How Tulip Valley Farms Leveraged PR to Achieve 35% Growth While Competitors Lost 20-50%
Tulip Valley Farms is a family-owned tulip farm in Mount Vernon, Washington, and the only u-pick field featured in the famous Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. The farm is owned and operated by Andrew Miller, a color-blind tulip farmer with a unique vision, and his wife, Holly Miller, the farm’s Chief Color Officer. In 2024, Tulip Valley was named “World’s Most Scenic Tulip U-Pick Experience” by the World Tulip Society.
Client Background
Tulip Valley Farms had 3 main PR objectives:
Become Well-Known Tulip Farm Locally + Regionally
Differentiated as the Immersive Tulip Experience
Increased Foot Traffic and Website Traffic
Objectives
A key component of our strategy was early outreach, pitching reporters well in advance so they could include the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in their spring editorial calendars and travel roundups. This allowed Tulip Valley Farms to secure coverage ahead of competitors and reach audiences while vacation plans were still being made. From there, we prioritized local media and often-overlooked regional tourism boards, generating strong community engagement and highly targeted exposure that set the farm apart in a crowded seasonal market.
Strategy
XL PR started with early national outreach, securing placements in Travel + Leisure and The New York Times two months before the festival. We then turned to local media, crafting a fresh, standout angle, essential in a region where many reporters have covered the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival for years. The story was compelling enough to earn strong commitments for opening weekend coverage. As media relationships strengthened, we successfully pitched new story angles throughout the season, leading several outlets to feature Tulip Valley Farms multiple times. In just three months, this approach generated over 40 earned media placements directly tied to XL PR efforts, with additional coverage continuing to grow organically.
Execution
35% revenue growth, while competitors saw losses of 20–52%
Over 1,000 additional tickets sold compared to the previous year
Website traffic more than doubled, reflecting strong audience interest and engagement
40+ earned media placements in just 3 months, directly tied to XL PR efforts
Results
“Working with XL PR this season was a game-changer for Tulip Valley Farms. Their team delivered exceptional public relations support that truly elevated our brand and helped us stand out during the busy tulip festival season. From securing impressive media coverage to crafting compelling press releases and managing every detail with professionalism, XL PR exceeded our expectations at every turn.”
Client Endorsement
When international tariffs took effect at the start of the tulip festival (the farm’s only revenue-generating month of the year), it posed a serious threat. Yet, despite widespread Canadian boycotts that hurt the broader industry, Tulip Valley Farms achieved a 35% increase in revenue while neighboring farms saw losses ranging from 20–52%. Ticket sales grew by over 1,000 compared to the previous year, and website traffic more than doubled.
