Blog > Team Spotlight > Getting social, with social media expert Melanie Richtman

Getting social, with social media expert Melanie Richtman

Team Orso in Team Spotlight
5 min read • 2d ago

For many businesses, social media can feel like the Wild West of marketing. It can be incredibly effective, but also frustrating and time consuming. There are so many platforms, formats, and ways to engage that having a skilled guide can make or break your strategy.

That’s where Melanie Richtman comes in for so many of Orso’s clients. As Director of Social Media, she does everything from helping clients craft the perfect social strategy to creating click-worthy, shareable content to showcase their brand.

Tell us about you!

Well, I live on my own in Savannah, GA and just moved into my first house. As in, I’m still surrounded by boxes as we speak.

I was born in Canada and my family moved a few times before landing in Savannah in 2005. Of course, I was a bratty teen at the time so I didn’t love it and left for Minnesota, then Chicago. But things change! Once I got my fill of the cold I moved back here and it’s been great!

How did you wind up a social media professional?

I was one of those lucky people who started college with a pretty strong sense of what I wanted to do. I majored in PR with minors in anthropology and fashion, and every internship I held involved social media. At that time it was just, “Oh you’re the young person, you do it,” so I fell into social kind of by accident. It makes so much sense for me, though! I like to be creative and scrappy and it has so many elements of PR work like communication and, for lack of a better word, spin.

How did you start with Orso

Years ago, I worked at the same PR agency as Carly (Orso’s Director of PR). More recently, I was introduced to Vince by Carly because one of Orso’s clients was looking for additional support in building a social strategy so I stepped in to help out. Then, another client lost their in-house social media manager and I subbed in for a few months. Now I’m all in, supporting both our client side and working to build out Orso’s own social media strategy moving forward.

What do you enjoy about your work?

I think what I love the most is how it combines strategic, analytical work with creative, hands-on work. You have to build a plan, discern who you’re targeting, and engage with their content, too. I think this is where my anthropology background has been so helpful. I loved anthropology and would have majored in it in college if I thought it were a viable career path for me. 

It’s also fun for me to create the assets that go along with posts. Not all social media strategists manage the actual content creation for their clients. That’s totally fine, but I’ve always enjoyed the content creation part, like coming up with video ideas and doing shoots.

What are your top tips for companies trying to improve their social game?

Play around with formats! Try videos, try carousel posts, try single photo posts. Things are always changing so keep experimenting. Like, TikTok is kind of the video platform, right? But right now, carousels have been performing really well on TikTok. So you have to try all kinds of things to see what works with your audience. 

Another tip: proactively engage with the audience you want following you. Follow similar accounts and the people you want to see your content. Engage with relevant influencers and accounts. Engage with content where you are and where your audience is.

And a big one I always advise my clients is to have fun with it! Don’t take it so seriously. Sometimes your top content is going to be a selfie video that took you 30 seconds to record. If a post flops, it disappears. It’s not a big deal. Keep moving, keep trying, and just have fun.

What’s your favorite platform?

TikTok. That’s my favorite for two reasons. First, on a personal level, it’s the most fun. You can kill a lot of time there and the algorithm is so good. It’s basically too good. Second, as a professional, I like TikTok because it’s the only platform where you expect to see content from accounts you don’t know. New-to-you accounts are the majority of the “For you” suggestions. On sites like Instagram, it can kind of annoy users to have new accounts pushed on them. But on TikTok the expectation is that everything is from someone new. People are primed to give new accounts a chance, which gives brands the opportunity to get in front of people in a non-interruptive way.

Let’s talk about life outside of work – what do you do?

I like to spend time outside, kayaking, on the beach, hanging on a patio. I also love beach volleyball but I tore my ACL so it’s been a while since I’ve played.

I’m close with my family. I’m the oldest of five girls which, eldest sister syndrome anyone? I don’t really mind it though. I like all of these qualities about myself that maybe wouldn’t have developed if I were one of the younger siblings: caring, nurturing, responsible, and independent. I was very self-sufficient as a kid because I had to be. I also love hanging with my sweet, 20-month-old niece.

And, fun fact, I’ll be working from Spain in October! It’s one of those awesome benefits of remote work. So I’m going to go practice my Spanish, get to know Barcelona, and see what I can learn from the culture there.


Time for the hotseat…

  • Best city you’ve ever traveled to? Oh, this is a tough one. There are a ton of cities I love, but I’ll say Medellin, Colombia.
  • Dad jokes or internet memes? Internet memes, for sure.
  • Last movie you watched – Miss Congeniality, lol.
  • Ice cream cone or ice cream sundae? – Ice cream sundae, preferably one with hot fudge and hot caramel.

If you’re looking for expert guidance through the wild waters of social media (or want to practice your Spanish with a fellow learner) reach out! We love helping our clients expand their presence on social media.