Latest / The Marketing Career Podcast with Fexingo: Marketing Jobs, Skills, and Career Growth / How Marketers Use Side Projects to Land Bigger Roles
Transcript
- Lucas: You know, Luna, I keep meeting marketers who are stuck in roles that feel like a dead end. They've got the skills, they've got the ambition, but they just can't get the interview for the job they actually want. Luna: It's a really common frustration. And usually the advice is 'network more' or 'polish your resume,' but that doesn't always move the needle. Lucas: Right. So today I want to talk about a different lever: the strategic side project. Not a hobby, not a 'passion project' you mention vaguely in interviews, but a deliberate piece of work that demonstrates exactly the skills the next role demands. Luna: Can you give me a concrete example? Because I think people hear 'side project' and they picture someone building an app in their spare time. Lucas: Sure. I was talking to a brand manager at a midsize consumer goods company. She wanted to move into a director-level role focused on digital community, but she had zero formal experience running a community. So she started a niche newsletter for people who collect vintage audio equipment. Luna: That's oddly specific. How did that help her career? Lucas: Because it wasn't random. She defined a clear audience — vintage audio collectors — and a measurable goal: grow the subscriber list to five thousand in six months. She documented her process publicly — what content worked, what didn't, the growth tactics she tested. That became her portfolio. Luna: So she wasn't just doing the work, she was showing the work. That's a big distinction. Lucas: Exactly. In interviews, she could point to the newsletter and say, 'I built a community from zero, I know how to create content that resonates, I understand the analytics.' She got the director role. Luna: That's a powerful story. But I imagine a lot of marketers think, 'I don't have time for that.' How do you make it sustainable? Lucas: That's the thing — you don't need to spend ten hours a week. The key is consistency and a tight scope. Thirty minutes a day, or a couple of hours on Sunday, is enough if you're strategic about it. The goal is to produce a small but meaningful body of work over six to twelve months. Luna: And that's where a lot of people get tripped up. They try to boil the ocean, and then they burn out. Lucas: Exactly. So the framework I like to share has three parts. First, pick a specific audience that overlaps with the role you want. Second, define a measurable goal — subscribers, engagement, reach, whatever. Third, document your process publicly, so people can see how you think. Luna: That third part is so underrated. You can have the greatest results, but if nobody knows how you got there, it's just a number. Lucas: Right. And that's where a lot of people get tripped up. They try to boil the ocean, and then they burn out. But when you document, you're showing your thinking, your problem-solving, your resilience. Those are the things hiring managers care about. Luna: So what about the risk of doing a side project that's completely unrelated to your career goals? Like, I know someone who runs a food blog, but she's in B2B tech marketing. Lucas: It can still be useful if you frame it right. A food blog demonstrates content creation, SEO, social media, maybe even email marketing. But the signal is stronger when the project directly mirrors the role you want. The closer the overlap, the easier it is for a hiring manager to see you in that role. Luna: And that's the thing — you don't need to spend ten hours a week. The key is consistency and a tight scope. Thirty minutes a day, or a couple of hours on Sunday, is enough if you're strategic about it. The goal is to produce a small but meaningful body of work over six to twelve months. And while we're on the topic of small but meaningful, you know what else keeps things going? A couple of dollars a month from listeners like you. It genuinely makes a difference. If these marketing conversations have sparked something you've actually used in your own career, consider buying us a coffee at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It helps keep the show ad-free and sustainable. Luna: Yeah, it's such a small gesture that adds up. And honestly, it's nice to know the people who listen are getting real value out of this. Lucas: For sure. Now, back to the side project question — how do you know if you're on the right track? One signal is whether you're learning something new. If the project is just using skills you already have, it's not stretching you. You want to be slightly uncomfortable. Luna: That makes sense. The side project should be a lab for the skills you want to build, not a repeat of your day job. Lucas: And that's why a side project is such a powerful interview tool. When you're sitting across from a hiring manager, you can say, 'I taught myself this, I applied it in a real context, here's the outcome.' That beats a resume bullet point every time. Luna: What about the risk of burnout? I feel like a side project can become another full-time job if you're not careful. Lucas: It's real. That's why I recommend setting a hard boundary — like, 'I'm doing this for forty-five minutes a day, and then I'm done.' And also, give yourself permission to stop if it's not serving your career goals anymore. A side project is a tool, not a life sentence. Luna: That's a good perspective. A lot of people treat side projects like they're a moral obligation, but they're really just a strategic choice. Lucas: Exactly. And if you're feeling stuck in your career, a side project is one of the few things you can fully control. You don't need your boss's permission, you don't need a budget, you just need a clear goal and a willingness to start small. Luna: And then the other thing is, how do you actually talk about it in an interview? Because you don't want to sound like you're bragging. Lucas: That's a great question. The key is to frame it as a problem-solving story. 'I noticed that vintage audio collectors lacked a central place to share tips, so I built a newsletter that now reaches five thousand of them. Here's what I learned about retention.' That's humble, specific, and relevant. Luna: It's also a great way to show initiative and self-direction, which are traits every hiring manager loves. Lucas: So if you're listening and you've been thinking about starting a side project, I'd say pick one small thing, commit to it for three months, and see what happens. Even if it doesn't lead directly to a job, you'll have learned something and you'll have a story to tell. Luna: And that's what career growth is really about, isn't it? Not just the title, but the skills and the confidence you build along the way. Lucas: Well said. And we'll be back next week with another conversation about navigating your marketing career. For now, keep building.