About
Tell Mel is a unique AI memoir and oral history service designed to capture and preserve the life stories of elderly family members through weekly phone interviews. An AI named Mel calls your loved one each week, engaging them in warm, guided conversations that naturally draw out precious memories, personal history, and wisdom. After each call, the recorded stories are transformed into professionally ghostwritten memoir chapters delivered directly to your family. The service is remarkably accessible — there are no apps to download, no typing required, and no technical skills needed. Your elderly parent or grandparent simply answers the phone and talks naturally with Mel. During a brief onboarding call, family members work with Mel to create a personalized list of questions tailored to their loved one's life experiences. Tell Mel supports storytelling in 10 languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Hindi, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, Italian, and Dutch — making it ideal for multilingual and immigrant families. The resulting memoir chapters can be shared, read, and cherished by the whole family, creating a lasting legacy for future generations. Compared to alternatives like StoryWorth and Remento, Tell Mel stands out by actively conducting the interviews itself — no written prompts or effort required from family members. Gift cards are available, making it a perfect present for birthdays, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and other special occasions.
Key Features
- Weekly AI Phone Interviews: Mel, an AI interviewer, calls your elderly loved one weekly for warm, guided conversations that naturally surface life stories and memories.
- Professionally Ghostwritten Memoir Chapters: After each call, the stories are crafted into polished, publication-quality memoir chapters and delivered to your family.
- Multilingual Support: Supports storytelling in 10 languages including Spanish, French, Hindi, Japanese, Portuguese, and more — ideal for diverse and multilingual families.
- Personalized Onboarding: Family members collaborate with Mel in a short setup call to create a custom question list tailored to their loved one's unique life and experiences.
- No Tech Skills Required: The entire experience works over a standard phone call — no apps, no internet, no devices beyond a telephone needed by the storyteller.
Use Cases
- Preserving the life story of an aging parent or grandparent before memories fade or are lost.
- Gifting a meaningful, lasting legacy project for a milestone birthday, Mother's Day, or Father's Day.
- Capturing family immigration history and cultural heritage in the storyteller's native language.
- Creating a multi-chapter family memoir to share with children, grandchildren, and future generations.
- Connecting with elderly relatives who are not comfortable with smartphones or modern technology.
Pros
- Completely hands-off for elderly participants: Loved ones only need to answer the phone — Mel handles the conversation, making it accessible even for the least tech-savvy family members.
- Broad multilingual support: With 10 supported languages, Tell Mel can capture stories from immigrant families or non-English-speaking relatives in their native tongue.
- Ready-to-share memoir output: Professionally ghostwritten chapters are delivered weekly, so families immediately have a polished, shareable keepsake without any editing effort.
- Meaningful gift option: Gift cards make it easy to give as a birthday, Mother's Day, or Father's Day present — a deeply personal and lasting legacy gift.
Cons
- Paid-only service: There is no free tier or trial mentioned, which may be a barrier for families wanting to test the service before committing.
- Requires loved one's willingness to participate: The service depends on the elderly family member being comfortable receiving and engaging in weekly phone calls with an AI.
- No self-directed interview option: Families who want to conduct or customize their own interviews have limited control over the conversation flow beyond the initial question setup.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Tell Mel work?
After signing up, Mel calls you for a short onboarding session to learn about your loved one. Then Mel calls your elderly family member weekly, conducts a guided interview, and transforms the recorded stories into professionally ghostwritten memoir chapters delivered to your family.
Does my parent need to be tech-savvy to use Tell Mel?
Not at all. Your loved one simply needs to answer their regular telephone. There are no apps to install, no internet required, and no typing involved.
What languages does Tell Mel support?
Tell Mel currently supports English, Spanish, French, German, Hindi, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, Italian, and Dutch.
How often are memoir chapters delivered?
A new memoir chapter is delivered after each weekly phone call, so your family receives fresh stories and memories on a regular basis.
Can Tell Mel be given as a gift?
Yes — Tell Mel offers gift cards, making it a thoughtful and unique present for birthdays, Mother's Day, Father's Day, or any occasion where you want to honor an elderly loved one's life story.
