{"id":1205,"date":"2025-05-05T17:30:21","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T17:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/internship.infoskaters.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/05\/attribution-is-garbage-says-this-email-expert-plus-3-reasons-jays-a-loser\/"},"modified":"2025-05-05T17:30:21","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T17:30:21","slug":"attribution-is-garbage-says-this-email-expert-plus-3-reasons-jays-a-loser","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internship.infoskaters.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/05\/attribution-is-garbage-says-this-email-expert-plus-3-reasons-jays-a-loser\/","title":{"rendered":"Attribution is garbage, says this email expert. (Plus, 3 reasons Jay’s a loser.)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cEmail is the only marketing channel that offers an equal playing field for all marketers<\/strong>,\u201d says Jay Schwedelson.<\/p>\n

With email marketing, your brand\u2019s message has just as much chance of being viewed as Apple\u2019s, or Google\u2019s, or [fill in your favorite big brand here].<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s master is here to help you not waste that chance.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

He\u2019s recognized as one of the foremost experts in email marketing. His website, SubjectLine.com, is ranked in the top 1% of sites worldwide. His marketing podcast regularly lands in the top 5 in the U.S. He founded GURU Media Hub, is the president and CEO of Outcome Media, and, oh yeah, he\u2019s also an adjunct professor at the University of Florida. (Whew!)<\/p>\n

Which is to say\u2026 y\u2019all, I believe him.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

Jay Schwedelson<\/h2>\n

Founder, SubjectLine.com<\/a>; Host, Try This, Not That! For Marketers Only!<\/a><\/em><\/h3>\n

Fun fact: <\/strong>Jay’s never missed a season of any show in the Bachelor Franchise. The Bachelorette, Golden Bachelor, Bachelor in Paradise, you name it. <\/p>\n

Claim to fame:<\/strong> Did you see <\/em>the list in the intro?! Ok, one more: His tool has tested over 15 MILLION subject lines. <\/p>\n

Lesson 1: Think of the inbox like a social scroll.<\/h2>\n

\u201cYour email database is the most valuable thing in your company<\/strong>,\u201d Schwedelson says. \u201c\u200aEmail is the only form of marketing that exists on the planet<\/em> that at any given moment you can communicate with your entire audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, how does a smart marketer make the most of that opportunity? Well, it ain\u2019t spamming promos, that\u2019s for damn sure.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf \u2018cold email\u2019 is your go-to-market, or you only send out promotional emails, you will fail miserably.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead, Jay advises that you \u201cthink of the inbox as a social scroll.<\/strong>\u201d Your job is to catch your audience\u2019s eyes and then give them something valuable enough to keep coming back.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe majority of the time you hit send, you\u2019re providing value without asking for something back.<\/em> Here\u2019s a new stat. Here\u2019s a new tip. Here\u2019s a new trend in the industry. Then every third or fourth email, you\u2019re layering in the ask.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an effective strategy, but one that takes a little bit of courage and a whole lotta faith, because\u2026 well\u2026<\/p>\n\n

Lesson 2: Attribution is garbage.<\/h2>\n

\u201cI think attribution is garbage,\u201d Schwedelson confesses. \u201cMarketing is surround sound. When they \u200afinally click on that offer, \u200ait wasn’t because you sent that amazing email. \u200aIt’s because over the last few months you’ve been sending content, so now that that person\u2019s in market for the thing, they’re thinking of you first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here I start to fantasize about all the time I\u2019ll save not measuring anything.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u200aOf course you wanna measure all the stuff, and should<\/em>,\u201d he qualifies. (Dammit.) \u201cBut that\u2019s not enough, because it\u2019s not telling a holistic picture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schwedelson tells me that his team fills in the gaps using a tactic he calls \u201choldout groups.\u201d<\/p>\n

As short as I can make it, here\u2019s how holdout groups work:<\/p>\n

Take a portion of your database (say, 5-10%) and DON\u2019T market to them. No ads. No emails. No stunningly brilliant thought leadership posts.
\n At the end of a given period of time, you measure the performance of the holdout group against your active audience. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat gives you a real view of the impact of your overall<\/strong> marketing, as opposed to this last touch thing,\u201d then he chuckles and adds: \u201cAnd if they convert as often as the people who got all this stuff? Then everything you\u2019re doing is a waste.\u201d<\/p>\n

Side note:<\/strong> Don\u2019t forget to rotate your holdouts. It\u2019s not a \u201cmoldy leftovers in the back of your fridge\u201d group.<\/p>\n\n

Lesson 3: Test things you don\u2019t like.<\/h2>\n

\u201cThe most important thing for marketers is to always be testing,\u201d Schwedelson says. \u201cEspecially the things you don\u2019t like.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n

He explains that we\u2019re often biased by our own preferences, but as marketers, we may not be great examples of our target audience. I ask him to break off a few examples for the folks who are playing along at home.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u200aThere are little things that you can do to get your email open that cost you no money, and it’s just spending 10 more minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are 3 things you can test out yourself:<\/p>\n

Start your subject line with a number.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

\u201cStart it with a number, it’ll actually lift the percentage of people opening up your email by about 20%.\u201d<\/p>\n

Capitalize the entire first word or two. <\/strong> <\/p>\n

\u201cNot just the first letter of the first word, but the entire<\/em> first word or two words. It might say NEW, for example. It\u2019s going to grab the person\u2019s millisecond attention and get them to read.\u201d<\/p>\n

Start your subject line with brackets. <\/strong> <\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, [New Episode], or [Free Download], or whatever. Then you go on with the rest of your subject line.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAgain, it\u2019s trying to think of your inbox as a social scroll, right?\u201d he says. \u201cNobody reads the whole subject line. You could write \u2018Jay\u2019s a loser<\/strong>\u2019 at the end of your subject line. No one will see it.\u201d Challenge accepted.<\/p>\n

Lingering Questions<\/h2>\n

Today’s Question<\/h3>\n

“How have you seen inclusion shape the way marketing has been done over the last five years, and how do you feel it will shape (if at all) the next five years of marketing?<\/span>” – Sonia Thompson, founder of Inclusion & Marketing<\/p>\n

Today’s Answer<\/h3>\n

Schwedelson says:<\/span> “Over the past five years, inclusion has shifted from a corporate checkbox to an essential part of how we approach marketing and business overall (or at least, it should be!).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no longer just about who appears in stock photos; it\u2019s about who\u2019s developing the strategy, writing the copy, and making the decisions.<\/p>\n

In our own work, from virtual events to newsletters to agency services, we\u2019ve seen that when people feel seen, they engage more, share more, and stay loyal longer. <\/span><\/p>\n

Looking ahead, inclusion won\u2019t just shape marketing, it will be marketing. As AI continues to dominate content creation, the ability to add a human touch, making every person feel recognized, respected, and understood will be the ultimate differentiator.”<\/p>\n

Next Week’s Question<\/h3>\n

Schwedelson asks: “What\u2019s one marketing belief you held five years ago that you\u2019ve completely changed your mind about?<\/span>“<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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