Melanie was a financial journalist for ten years, working on The European, Sporting Life and the Times before editing the personal finance section of the Independent on Sunday, which she did for five years. During this time she also wrote several books on property and finance: Renting Out Your Property for Dummies, Buying and Selling a Home for Dummies, Buying a Home on a Budget for Dummies and Sorting Out Your Finances for Dummies.
Moving into PR, she joined Savills Private Finance (now SPF Private Clients) as head of media relations. While at Savills, she won Press Spokesperson of the Year in 2007 and 2008 at the British Mortgage Awards, and Headline Money Best Mortgage PR in 2009. She also established herself as an independent industry commentator with a significant profile, appearing on BBC Breakfast, Newsnight, BBC News at Ten, BBC News at Six, Channel 4 News, ITN News, BBC Radio 1, The Jeremy Vine Show, BBC Radio 4 - Today, Money Box and You and Yours, BBC Radio London, Sky News and the Jeff Randall Show.