Melissa Wood Health: Just another cliche wellness guru?
Her rise from barmaid at New York’s night club scene to now being invited to lavish A-lister parties, prompted much interest around Melissa Wood’s journey to fame. It certainly began with meeting her husband Noah Tepperberg, known for his $5 million net worth as owner of many New York night clubs, as he gained her access to celebrity inner circles. However, more credit should be given to her well designed website and posting of valuable, meaningful content.
Just another unrealistic influencer or someone we can truly relate to?
Melissa’s choice to share daily struggles of life, often giving insights when her days do not go as planned or when life gets too much (something we can all definitely relate to), has enabled her to build a ‘down to earth’ identity on Instagram- a stark contrast to the likes of the Kardashians. Certainly, this sharing of candid moments, even something as minor as pictures showing her makeup- free face or videos of her singing at the top of her lungs whilst driving like a carefree teenage girl, allows her to foster a more intimate communication level with her audience. This enables many to see her as a friend and mentor, and thus making her audience more inclined to take her advice.
Her decision to share updates on her two young children, both their adorable moments and stereotypical ‘toddler tantrums’, further broadens her audience to older generations. Using her Instagram and YouTube she helps highlight the idea that yes you can be a mum, have a full-time job, go on nights out in 30’s and still prioritise your health, fitness and well-being. Essentially, this helps create a strong sense of a community amongst 1.1 million followers, as her realistic insights into her life appeal to a diverse audience.
Her consistent engagements with her audience, consisting of curating Instagram polls, interacting with individuals over Instagram lives and replying to comments meticulously, establishes her to possess a great sense of loyalty to her follower community. In doing so, this consistent follower engagement entices others to also follow her, since they know they will be heard by her.
A victim to chain brands like other health gurus?
Weight watchers, Headspace, Fitbit are all cliche brands consistently advertised by many health and well-being gurus, to the point where we probably know the exact calorie number a Weight Watchers cottage pie or curry has. This is what makes Melissa stand out in the industry, she has not fallen victim to corporate chain companies. Her decision to support small independent businesses, offering all-natural, vegan friendly products (often in non-sponsored ads) by tagging them in her Instagram stories and posts again reinforces her authentic nature- something which we know is hard to find in today’s media society.
Overall, Melissa’s sustainment of authentic, funny and relatable content through her consistent engagement with her audience, allows us to see how digital platforms can be leveraged to promote positive changes and build supportive communities.
