This month’s Vibrant Therapist Spotlight features New York social worker Melody Wilding. If you think you’ve heard of Melody, you probably have! Melody has used writing and media-presence to fill her New York practice with ideal coaching clients. Like many of us, Melody originally found herself trying just about everything to grow her practice, but eventually realized that some of the strategies she tried didn’t actually work for her as well as they did for other therapists. Once Melody started to really focus on the writing and media presence strategies that were more authentic for her, she was able to build a solid practice and now shares her knowledge to help other therapists use writing and media presence to connect with their ideal clients, too.
Please introduce yourself to the readers and tell us a little about the work that you do.
I’m Melody Wilding, LMSW, a Licensed Master Social Worker based in New York City. In my coaching practice (melodywilding.com), I help high-achieving professionals and entrepreneurs mentally and emotionally thrive in their careers. I teach Human Behavior in the MSW program at Hunter College in NYC.
I’m also the creator of The Media Darling Method (mediadarlingmethod.com), an online course that helps therapists and coaches market their services using the power of PR and publicity.
Writing and building media-presence has been a big piece of marketing your practice. Can you tell us what drew you in this direction?
When I first started my coaching practice, I tried every marketing tactic and strategy experts say you “should” do. I went to networking events. I posted relentlessly on social media. I even hosted a workshop. My first event was attended by a grand total of 3 people. Nothing seemed to be working.
Then I heard about a free PR service called Help A Reporter Out (HARO, for short), while listening to a podcast. I decided to check it out. Low and behold, my first response landed me a feature on Business Insider and things really took off from there.
Within my first year of practice I was quoted in Cosmopolitan, Glamour, New York Magazine, and other major media outlets using HARO. To date, I’ve given hundreds of interviews and built my relationship with the media so that reporters seek me out as an expert. I’ve been able to leverage that credibility to become a contributor to top sites like Inc., Forbes, Quartz, and PsychCentral, either by pitching or being privately invited to contribute.
The best part is that it helped me land on a marketing strategy that actually worked. My entire client base has been generated from writing and building a media presence. Ninety-five percent of my clients and email subscribers come directly through the press and writing I do. Getting in front of larger audiences has also helped me grow a client waitlist and launch courses.
Writing and media work feel easy to me and bring me great joy, which is why I think it’s been successful for me. Instead of forcing myself to pursue marketing strategies that felt inauthentic, I’ve leaned into what feels natural and most aligned for my personal strengths. One question I like to ask coaching clients to help them find their passion is, “What did you enjoy doing as a child?”. For me, that was writing. I’m grateful that today my career combines my love for writing, coaching, and teaching in a way that serves others.
I know many therapists share similar strengths, which why I think we’re so well suited for working with the media. Educating and helping are so deeply within our nature. All we have to do is let that natural strength come through.
What is your #1 tip for other therapists or coaches who want to engage with the media as part of their approach to marketing their practice?
Sign up for HARO! It’s a completely free PR service that connects reporters with experts just like you. It’s the fastest, simplest way to get publicity from places that may seem unattainable like The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Reader’s Digest, ELLE, Women’s Health, and so many others.
Your first step is to register at helpareporter.com. I also created a free training and guide that walks you step-by-step through how HARO works and how to have success with it.
Publicity can actually be a powerful, underestimated way to help you grow your practice. It helps you establish yourself as an expert in your niche and reach more potential clients. It can help you launch new revenue streams like writing a book, speaking, or teaching courses. Press also helps you:
- Become easier to find online through Google and social media by improving your SEO
- Show up where your ideal clients are already hanging out, making it easier to lead them back to your website.
- Gain instant trust and credibility so potential clients choose you over your competition
Most importantly, now more than ever we need powerful, caring voices like yours sharing advice that helps people be happier and healthier. So get out there!
What types of doubt and fears have you encountered in your career and how have you addressed them?
I’ve had to work hard to undo the limiting belief that self-promotion is bad or sleazy. As women, we’re conditioned to be nice and deferential. We’re taught to fear outshining others. As a result, we become reticent about sharing the knowledge and gifts we have with the world. We fear being seen. But if you ever want to have a successful business, you have to learn how to cut through the noise and be consistently visible where your ideal clients can find you. Because they need you!
Reframing self-promotion as service has helped me counteract fears and raise my confidence. Whenever I find myself giving an interview and Imposter Syndrome kicks in (“Wow this sounds so stupid. Everyone knows this!”), I remember that there’s someone out there who is hearing this information for the first time. There’s someone in pain facing a problem, which I can offer solutions for. Who am I NOT to help?
How do you personally manage overwhelm when working on multiple projects?
My systems are my saviors. Whether it’s creating a blog post, reaching out to a new client or processing email, I rely heavily on creating templates, checklists, and other processes to streamline my workflow. That allows me to preserve my mental energy for my clients and creative projects.
I’m also a huge fan of time boxing and “theme days” within my business. For example, I reserve three days a week for clients. The other two days are for writing and creating content. That way I can get fully into the flow and immerse myself in client work or projects without distraction. I’m an introvert and HSP (highly sensitive person), so managing my energy in this way has been incredible valuable.
How do you approach your work and self care in order to avoid becoming burnt out or depleted?
I’m an overthinker. I have a tendency to get caught up in perfectionism or make things harder than they have to be. Lately I’ve borrowed advice from Tim Ferriss and started asking myself, “What would this look like if it were easy?” It helps me zoom out and focus on doing my work in a more aligned, easeful way instead of pushing and forcing.
I also intentionally build in self-care first. Yoga classes, massages, and family time go on my calendar before anything else. Then I fit work into my life, not the other way around.
If you could go back in time, what tip or advice would you share with yourself at the beginning of your career?
Failure is not fatal; it’s feedback. Try again. You can do hard things.
Thank you so much for participating in The Vibrant Therapist Spotlight series & sharing such practical and helpful tips, Melody!
I’m curious…What stood out for you from my interview with Melody? What changes will you implement in order to feel more vibrant after reading this post? Send me an email at sarah@sarahleitschuhcounseling.com and let me know what’s on your mind!
Take Care,
Sarah
More about Melody
Melody Wilding is a licensed social worker and coach who help high-achievers mentally and emotionally thrive in their careers. When Melody started her practice a few years ago, she had zero clients and no credibility. Today she has a client waitlist, has given a TEDx talk with over 16,000 views, and has been featured in dozens of top media publications from Inc, Forbes, and Fast Company to Cosmo, Shape, and Glamour. Melody is also the creator of The Media Darling Method, an online course that teaches therapists how to land major publicity that grows their private practice and personal brands.
Connect with Melody here:
Website: melodywilding.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melodywildinglmsw/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelodyWilding
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melodywilding/