The good news? You have the chance to go on your local news program — or to be featured in a local publication — in the days before Valentine’s Day. The bad news: You have no idea what to say and you’re nervous.

Never fear. Every great interview starts with something anyone, even a busy business owner with no background in PR, can do, and that’s preparation.

“Preparation is the key to good media relations,” said Jennifer Sparks, the Society of American Florists’ vice president of marketing. “Spend a few minutes developing a media strategy before the mad rush of the holiday begins, and you’ll feel confident to respond should a reporter dial your number. Decide on three key points you most want to get across in an interview and develop a few messages for each.”

When drafting your messages, Sparks suggests that retailers pretend you are talking with a new customer. How would you convey the unique benefits of Valentine’s Day flowers and what your shop has to offer? Her examples include:

• Message: Flowers are the perfect Valentine’s Day gift.
  Talking Point: “Women want to receive flowers for Valentine’s Day – nothing says ‘I love you’ like a gift of flowers.”
• Message: Roses come in a wide array of popular colors.
  Talking Point:  “Our customers love the rainbow of rose colors to choose from – from the classic red to pink, peach, yellow, lavender, coral, orange – we’ve got them all.”
• Message: Valentine’s Day is not just for romance.
  Talking Point: “We’re receiving more and more requests for flowers for mothers, daughters, sisters and friends. Valentine’s Day has become a time to express a variety of sweet sentiments in addition to romantic ones.”

Sparks also recommends that retailers anticipate potential negative questions, such as about the “high cost” of roses, and develop answers on how to best respond.

“Practice your messages,” she said. “The best way to practice is to role play: Have a colleague pretend they are the reporter asking you questions. You’ll get a feel for how the interview may go and build your confidence as your practice your response.”

SAF has tons (and tons!) of holiday resources, including popular questions that reporters ask about the big day, information on how to navigate potentially tough interviews, tips on how to be a better spokesperson for your business and more.

Mary Westbrook is the editor in chief of Floral Management.