“ I’ ve done a lot of things that didn’ t make me money, but gave me connections. Nothing hurt me but lost time.”
about her clients.“ It’ s so much easier to give the extra energy to people with shared energy and vision,” she said.“ I have turned down work that I don’ t want to be associated with.”
Thirty-six years after attending her first GWA meeting, Myers’ career is in full bloom. Her good cheer, expertise, and experience lead her to more opportunities. Between galloping around the country to make presentations, recording TV and radio spots, as well as gardening programs for The Great Courses, she leads garden tours and writes books.“ I don’ t mind writing, but it can be grueling,” she said.“ I do like having the book to sign.”
Melinda also finds time to garden at home with her partner Pete, grown daughter, and two lively grandchildren, Maya, 9, and Sammy, 6, as she teaches the next generation why getting their hands in the soil is so important.“ If everyone gardened, think how much better the world would be!” she said.
That really is the objective.
Deb Wiley is a freelance writer, editor and photographer from Des Moines, Iowa.
Becoming a Brand
Melinda Myers is both a person and a brand.“ It can be difficult to brag about what we do, but looking at the brand and the team and what we accomplish makes it a bit easier,” she said. Building that brand took time and savvy.“ As a result of listening to others talk about their followers and contacts, I realized I needed to share this info with current and potential sponsors and others.”
Here are a few of Melinda Myers’ brand reach statistics for 2016:
• Print: Garden columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine, circulation 4.8 million. Producer of nationally syndicated newspaper and magazine gardening articles to American media outlets. Garden columnist for Sunday Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, circulation 300,000. Contributor to two Midwest regional State-by-State Gardening magazines, total circulation 46,586.
• TV & video:“ Melinda’ s Garden Moment” airs on 46 TV television stations in 23 states. Selected by The Great Courses, one of the largest DVD and online course distributors in the world, to host the“ How to Grow Anything” DVD series.
• Radio:“ Melinda’ s Garden Moment for Radio” is aired on 72 radio stations in 30 states, and one in Canada.
• Media interviews: Expert for national print and online media outlets. TV and radio interviews in markets where Melinda speaks. Regular appearances as a guest expert on local, regional and national garden radio programs.
• Gardening books: Author of more than 20 gardening books.
• Website: melindamyers. com marked 245,120 unique visitors between April 28, 2015 and April 27, 2016.
• YouTube: 430,959 total views on three channels of videos written or produced by Melinda.
• Spokesperson: Regular exposure via TV / radio commercials, print ads, online videos and websites as spokesperson for national, regional and local corporate partners.
• Event Appearances: Approximately 75 to 100 keynote presentations each year, reaching some 10,000 gardeners.
Above: GWA members photographed a butterfly exhibit during the Region VI meeting at Tucson Botanical Garden, which sponsored the gathering. The New York Botanical Garden’ s exhibit“ Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life” was open during the March meeting and continues through May. Right: Co-authors Karen Chapman( left) and Christina Salwitz signed their book Gardening with Foliage First at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show in Seattle in February.
PHOTO COURTESY JACQUELINE SOULE
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