Ep 81. How to Stay Visible in a Way That Feels Like You, with Melanie Whittaker
Nourish Your Brand · Episode 81
Today I'm joined by Melanie Whittaker, PR consultant and founder of You Are Your Marketing. Mel helps coaches and service providers weave their personal story into their marketing and get featured on podcasts, in magazines and newspapers, and on digital TV.
We chat about how to stay visible in a way that actually feels like you, why the messy chapters of your story are some of your biggest PR assets, and the mindset shift that took Mel from sitting on ideas to just going for it. Let's get into it.
Be 100% yourself (it's rare in a fake world)
Mel's non-negotiable is being fully herself. She won't follow the masses or copy someone just because it worked for them, it has to feel exciting and passionate and like her. And she's clear this is what most clients struggle with, because even on social media, blogs and newsletters, people rarely see the full you.
Being genuinely authentic (an overused word, she knows, but the right one) is rare in a world that can feel fake, and that rarity is exactly what makes you connect. (It's the same "you are the differentiator" thread as Episode 67 with Ellie Kime)
Working through the fear
Mel's route wasn't conventional, no media degree, entirely self-taught, and she moved from the UK to a Spanish island on her own. When the pandemic hit and she had to become visible online to promote a restaurant, she got real backlash in competitive local Facebook groups: who is she to show up?
She had to work through the fear of judgement and nasty comments, and landed on a simple rule: if it's not going to kill me, I'll give it a shot. The fear never fully goes (we're human), but she doesn't let it hold her back anymore, and moving country taught her to make decisions fast and trust herself rather than pondering for months.
Self-trust has come up with so many of my guests, and it matters because there's so much noise telling you how you should do things.
Don't let their decisions become your decisions
One of my favourite moments. It's natural to look up to people further along, and Mel encourages it, aim for the life that inspires you. But don't let their decisions become your decisions, because you don't know the life they've led or the hurdles they've jumped. What works for them may not work for you. I compared it to stepping on someone's feet to dance: you can follow the steps, but you'll always be a bit wobbly because they aren't your own.
She's blunt about the 5am-ice-bath morning routines too, if that's your jam, do it, but don't adopt someone else's idea of hell just because they're successful. You need a routine that fits you like a glove, because people feed off your energy, and they can tell when it's off.
Consistency, without the burnout
Consistency is vital (another overused-but-true word), but life will life. Promoting restaurants, Mel learned that posting every day, even on low-energy days, was the difference between doing well or not. With clients she's human about it: have your duvet day, binge Netflix, have the bubble bath, but don't let it stretch past three days unless something major has happened, because like a child learning to ride a bike, stop too long and you have to build the confidence up all over again.
Her own fuel is proper self-care, walks, a clean and calm home, looking after her nervous system, because if you're irritated and depleted, you can't do your best work. The key is defining what consistent actually looks like for you, and it doesn't have to be the same thing every time.
Your messy chapters are PR gold
When Mel builds a client's pitch, she digs deep, well past name, business and marital status. The example that lands hardest: a messy divorce. She'd never make anyone share the ugly details (she always asks what's off limits and keeps it out of interviews), but a woman scrolling who's going through the same thing suddenly sees you and thinks "I never knew she'd been through that, and her life looks so together now." Instant connection.
A health scare, a hard season, any of it, people connect with people for all sorts of reasons. In an age of personal branding and founder-led business, this is the human thread we're all reaching for.
"But my life isn't interesting"
Mel's famous answer to "I'm pretty boring, I've nothing special to say": reality TV. People get deeply invested in a stranger they'll never meet, their hair, their outfits, where they eat, their car. If someone can be that into a reality star, why not you?
People love a get-ready-with-me and a behind-the-scenes because we're nosy now. You're a business owner changing or simplifying people's lives, of course there's something worth watching. The landscape has shifted: a slick website and social used to seal the deal, but now people do their due diligence, so a podcast or a long YouTube video (which people will give 30 or 45 minutes to, in a way they won't for a long feed video) is where they really get to know you.
Match your PR to your brand
Here's where Mel and I completely align. She won't take a client until their website and social match the outcome they want, because if someone hears you on a podcast, loves you, and then finds a confused or mismatched brand, they'll go to the competitor who made it all clear and simple. Everything has to follow the same path. That's exactly what I say about branding: you need to show up the same everywhere, which is the whole point of brand strategy (and PR strategy).
It's the consistency work of Episode 3, and the kind of alignment a Brand Recipe gets clear so your visibility actually converts. Her practical starter: set a doable goal (say four podcasts next month), then get a pen and paper and mind-map who the real you is and how you want to show up, so you arrive prepared and yourself, not wooden.
Ask yourself this week
Are you showing up as the real you, or a version you think you're supposed to be?
Whose decisions have you been borrowing that don't actually fit you?
Does your website and social media match what you'd want a new listener to find?
About the guest
Melanie Whittaker is a PR consultant and the founder of You Are Your Marketing, helping coaches and service providers weave their personal story into their marketing and get featured on podcasts, in magazines and newspapers, and on digital TV. Find her at youareyourmarketing.com, on Instagram and Threads as @youareyourmarketing, and on Facebook and LinkedIn as Melanie Whittaker.
Related episodes
Ep 67: Why you're the USP, with Ellie Kime
Ep 24: How much personality should your brand have?
Ep 3: Is your branding all over the place? How to rein it in
Resources mentioned
Melanie Whittaker / You Are Your Marketing: youareyourmarketing.com and @youareyourmarketing
Brand Recipe – my 90-minute session to get your brand clear so your visibility converts
Come say hi on Instagram: @studiocoya
About the host
I'm Aiza, the brand chef behind Studio Coya, a branding studio with a food-themed twist. I help established coaches, creators and service providers brand their signature offers so their best work looks as good as it actually is, and sells like hotcakes.
