Snail of Approval ONBOARDING GUIDE
SHARE THE SNAIL OF APPROVAL STORY WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
Support your local Snail of Approval businesses and strengthen the national program by engaging your digital audiences through social media and email blasts. Find information about our two-phase plan to expand the Snail of Approval program below.
DIGITAL MARKETING TOOLS
ABOUT SNAIL OF APPROVAL
Key takeaways
- Focus on four key elements:
- Defining the Snail of Approval program and your chapter’s role
- Introducing some or all of the inaugural businesses in your area
- Directing people to the interactive map to find other area awardees
- Gather suggestions of Snail of Approval-worthy businesses from your audience
- Incorporate the newsletter language in to your next newsletter
- Have ideas or questions? Email SFUSA Director of Communications Brian Solem here.
graphics
Official Snail of Approval ribbon
This is the only representation of the Snail of Approval that we encourage you to use to share your great news. Please do not alter the shape, dimensions, text or color of this graphic. Email comms@slowfoodusa.org with any questions about use.
Instagram Stories template (Canva)
Twitter/Facebook
- Share this link in a Facebook post on your Page: https://slowfoodusa.org/snail-of-approval/
When you paste the link into a Facebook draft, a preview image should pop up. - Sample Facebook content for announcing Snail of Approval expanding to your chapter:
We’re excited to announce that *your Slow Food chapter name* is bringing Slow Food’s international Snail of Approval program to *your city/region*! Now, local businesses that are 🐌snailing it🐌 and working to make good, clean and fair food for all can receive the Snail of Approval. This powerful award helps bring attention to amazing food businesses that are excelling in two or more of these areas: sourcing, environmental impact, cultural connection, community involvement, staff support, and/or business values.
Meet our first Snail of Approval recipients and stop in to support them: *insert tagged business names here* Find out how they earned their Snails of Approval on @SlowFoodUSA’s interactive map below!
Are we missing a business that deserves the Snail of Approval? Tag them in the comments below and we’ll be in touch!
#snailofapproval
#slowfoodusa
#goodcleanfair
*insert any other hashtags you use with your posts*
3. Post and monitor the comments in case your followers suggest any Snail of Approval-worthy businesses!
- Share any of the images labeled Instagram above, or feel free to create your own image incorporating the Snail of Approval ribbon found at the top of this guide. You could even create a multi-image post with a few photos from awarded businesses if you’d like; just make sure to start the series with one of the Snail of Approval ribbon image.
- Sample Instagram caption content for announcing Snail of Approval expanding to your chapter:
We’re excited to announce that *your Slow Food chapter name* is bringing Slow Food’s international Snail of Approval program to *your city/region*! Now, local businesses that are 🐌snailing it🐌 and working to make good, clean and fair food for all can receive the Snail of Approval. This powerful award helps bring attention to amazing food businesses that are excelling in two or more of these areas: sourcing, environmental impact, cultural connection, community involvement, staff support, and/or business values.
Meet our first Snail of Approval recipients and stop in to support them: *insert tagged business names here* Find out how they earned their Snails of Approval on @SlowFoodUSA’s interactive map below at the link in bio. [Don’t use linkin.bio? You can drop the URL in your post!]
Are we missing a business that deserves the Snail of Approval? Tag them in the comments below and we’ll be in touch!
#snailofapproval
#slowfoodusa
#goodcleanfair
*insert any other hashtags you use with your posts*
3. Post and monitor the comments in case your followers suggest any Snail of Approval-worthy businesses!
4. Share the post to your Stories within 24 hours to grab the attention of your audience members who focus more on that feature in Instagram.
- Sample tweet:
We’re bringing the international Snail of Approval program to *your city/region*! Now, local businesses that are working to make #goodcleanfair food for all can receive the #snailofapproval. Find and support local businesses on @SlowFoodUSA’s map: slowfoodusa.org/snail-of-approval
2. Feel free to incorporate any of the images above labeled Twitter with your tweet.
3. You could also reply to this tweet with the names/Twitter handles of the businesses that are part of your initial round of awards, and/or a call to your audience to suggest businesses that are potential candidates for a Snail of Approval:
Are we missing a business that deserves the Snail of Approval? Tag them in the comments below and we’ll be in touch! #snailofapproval
newsletter/email blast
Add this content to your next newsletter or send a dedicated email with this content!
We’re excited to announce that *your Slow Food chapter name* is bringing Slow Food’s international Snail of Approval program to *your city/region*! Now, local businesses that are 🐌snailing it🐌 and working to make good, clean and fair food for all can receive the Snail of Approval. This powerful award helps bring attention to amazing food businesses that are excelling in two or more of these areas: sourcing, environmental impact, cultural connection, community involvement, staff support, and/or business values.
Meet our first Snail of Approval recipients and stop in to support them: *list business names here and link each name to its website* Find out how they earned their Snails of Approval on Slow Food USA’s interactive map.
Are we missing a business that deserves the Snail of Approval? Reply to this email to let us know!
Feel free to use any of the images above for your newsletter regardless of their label — whatever fits best in your newsletter layout!
press release for media contacts
If you have relationships with food, community or culture reporters in your area, reach out to them to let them know about the launch of the Snail of Approval program in your area.
- Consider connecting an interested reporter to a business that you have awarded the Snail of Approval to, so they can get multiple angles of the story
- Here’s a template for a press release you can send to reporters. Just copy this text, paste it into an email or new document, and edit the highlighted areas with your information. Then, send it away to reporters (either paste the final press release into an email, or create a PDF and attach it to an email)!
- If you haven’t focused on media relations as a chapter yet, think about reaching out to just one reporter in your area you’d like to make contact with. Start small — even if they don’t pick up this story, it could be the start of a helpful relationship between the reporter and your Slow Food chapter.
highlighting snail of approval businesses
Key takeaways
- Tell the story of the people, the food, the place, and what qualified them for the Snail of Approval award.
- Link back to the interactive map in each post so your audience can see all of the Snail of Approval awardees in your area.
- Decide how often you want to celebrate a Snail of Approval winner — every two weeks? Every month? Do you want to designate a day for doing this each week (“Snail Sundays,” for example)? Base this on what’s realistic for your team.
- Let the business know when you’ll be celebrating them on social and share the post(s) with them! That way they know that they can reshare, like, and comment on your content.
photos
- Take four types of photos in awarded businesses: the people, the food, the place, the sticker (the Snail of Approval sticker, to familiarize people with the Snail of Approval brand).
- Take photos of the award recipient holding the sticker, and also take a photo of the sticker in/on the actual place.
- Here are some examples of great photos that celebrate a business and the people behind it. Get inspired!
- It’s really important to get permission from people who appear in photos you take. Please ask, “Can I take your photo and share it on our social media channels?” before snapping away.
facebook, instagram, twitter
- Upload a few photos of the Snail of Approval-awarded business to a post.
- Feel free to use this language below as the start of a post celebrating an awardee:
Join us in celebrating Snail of Approval winner *@name of business*, which earned this international recognition by being committed to *reason business received Snail of Approval*!
- Other things to add to the post include:
- A quote from the owner or a leading force behind the business
- Something special about the goods they offer — maybe highlight one key item on their menu or in their shop and tell its story
- A link to their website
- A direct ask to your audience to visit the business and show their support
- A link to learn more about the Snail of Approval program and find other Snail of Approval awardees
- Focus on one Snail of Approval awardee per post; that way, each business gets your audience’s full attention for a full post!
email blast
- Consider featuring a Snail of Approval awardee in each newsletter you send to your chapter. Perhaps you can have a recurring section in your newsletter with a clever name!
- Follow the instructions above to create that section in your newsletter spotlighting a local business. Include one or more photos in your newsletter.
blog posts
- If your chapter’s website has a blog section, consider creating a series about Snail of Approval awardees!
- Check out Slow Food Sonoma County’s blog devoted to Snail of Approval recipients for inspiration.
- Reach out to Brian if you have questions about how to tailor your blog posts to tell our awardees’ stories.