Ride the Lightning: Tesla and EV Podcast

Episode 523: Special Guest: Tesla Tipster Sawyer Merritt

12 snips

Aug 10, 2025

This week, Tesla tipster Sawyer Merritt, a dedicated source for Tesla news on X, shares his journey into the Tesla community and the motivation behind his passion. He discusses the potential for Tesla to explore advertising, the significance of social media in the industry, and the evolving landscape of EVs. Sawyer also touches on the balance between maintaining integrity in content creation while connecting with the growing Tesla community. Prepare for insights on brand loyalty, competition, and the future of electric vehicles!

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Built To Inform, Not Influence

Sawyer Merritt started posting to inform Tesla followers rather than to persuade them.
He focused on concise, minute-to-minute coverage directly on X to serve the community.

ANECDOTE

From Side Hustle To Full-Time

Sawyer Merritt turned his Tesla posts into a full-time job after creator payouts grew.
He shut down his clothing venture and now depends on social income.

ANECDOTE

Around-The-Clock News Pulse

Sawyer Merritt rarely takes time off and often works into the early morning hours.
He says staying constantly plugged in is necessary to avoid falling out of the Tesla news loop.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

I’m joined by perhaps the only person in the Tesla community who pays closer attention to it than I do: Tesla tipster Sawyer Merritt, who I regularly cite on this podcast. We’ll talk about how he got into the world of Tesla, what motivates him to do what he does, why he feels Tesla needs to start advertising, and much more. Enjoy!

If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support my efforts, please check out my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/teslapodcast and consider a monthly or (10% discounted!) annual pledge. Every little bit helps and there are stacking bonuses in it for you at each pledge level, like early access to each episode at the $5 tier and the weekly Lightning Round bonus mini-episode (AND the early access!) at the $10 tier! And NO ADS at every Patreon tier!

And don't forget to leave a message on the Ride the Lightning hotline anytime with a question, comment, or discussion topic for next week's show! The toll-free number to call or Skype is 1-888-989-8752.

WANT TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR TESLA AT HOME? TesBros has really great in-house-designed custom wrap kits made specifically for Teslas. Their kits include everything you need for installation: pre-cut film, squeegees, prep solutions, microfibers, wrap gloves, heat gun, and more. They offer in-house support if you need it and step-by-step video courses. To see everything they've got, Go to tesbros.com and use code POD15 for 15% off your first order.

INTERESTED IN AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR YOUR TESLA? Be a part of the future of transportation with XCare, the first extended warranty designed & built exclusively for EV owners, by EV owners. Use the code Lightning to get $100 off their “One-time Payment” option! Go to www.xcelerateauto.com/xcare to find the extended warranty policy that's right for you and your Tesla.

P.S. Get 15% off your first order of awesome aftermarket Tesla accessories at AbstractOcean.com by using the code RTLpodcast at checkout. Grab the SnapPlate front license plate bracket for any Tesla at https://everyamp.com/RTL/ (don't forget the coupon code RTL too!).

BONUS: If you're in or going to be in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, bring your car to Immaculate Reflections! They're offering a Summer special: $200 off of any paint correction service, $500 off of any ceramic coating package, and 15% off of any PPF package. Check out the website at irdetailing.com