Paul Butler had long dreamed of moving to New York City. So when he finally had the chance to move for work, only to find out a week later that his social marketing position at Amazon was being eliminated, he said it felt like a \u201crug was pulled out from underneath [him].\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned to social media for support. \u201cFollow along so I can still figure out how to live my dreams,\u201d he wrote atop a video showing his emotional response to the news.<\/p>\n
Butler had been pursuing content creation prior to Amazon\u2019s October layoffs, building a following of more than 50,000 across Instagram and TikTok with posts that included countdowns to his big move, but the video about his layoff really extended his reach. To date, it has more than 1.3 million views and 100,000 likes on TikTok, plus an additional 65,000 likes on Instagram.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople obviously resonated with my story,\u201d Butler told us. \u201cThat tells me that a lot of people are dealing with a lot of hardships, and they\u2019re either having empathy because they\u2019ve seen my situation or they\u2019re going through something similar.\u201d<\/p>\n
Creating while unemployed, Butler said, not only allowed him to make up for some lost income, but also opened the door to new opportunities and even some job interviews.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were a ton of people who reached out to make connections for me, which was so kind and generous of them,\u201d he said. \u201cI had people offer to refer me to roles at their companies. I had people offer to review my r\u00e9sum\u00e9, cover letter, anything I had\u2026to the point where it was almost overwhelming.\u201d<\/p>\n
As layoffs continue to hit the marketing industry for reasons ranging from cost-cutting to mergers and acquisitions, some in the industry are turning to content creation as a professional and financial safety net. A handful have even made full-time careers of it, though marketer-slash-creators told us that it may be more challenging to achieve than some may think.<\/p>\n
The new side hustle<\/strong><\/h2>\nIn December, Spencer Raap was laid off from his marketing campaign manager role at 10 Roads Express, an enterprise trucking company based in Iowa. Amid his search for a new role, Raap said he began exploring content creation on LinkedIn and Substack to establish his personal brand and help sustain his family.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hear that [layoff] news like, \u2018Well, this is reality now,\u2019\u201d he told us. \u201cIt\u2019s a motivator for me to start to build my own ship a little bit so that I\u2019m not necessarily 100% reliant on a W-2 income.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a line of thinking that is familiar to others in marketing. Aseeyah Shahid was working as a recruiter and marketing and event coordinator at consulting firm McKinsey when she was laid off in November 2024, and after months of sending out more than 100 applications with no luck, she made the decision to go all-in on her own personal branding consulting business and on content creation.<\/p>\n
Being a creator, Shahid told us, had \u201calways been a thought in [her] head, but [she] never did it seriously\u201d until losing her job. Now, she said, LinkedIn is where she makes most of her money, primarily from brand deals shared with her more than 3,000 followers. She told us that she now views having a personal platform, or another form of supplementary income, as a necessity.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou see all these places laying people off,\u201d she said. \u201cI think people are finally starting to wake up and see that you need something outside of your job.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2025, content creation accounted for about 25% of Shahid\u2019s income, she told us, and she expects it to be closer to 60% this year as she amps up production. Even as she\u2019s grown her income, she said she assumed it would be easier to monetize as a full-time creator before attempting it. According to recent data from marketing platform Manychat, around 75% of creators earn less than $10,000 per year from content.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe dream is sold to you,\u201d Sam Ogborn, a marketing strategist and adjunct professor at Miami University who is also a marketing creator, told us. \u201cThe likelihood of you being able to sustain yourself on what you\u2019re making from brand deals or even from creator rewards programs, it\u2019s not sustainable\u2026unless you live an extremely frugal lifestyle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, there are exceptions. Lifestyle content, while more competitive, could allow for greater monetization opportunities than marketing content, Ogborn acknowledged. In addition to her other roles, Ogborn has, since 2021, posted about everything from campaign takes to the curse of being chronically online to build her personal brand. Since her first year posting, she\u2019s partnered with brands like Canva, Notion, and Hubspot, but said she\u2019s only recently begun \u201chitting her stride\u201d with brand deals in year five.<\/p>\n
Butler said he wasn\u2019t able to earn what he had made at Amazon through monetizing content alone, but it assured him that he could make at least some money off something he enjoyed doing, and could perhaps get to that level eventually. Ultimately, he said, \u201cthe dividends that come from it are worth it, whether they\u2019re monetary or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Putting yourself out there<\/strong><\/h2>\nWhile unemployed, Butler said he wasn\u2019t always consistent with his posting schedule, but made efforts to remain visible or at least post a few times a week. \u201cI still want to build my brand personally,\u201d he said. \u201cI [didn\u2019t] want the fact that I got laid off to inhibit my ability to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Shahid\u2019s experience, personal branding is perhaps the most important benefit of creating in between jobs and client work. \u201cWhatever happens, I have something to jump off to,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m not just starting from scratch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shahid said being a creator has also helped push her beyond her comfort zone and expand her network. \u201cI\u2019ve gotten most of my friends this year from LinkedIn and conferences,\u201d she said. \u201cBuilding a community has been a big, big pro.\u201d<\/p>\n
These days, Ogborn said it\u2019s become \u201cmore normal than not\u201d for marketers to build a presence online beyond their personal accounts, and said many of her Gen Z marketing students are creators on the side. For those in between jobs, she said, content creation can be a way to showcase their talent and potentially get the attention of a future employer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt empowers people to show up with their own unique [marketing] perspective,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Jessica Bayer, managing partner of corporate affairs and communications at executive search firm DHR Global, told us that as long as content isn\u2019t \u201coff-putting,\u201d which she said often comes down to politics, it can be a meaningful way to boost visibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt shows that you\u2019re up to date and up to speed on what\u2019s going on in the industry,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd you have an opinion and you have thoughts on how it could be better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bayer said she\u2019s seen an increase in job applicants touting their social media presence, but noted that follower counts don\u2019t matter as much to employers as what the content says about a marketer\u2019s experience and insights. For all you know, Bayer said, those followers could be bots.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not about numbers and it\u2019s not about volume,\u201d she added. \u201cIt\u2019s really about strategy and targeted outreach and then preparing for risks and getting ahead of those.\u201d<\/p>\n
Butler has since landed a new marketing job in New York, and he said he shared his experience as a creator in addition to his experience working on professional social media accounts when interviewing.<\/p>\n
He recently began posting countdown videos again, this time leading up to his first day of work. And while he\u2019s optimistic about his next chapter, he plans to continue posting content as a side project.<\/p>\n
\u201cCompanies are less loyal to people, people are less loyal to companies,\u201d Butler said. \u201cIt\u2019s nice to know that you can build something of your own in a world that feels very tumultuous.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Get marketing news you’ll actually want to read<\/h5>\n
Marketing Brew informs marketing pros of the latest on brand strategy, social media, and ad tech via our weekday newsletter, virtual events, marketing conferences, and digital guides.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cThe dream is sold to you,\u201d Sam Ogborn, a marketing strategist and adjunct professor at Miami University who is also a marketing creator, told us. \u201cThe likelihood of you being able to sustain yourself on what you\u2019re making from brand deals or even from creator rewards programs, it\u2019s not sustainable\u2026unless you live an extremely frugal lifestyle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, there are exceptions. Lifestyle content, while more competitive, could allow for greater monetization opportunities than marketing content, Ogborn acknowledged. In addition to her other roles, Ogborn has, since 2021, posted about everything from campaign takes to the curse of being chronically online to build her personal brand. Since her first year posting, she\u2019s partnered with brands like Canva, Notion, and Hubspot, but said she\u2019s only recently begun \u201chitting her stride\u201d with brand deals in year five.<\/p>\n
Butler said he wasn\u2019t able to earn what he had made at Amazon through monetizing content alone, but it assured him that he could make at least some money off something he enjoyed doing, and could perhaps get to that level eventually. Ultimately, he said, \u201cthe dividends that come from it are worth it, whether they\u2019re monetary or not.\u201d<\/p>\n