What happens when a podcast isn’t a funnel for a business… and the podcast itself is the thing?
In this episode of Monetize This!, David Beckemeyer talks with Andrew Lewin, host of How to Protect the Ocean, a podcast with nearly 1,900 episodes built around ocean conservation, science communication, and helping people care about the ocean a little more than they did yesterday.
No mastermind.
No “high-ticket offer.”
No podcast growth empire.
And yet, somehow, the show changes lives.
Andrew talks about:
why most podcast advice doesn’t apply to mission-driven shows
the problem with podcast guru culture and fake metrics
why podcasting is a long game
trying (and failing) to force traditional monetization models onto a niche show
building an audience around impact instead of scale
the strange reality of being “successful” in ways the industry doesn’t really measure
Along the way, we hear stories about listeners changing careers, starting environmental organizations, pursuing PhDs, and even influencing institutional policy after hearing episodes of the show.
This conversation is ultimately about a kind of podcaster that rarely gets represented in podcasting discourse:
people making shows because the subject itself matters to them.
Guest
Andrew Lewin
Host of How to Protect the Ocean
Speak Up For Blue
Mentioned in This Episode
How to Protect the Ocean
Beyond Jaws
Podcast SEO
“Top 1%” podcast rankings
Mission-driven podcasting
The long game of podcasting
Follow Monetize This!
If you’ve ever felt like podcasting advice assumes you’re secretly trying to become a business coach, this show is for you.
Subscribe wherever you get podcasts.
More essays and episodes at:
Monetize This!
