Petal It Forward has bloomed into a beloved annual event thanks to the hundreds of floral businesses that participate each year — and the Society of American Florists’ resources that make it easy to prepare and participate.
“It’s our favorite day of the year,” says Rosa Marsal, of Sunnywoods Florist in Chatham, New Jersey, of SAF’s global initiative to pay it forward by giving away two bouquets — one for the recipient to keep and one to give away. “The community loves it too!”
Here are three things to do in the two weeks until the Oct. 16 event to ensure your event captures valuable media (and social media) attention, builds community goodwill, and touts the benefits of fresh cut flowers.
Haven’t registered yet? There is still time to participate. Check out the ways in which businesses have customized Petal It Forward to hold an event big or small.
- Contact the Media
Local media love a feel-good story that also captures the spirit of the community. Stick to the talking points from SAF about how flowers spread joy, or go deeper and play into something unique. Is your family-owned business celebrating a milestone? Are students getting involved? Have you partnered with a nonprofit, business, or organization as part of the day? Understanding how Petal It Forward might fit into the stories within your community may help persuade journalists to devote more time to the story.
Now is the perfect time to pitch the story to local radio, television news, and print media. Floral businesses that have had success getting media attention recommend using SAF’s templates to send a media advisory and press release to the general news outlets inbox . It also helps to find the public social media account of a morning news anchor or journalist and message or tag them in your posts. Some florists even recommend sending bouquets with their media advisories as an added attention grabber.
Don’t wait until the last minute. While some media could show up without a head’s up, it’s always better to help them plan ahead. Give them the story by providing details on when and where to show up, and who they should speak to when they arrive.
- Coordinate with the Community
Katie Burbank, co-owner of Ridgefield Floral & Gifts in Ridgefield, Washington, finds joy in walking around her downtown community passing out bouquets. It’s something she does methodically throughout the day of Petal It Forward, visiting other businesses and spreading joy among unsuspecting recipients.
“It’s an all-day event for me,” she says. “I do it every year and it’s something I look forward to.”
Whether you plan to visit a downtown hub, work with a coffee shop, or handout stems from your storefront, make sure to keep the community in mind when fine-tuning the logistics for the day.
If the event could slow traffic, let the police know. If you plan to distribute at a school, coordinate with the principal or other officials. Similarly, talk with restaurants, cafes, and shops you want to work with. Karen Young of Country Flowers and Gifts in Emory, Texas, coordinates with the local schools to hand out flowers during the early morning drop off lines. She also recruits the high school student council to pass out the bouquets.
“I talk to the principals every year. They find it really valuable,” Young says. “They love it as much as I do.”
- Prep a Social Media Plan
If it’s not on social media, did it even happen? Prepare to share your joy and excitement in the moment but also in the lead-up to the event.
Pictures of bouquets ready to be handed out, samples of accompanying messaging and even notes about distribution times and locations are all easily pre-written and scheduled for posting. SAF has social graphics and messaging to help save you time.
Past Petal It Forward participants also recommend tasking someone (volunteer or employee) with maintaining the social media feed the day of, hiring a photographer to capture the day, and working with community partners to cross-promote on social. Last year, Oil City Floral Design in Oil City, Pennsylvania, decided to distribute at a local coffee shop. In addition to finding a good location that draws a morning crowd, the store helped promote the giveaway.
Additionally, florists can search social media for others’ pictures and posts of your event. Like them, and reshare. Or, create a collection of what you find. On Instagram, make a highlight of the event. Facebook users can make a photo album.
And don’t forget to hashtag your posts #PetalItForward.
Looking for more Petal It Forward resources? Click here for more information.
Sarah Sampson is a contributing writer for the Society of American Florists.
