with actionable tips you can test immediately.

You'll hear from the best minds in marketing who will share tactics, quick wins and pitfalls to avoid. Also dig into life, pop culture, and the chaos that is our everyday. I'm Jay Schwedelson. Let's do this, not that.

We are back for what's up this week from the do this not that podcast presented by Marigold. This is our super short episode where we break down what is going on in the world of business and life and marketing.

And then we still have our short Ask us Anything later in the week and our big tips episode at the end of the week. So what's going on this week? Well, the presidential election is coming up. If that is news to you, that is pretty strange.

But for everybody else that knows it's coming up, why are we talking about this? The last thing I'll ever do on this podcast is talk about politics that is like nails on a chalkboard.

But something related to it that is interesting that both parties are pushing for is for voters, all of us, to have time off to vote, paid time off to vote, or at least not getting penalized time off to vote. And what people don't actually know is that there is no federal law that requires companies to allow their employees to go vote.

But more and more companies are providing for that. And we're seeing that a big growing trend. And 31 states now have policies that mandate workers receive time off to vote.

Some of them are paid time off, some of them aren't. And I don't think employees and workers know that they have the right to take that time off.

And more and more and more companies, my company included, are giving off that day to allow people to go and vote. I mean, you see Apple is giving off, Coca Cola is giving off, Target is giving off, Visa is giving off.

They're giving off paid time off to allow people to go and vote. So I think you're going to see that as a huge thing coming out of this election.

And, and at some point we'll get to a federal holiday because that just makes sense. Why would we not do that? Anyway, what else is going on?

Well, interesting new data coming out of subject line.com on some new trends that are working really, really well to drive email marketing open rates. One is this idea of unaiing your subject lines. You know, so many marketers now are using tools to help write their subject lines right.

AI tools to help write their subject lines. And the problem is these AI tools are spitting back all this generic garbage, because that's what AI knows. It knows generic garbage.

So what's working right now, which is super interesting, is this idea of unaiing your subject line.

And there are two words that we're seeing that if you put at the very start of your subject line, they're lifting email open rates, the percentage of people opening up your emails but by about 20%. And this applies to both business emails and consumer emails.

And those two words are if you start your subject line with the word and A n d or but B u t we're seeing that lift open rates by about 20% from subject line dot com. I'll give you some examples. So if you're starting subject line of but but are your email campaigns really working?

And the reason that works starting with but is that AI is never going to recommend to you to start your subject line with the word but or to start your subject line the word and because it doesn't make any sense, it's not proper grammar, it's ridiculous. But that's why it stands out and that's why it works, because it's not like everything else.

So when your subject line says something like but is your hiring process really optimized? Or and here's the HR playbook your team needs now. Or something like but seriously, does your moisturizer do this?

Or how about and here's how to supercharge your daily routine. So unaiding, using things like and or but to start your subject line are great.

Another one tip coming@ Subjectline.com this week is really the resurgence of brackets at the start of your subject line. So at the very start of your subject line, you take a one word or you take a two word phrase.

Maybe it's the word new or it's a phrase like just in or it's a phrase like top trends and you put that within brackets and you have that start your subject line with these words within brackets. No, it does not cause you to go to the jungle folder. Yes, it increases the percentage of people opening up your emails. The increase is about 15%.

So if you never tested brackets, that's another good one that's out there. So what else is going on this week? Well, this is one that's super weird. I don't know if you saw this. There is now an AI powered pet collar.

I mean, come on, do we really need to AI everything? So there's an AI powered pet collar called the Shazam Band from Personify AI. And it's using this crazy AI model.

And what it does, you got to watch this video. You put the collar on, let's say your dog, okay? And you can pick from one of 25 different voices. And then the AI model is.

Is trained to understand the emotions that the, that your pet is feeling. The human to animal kind of emotions and connections. And so anytime it's doing some sort of activity or act or thing, it will then talk to you.

So, for example, if you're playing with your dog with, like, a pull toy right in their mouth, all of a sudden your dog would say, I could do this all day. Because it learns that that's, like, kind of the emotion going on. I mean, do we really need this? Is this really solving a problem here?

I mean, yeah, I know we all want to know what our pets are thinking, but this is not what they're thinking. And you know how much this thing costs? This Shazam band? $600. And then there's a yearly subscription on top of it.

I was, like, seeing this on the news. I'm like, who's doing this? This is ridiculous. Maybe I'm wrong. I don't know. I probably am wrong. Who knows?

And then in totally meaningless stuff, which has nothing to do with anything, millions of people are watching Love is Blind 7 on Netflix. You're probably not, because you have a life, but I will tell you, it's great. Except that there's one dude on the show. His name is Leo.

Leo is a clown. This guy sucks. Okay? Why does he suck? It doesn't matter if you're watching the show or not.

So, you know, it's this dating show, and they're trying to get to know each other. They don't get to see each other. That's the whole premise of the show. But every time this dude.

And I'm not ruining it for everyone because I'm only like three episodes in, but every time this dude Leo meets a somebody, he tells them that he's rich. And he goes, yeah. And this is literally quotes that he has said. He goes, I'm a rich art dealer. I grew up, like, I went to a country club.

I went to a private school. And he'll be like, I, I, I don't have to worry about money. That's what he keeps saying to these people. He sounds like such a jerk.

I mean, it's one thing, okay, you got some money. You don't walk around telling everybody. It's embarrassing. He is so, like, I can't take it. I like, I literally put the pillow on top of my face.

I cannot watch this dude. And of course I had to go down the rabbit hole and find out how much money does this guy actually have? This clown of a human?

And I've seen like 10 different reports because I have no life. And his his net worth ranges anywhere from $600,000 to $6 million. I don't care if this guy has a billion dollars. He is a tool.

I just, I don't know why I had to get that out of my chest. This is the best part about having a podcast. I could say ridiculous things like this that nobody cares about.

Anyway, hope you check out the other episodes this week and would love to connect with you. Go to jelson.com that's where you can connect with me. Work with me. I don't know. I just do whatever. Don't watch Leo. He stinks. Have a great day. Later.

You did it.

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