What No One Tells You About Turning Writing Into an Ocean Career, with "The Ocean Writer" Melissa Hobson

Ep 017: Melissa Hobson is one of the most published ocean writers around, with bylines in National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, Scientific American, The New York Times, and The Guardian. After she was peer-pressured into learning to scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef, she slowly transitioned her career from PR to writing about the oceans. There are so many options for building a marine career that isn't "scientist," and Melissa shows us just how incredible a career in ocean writing can be. We talk about the portfolio-less cold email that landed her the cover of a dive magazine, the one question every good pitch has to answer (it works for job applications too), and how ocean stories break days before the rest of the world hears about them. She also talks about her "conservation Trojan horse" trick for slipping the important stuff into a fun animal story, where she really lands on AI as someone who writes for a living, and the citizen science projects that let you help the ocean from your laptop, even if you're hundreds of miles inland.If you've ever wanted to work in the ocean space but not as a scientist, this one's for you.Connect with Melissa!Visit Melissa's website Melissa Hobson on LinkedIn — where she shares most of her published storiesLooking to break into the world of marine conservation, but don’t know where to start? I’ve got you! Download my free resource, the Aspiring Marine Conservationist’s toolkit at caseysnook.com/toolkit and start making waves in your career today 🌊Podcast websiteCasey's Instagram - @caseysnook_Podcast Instagram - @thisismarineconservationSay hello! Contact Casey here.SUBSCRIBE & REVIEWIf you loved this episode, it’d mean the world if you took a moment to subscribe and leave a review and/or rating wherever you’re listening! Your support helps this podcast reach more ocean lovers and aspiring marine conservationists just like you. Thank you!