Subject Line Tactics You Haven’t Tried Yet | Bathroom Break #96

AI is making Marketing faster than ever. But if faster just means more mediocre content, you’re not winning…you’re just creating more noise. Daniel sits down with Elizabeth Maxson Martinet, CMO of Contentful, to unpack how modern Marketing teams can balance speed, personalization, and quality in the age of AI. From why entry-level Marketers now need to think more like engineers, to how brands can use AI without creating “AI slop,” to why personalization is still wildly underused, Elizabeth shares what it actually takes to build a high-performing marketing team right now. They dive into the “great content collapse,” how to use AI to save time and money without losing the human element, and why ungating your content is one of the smartest plays in modern B2B Marketing. If you’re a Marketer trying to use AI more effectively without sacrificing creativity, strategy, or customer experience, this is the episode for YOU. https://customer.io⁠ helps brands turn data into personalized messages that actually connect, across email, SMS, and beyond. Learn more at https://customer.io/tmm Follow Elizabeth: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emaxson/ Follow Daniel: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-murray-marketing/ Sign up for The Marketing Millennials newsletter: www.workweek.com/brand/the-marketing-millennials Daniel is a Workweek friend, working to produce amazing podcasts. To find out more, visit: www.workweek.com

Luxury skincare can’t just look beautiful anymore. It has to build trust, feel approachable, and actually work. And the brands that can balance all three are the ones that win. Daniel sits down with Blair Lancer, CMO of Lancer Skincare, to unpack how you modernize a legacy beauty brand without losing the clinical credibility and heritage that made it iconic in the first place. From bringing “your mother’s skincare brand” into a new generation, to balancing Dr. Lancer’s medical authority with Blair’s lifestyle-driven voice, to refreshing the brand without doing a full rebrand, Blair shares what it really takes to make a heritage brand feel relevant again. They also dive into influencer trust, why celebrity cachet doesn’t hit the same way it used to, and why transparency is the marketing hill Blair would die on. If you’re a Marketer trying to evolve a brand, connect with a younger audience, and build trust in a crowded category, this is the episode for YOU. https://customer.io⁠ helps brands turn data into personalized messages that actually connect, across email, SMS, and beyond. Learn more at https://customer.io/tmm Follow Blair: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blair-lancer-596b3ba6/ Follow Daniel: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-murray-marketing/ Sign up for The Marketing Millennials newsletter: www.workweek.com/brand/the-marketing-millennials Daniel is a Workweek friend, working to produce amazing podcasts. To find out more, visit: www.workweek.com

Marketers spend too much time chasing new ideas when the smartest move might be repeating the ones that already worked. Jay and Daniel break down one of the biggest time-saving strategies in modern Content Marketing: reposting and repurposing your best content.  They explain why audiences don’t remember most posts, why a 90-day repost window works incredibly well, and how brands can get better results by recycling top performers instead of constantly creating new content. Daniel shares how he tracks high-performing posts and reuses winning hooks across memes, videos, text posts, and more. Jay explains why Marketers overestimate how much their audience remembers and why repeating your core ideas is actually the fastest way to grow. If you feel like you’re running out of content ideas, this episode is your reminder that you probably already have everything you need. Follow Jay: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwedelson/ Podcast: Do This, Not That Follow Daniel: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themarketingmillennials/featured Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Dmurr68 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-murray-marketing Sign up for The Marketing Millennials newsletter: https://themarketingmillennials.com/ Daniel is a Workweek friend, working to produce amazing podcasts. To find out more, visit: https://workweek.com/

We all know social media is important. But what’s the difference between those who DO social media and those who are social media managers?  This episode’s guest, Jon-Stephen “JS” Stansel, breaks down what it really means to be a social media manager. Just because you have a car doesn’t make you a mechanic, and just because you have social media accounts doesn’t make you a manager. From scheduling content to making the content and posting it, managers wear a lot of hats. What’s within their actual scope and what’s not? How do you set your social media manager up for success? Plus, what does compromise look like as a manager when your client wants something that clashes with your strategy? JS gives an example of this and how making difficult decisions is just part of the job.  And, JS reveals why change has to happen little by little, even if you want to revamp things right away.  If you’re a marketer who wants to polish your social media operations, this is the episode for you.  ⁠https://customer.io⁠⁠ helps brands turn data into personalized messages that actually connect, across email, SMS, and beyond. Learn more at ⁠https://customer.io/tmm⁠ Follow JS: LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jsstansel/⁠ Follow Daniel: YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@themarketingmillennials/featured⁠ Twitter: ⁠https://www.twitter.com/Dmurr68⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-murray-marketing⁠ Sign up for The Marketing Millennials newsletter: ⁠www.workweek.com/brand/the-marketing-millennials⁠ Daniel is a Workweek friend, working to produce amazing podcasts. To find out more, visit: ⁠www.workweek.com

“Authenticity” is one of the most overused words in Marketing. And if you’re still chasing it like it’s a strategy, you’re already behind. Daniel sits down with Christina Le, Head of Marketing at Slate, to unpack what “authentic” content actually means in a world where every post is performative, reviewed, and optimized for attention. From why audiences don’t really want raw unfiltered honesty, to what people actually mean when they say “be authentic,” Christina shares how social teams can stop chasing gimmicks and start building a message that sticks. They also dive into why depth beats distribution in the age of AI sludge, how to avoid shiny object syndrome, and why social media only works when you treat it as social and media, not just posting and ghosting. If you’re a Marketer trying to win on social without burning out your team or pumping out forgettable content, this is the episode for YOU. https://customer.io⁠ helps brands turn data into personalized messages that actually connect, across email, SMS, and beyond. Learn more at https://customer.io/tmm Follow Christina: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thesechapters/ Follow Daniel: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-murray-marketing/ Sign up for The Marketing Millennials newsletter: www.workweek.com/brand/the-marketing-millennials Daniel is a Workweek friend, working to produce amazing podcasts. To find out more, visit: www.workweek.com

Most Marketing gains right now aren’t coming from big overhauls. They’re coming from small, overlooked nuances. Jay and Daniel break down subtle shifts that are quietly driving major performance gains across email and AI search. They unpack why traditional listicles like “7 Tips” are getting outperformed by “Top Three,” “Number One,” and “Best” formats, especially in AI-powered search results. Daniel shares a smart AI content strategy most marketers aren’t using: leveraging tools like Perplexity and Claude not just to write, but to identify and curate authoritative sources that improve credibility and visibility. Jay also reveals a newsletter subject line test that contradicted years of advice…and boosted open rates by 20 percent simply by reintroducing edition numbers in brackets. If you want fast wins without rebuilding your entire Marketing strategy, this episode is all about the small changes that make a huge impact. Follow Jay: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwedelson/ Podcast: Do This, Not That Follow Daniel: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themarketingmillennials/featured Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Dmurr68 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-murray-marketing Sign up for The Marketing Millennials newsletter: https://themarketingmillennials.com/ Daniel is a Workweek friend, working to produce amazing podcasts. To find out more, visit: https://workweek.com/

SEO isn’t dead…but if you’re not adapting to how AI surfaces answers, you’re already behind. Daniel sits down with Mike Roberts, Founder of SpyFu and CEO of RivalFlow AI, to discuss what’s actually happening in search right now, from zero-click results and AI overviews to the new rules of ranking in a world powered by LLMs. Mike explains how traditional SEO principles still apply, but need to be sharpened. Four page rankings? They still matter.  They dive into how AI re-ranks results, why answering more competitor questions wins, how to close content gaps that are costing you traffic, and why most Marketers misuse data by creating stories after the fact instead of forming hypotheses first. If you’re a marketer trying to understand how to show up in AI search (without chasing hacks that will disappear in six months) this is the episode for YOU. https://customer.io⁠ helps brands turn data into personalized messages that actually connect, across email, SMS, and beyond. Learn more at https://customer.io/tmm Follow Mike: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrspy/ Follow Daniel: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-murray-marketing/ Sign up for The Marketing Millennials newsletter: www.workweek.com/brand/the-marketing-millennials Daniel is a Workweek friend, working to produce amazing podcasts. To find out more, visit: www.workweek.com

Email isn’t dead. But most Marketers are measuring it the wrong way. Daniel sits down with Naomi West, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Customer.io, to break down what actually makes a “good” email and why beautiful design, open rates, and fancy templates aren’t the metrics you should be obsessing over. From why web design trends fall apart inside the inbox, to why text-based emails often outperform heavily designed ones, Naomi unpacks the myths that are holding email marketers back. They also dive into lifecycle strategy, event-triggered emails, working with engineers, testing frameworks that actually produce statistically significant results, and why communication skills might matter more than any tool you use. If you’re an email marketer who wants to move beyond templates and start driving real engage ment and conversions, this is the episode for YOU. https://customer.io⁠ helps brands turn data into personalized messages that actually connect, across email, SMS, and beyond. Learn more at https://customer.io/tmm Follow Naomi: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomiwest1000/ Follow Daniel: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-murray-marketing/ Sign up for The Marketing Millennials newsletter: www.workweek.com/brand/the-marketing-millennials Daniel is a Workweek friend, working to produce amazing podcasts. To find out more, visit: www.workweek.com

TV is exploding again. But most brands still don’t know how to make it work without blowing their budget. In this new mini-series brought to you by Tatari, Daniel sits down with Meghan Shea, Head of Growth at Bonafide Health, and Romano Bottini from Tatari, to break down how modern brands are using TV as a performance multiplier, not just a brand play. From fixing fragmented measurement and delayed reporting, to proving TV’s impact on CAC, branded search, Amazon halo, and retail growth, Meghan shares how Bonafide turned TV from a “nice to have” into a repeatable growth engine. They dive into Q1 wellness pushes, why linear still matters for older demographics, how to think about creative testing, and why scared money doesn’t make money when you’re trying to scale. If you’re a mid-market brand stuck between performance and brand (and wondering whether TV is worth it) this is the episode for YOU. Tatari helps brands run TV like a modern performance channel. Unlike most platforms that focus only on programmatic CTV, Tatari gives marketers access to all of TV - linear, streaming, programmatic CTV, and direct publisher inventory - in one platform. By combining premium inventory with transparent reporting and outcome-based measurement, Tatari lets growth teams evaluate TV the same way they evaluate paid search or paid social. The result: more control, better reach, and TV spend that can actually be tied back to business results. Learn more at ⁠http://bit.ly/40kwEAQ Follow Meghan: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meghantshea/ Follow Romano: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rbottini/ Follow Daniel: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-murray-marketing/ Sign up for The Marketing Millennials newsletter: www.workweek.com/brand/the-marketing-millennials Daniel is a Workweek friend, working to produce amazing podcasts. To find out more, visit: www.workweek.com

Email performance still starts with one thing: the open. Jay and Daniel break down the subject line tests marketers aren’t running enough and why small, weird experiments often outperform “best practice” advice. They cover surprising tactics like all-caps subject lines, zero capitalization, recognizable emoji branding, and pattern interruption hooks that force a millisecond pause in the inbox. Jay shares high-performing psychology plays like the “accidental internal reveal” and reverse psychology subject lines that make readers open out of pure curiosity.  And, Daniel explains why most marketers give away too much upfront…and how curiosity beats clarity when it comes to getting the click. If your emails are getting ignored, this episode is a playbook of subject line tests you can run immediately to boost opens, engagement, and results. Follow Jay: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwedelson/ Podcast: Do This, Not That Follow Daniel: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themarketingmillennials/featured Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Dmurr68 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-murray-marketing Sign up for The Marketing Millennials newsletter: https://themarketingmillennials.com/ Find out more, visit: https://workweek.com/