Latest / The Marketing Career Podcast with Fexingo: Marketing Jobs, Skills, and Career Growth / How Marketers Use the Side Project to Get Promoted
Transcript
- Lucas: So there's this idea in marketing career circles that the fastest way to get promoted isn't to update your resume and look externally. It's to build something on the side — a project that sits outside your day-to-day job description but solves a real business problem. Luna: I've heard that advice, but I've always wondered — does it actually work? Or is it just hustle culture dressed up as strategy? Lucas: It works, but only under certain conditions. Let me give you a concrete example. There's a brand manager at a mid-sized CPG company — let's call her Sarah. She was stuck at the same level for about three years. Her role was managing existing product lines, mostly execution. She wanted to move into a senior brand manager role that required demonstrated strategic thinking and data analysis. Luna: Right, the classic catch-22. You need the experience to get the role, but you can't get the experience without the role. Lucas: Exactly. So on her own time, Sarah built a customer segmentation model using publicly available purchase data and some Python scripts she taught herself on weekends. She didn't tell her manager she was doing it. She just built it, then presented it to the marketing director during a one-on-one. Luna: And what happened? Lucas: The director was impressed enough to give her a stretch assignment leading the segmentation for an upcoming product launch. Six months later, she got the promotion. The side project became the proof that she could do the job before she had the title. Luna: So the key is that it wasn't just a passion project — it was tied to something the business actually needed. Lucas: That's rule number one. A promotable side project has to solve a real business problem. Not 'I learned Tableau.' But 'I used Tableau to find that 30 percent of our repeat customers come from one channel, and here's what we should do about it.' Luna: It's output-oriented, not input-oriented. What are the other rules? Lucas: Rule two: it has to be visible to decision-makers. If you build something amazing but only your direct manager knows about it, it might not move the needle. You need to get it in front of the people who actually decide on promotions. Luna: That's tricky, though, because you don't want to seem like you're going over your manager's head. Lucas: Right, you have to navigate that carefully. The way Sarah did it was she presented it to her director in a one-on-one that her manager was also in. It wasn't a sneak attack. It was framed as, 'Hey, I've been exploring this on the side and thought it might be useful.' Luna: So the manager is looped in, but the visibility goes one level up. Smart. Lucas: Rule three: the project should demonstrate a skill your current role doesn't require. If your job is all about execution, show strategic thinking. If your job is all about strategy, show execution. You want to fill the gap in your resume without leaving the company. Luna: That makes sense. Because if you're just doing more of what you already do, it doesn't prove you can do something different. Lucas: Exactly. And this is where the side project differs from just doing extra work. Extra work is, 'I'll take on more social media posts.' A side project is, 'I'll build an analytics dashboard that shows which social posts actually drive conversions.' It's a different skill set. Luna: Let me push back a little. Isn't this just asking people to work for free on the weekends? I mean, shouldn't the company give you the opportunity to grow on the clock? Lucas: Ideally, yes. And some companies do have formal programs for that. But the reality for a lot of mid-career marketers is that their current role is narrowly scoped. They want to move up, but their manager isn't going to hand them a senior project unless they've already shown they can handle it. The side project is a low-risk way to create that proof. Luna: So it's a signal, not a substitute for actual job responsibilities. Lucas: Exactly. And the time investment doesn't have to be huge. Sarah spent maybe five hours a week for two months. That's not a second job. It's a focused sprint. Luna: What about the risk that your manager feels threatened? Like, 'Why is my employee doing side projects instead of focusing on the work I assigned?' Lucas: That's a real risk, especially if the manager is insecure. The way to mitigate it is to frame the project as something that helps the team, not just yourself. Sarah's segmentation model was offered to the whole marketing group. It wasn't a personal showcase. Luna: So it's collaborative, not competitive. I like that. Lucas: There's also a timing element. You don't want to launch a side project when your team is in crisis mode or during a big campaign. Pick a relatively calm period, and make sure your core responsibilities are solid. Luna: Okay, but what if someone works at a company that doesn't promote from within? Is the side project still worth it? Lucas: In that case, the side project becomes a portfolio piece for external interviews. It's still valuable. But if you know the culture doesn't promote internally, you might be better off using that time to job hunt directly. The side project strategy works best at companies that have a track record of internal mobility. Luna: So you have to know your company's promotion patterns first. Lucas: Right. And you can find that out pretty easily. Ask people in the role you want how they got there. If the majority came from outside, adjust your strategy. Luna: Let's talk about another example. I know a content marketer who started a small newsletter on Substack about B2B SaaS trends. She used it to experiment with different content formats and distribution tactics. After about six months, she presented the growth data — open rates, conversion funnels, subscriber acquisition costs — to her VP. She argued that the company could adopt similar tactics for their own blog. She got promoted to senior content strategist. Lucas: That's a perfect example. The newsletter was a sandbox. She could try things she couldn't try in her day job because the day job had brand guidelines and legal approval. The side project let her demonstrate innovation without risk to the company's brand. Luna: Exactly. And the key detail is she didn't just show the newsletter. She showed the data and made the connection to the company's goals. That's the difference between a hobby and a career move. Lucas: Let me add one more distinction. There's a difference between a side project and a side hustle. A side hustle is about making money on the side. A side project for promotion is about building a capability. The goal isn't revenue — it's proof. Luna: So you shouldn't monetize it. Keep it as a demonstration tool. Lucas: I think that's wise, at least until you've gotten the promotion. After that, if you want to keep it, fine. But mixing money and career signaling can get complicated. Luna: Makes sense. Now, what about the form of the side project? Does it have to be data-heavy like Sarah's segmentation? Or can it be something like a content series, an internal tool, a process improvement? Lucas: Anything works as long as it meets the three rules: solves a business problem, is visible to decision-makers, and demonstrates a skill your current role doesn't require. I've seen someone build an internal wiki that saved the team hours every week. That's a process improvement, and it showed project management and systems thinking. Luna: I think the hardest part for most people is just picking something and starting. There's analysis paralysis. Lucas: Totally. The way to break that is to look for a pain point you encounter regularly. Something that annoys you or your team. Then ask: 'What's a small project I could do to fix or improve this?' It doesn't have to be perfect. Sarah's first segmentation model was rough. She improved it over time. Luna: I love that. Start ugly, get feedback, iterate. That's a skill in itself. Lucas: Exactly. And one more thing — document the process. Keep a log of what you did, what you learned, what the results were. That becomes your narrative when you present it. It's not just 'I built a thing.' It's 'I identified a problem, tested a solution, measured the outcome, and here's what it means for the business.' Luna: That's a great point. The documentation is almost as important as the project itself. Lucas: If these marketing conversations have sparked something you've actually used — maybe a career strategy, a negotiation tactic, a way to think about your growth — and you'd like to see the show stay ad-free and independent, listeners like you are the reason it can. There's a way to support the podcast at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, no perks, just a way to keep these conversations going. Luna: Yeah, I think a lot of people find value in the concrete examples we share. It's nice to know there's a way to give back if it's helped you. Lucas: Exactly. So, getting back to the side project strategy — let's talk about the timeline. How long should someone expect to work on a side project before it's ready to present? Luna: I think two to three months is a good target. Long enough to build something meaningful, short enough to maintain momentum. Lucas: I'd agree. And you don't have to work on it every day. Consistency matters more than intensity. Even an hour a week adds up over a quarter. Luna: What about the risk of burnout? Someone already working 40–50 hours a week adding a side project? Lucas: That's real. The key is to treat the side project as a temporary sprint, not a permanent addition. You do it for a defined period, then you stop. You're not signing up for a second job. You're running a focused experiment. Luna: So set a specific end date. Like, 'I will work on this for eight weeks, then present it, then move on.' Lucas: Exactly. And if it doesn't lead to a promotion, you still have a portfolio piece and a new skill. That's not a loss. Luna: I think the side project strategy is especially powerful for marketers because our field changes so fast. The skills that got you the job three years ago might not be the ones that get you the next job. A side project is a way to close that gap proactively. Lucas: That's a really good framing. The job description for a senior role often mentions things like 'strategic thinking' or 'cross-functional leadership' — things you can't learn from a course. A side project gives you a chance to practice those in a low-stakes environment. Luna: And then you have a concrete example to talk about in interviews. 'Tell me about a time you led a strategic initiative.' You don't have to make something up. Lucas: One last thought. If you're going to try this, pick a project that genuinely interests you. Because if you're bored by it, you won't stick with it. And the enthusiasm will show when you present it. Luna: Passion is underrated in career advice. People think it's all about strategy, but if you actually enjoy the work, it's easier to do well. Lucas: So to sum up: find a business pain point, build something that solves it, make sure the right people see it, and demonstrate a skill your current role doesn't require. Two months, consistent effort, document everything. That's the blueprint for a promotable side project. Luna: I like that it's actionable. Not just 'do more stuff,' but a specific framework. Lucas: Exactly. And I think the next time someone tells me they feel stuck, I'll ask them: 'What's one thing you could build on the side that would prove you're ready for the next level?' Luna: That's a great question to leave listeners with. I'm going to think about that myself.