Social media is the double-edged sword of cannabis marketing. Here are six ways to cut through the noise.
Social media is not the only option for cannabis marketing, but it is by far one of the most effective.
The competition: The FCC bans radio and TV ads for weed (for now), and those channels aren’t reaching the younger demographic anymore, anyway. Then you have search engine optimization (SEO), a long-term process that changes with every update to Google’s algorithm. Email marketing is also a powerful tool, but it requires community outreach, careful curation, and the deployment of dedicated writers, which many businesses simply aren’t prepared to execute.
All of these barriers make social media the best gateway for many cannabis brands to reach niche fans and mass audiences. Instagram and TikTok are the undisputed marketing channels for future generations: 60% and 70% of the audience on each respective platform is made up of 18-34 year olds. according to HootSuite.
Interestingly, audience demos on social media sometimes parallel the age distributions we see in the cannabis community. For example, Millennials currently constitute 60% of all cannabis usersand although Gen Z only makes up 12%, they are the fastest growing age group with more members reaching the legal age of purchase every day.
As social platforms continue to set the rules for modern marketing, it’s essential that cannabis brands navigate these spaces with grace. Here are six tips for lighting up the world’s most popular social media platforms as a cannabis marketer or influencer.
Understand the algorithm
The name of the game on Instagram and TikTok is discovery. The ability to discover new people, products, music and information is what has made both platforms ubiquitous over the past decade. The people behind these apps create algorithms that spit out new snippets of content tailored to viewers’ interests. That means your endless scrolling of cute cat videos is done. And that you can use the same algorithm to help people discover your cannabis (or catnip) content.
Over the past five years, Instagram’s algorithm has become a paid game, thanks to the platform’s robust advertising services. Now it’s hard to get your Instagram content seen without sponsorship. But if you’re willing to pay, it’s one of the most efficient ways to spend your advertising budget. Unfortunately, this is only an option if your brand or products can pass META’s strict ban on cannabis-themed accounts and content. Another problem: Content formats like Instagram photos aren’t gaining the traction they once did, as Instagram Reels are being pushed to compete with TikTok’s short-form video style. Instagram’s shift to reels and paid ads has allowed TikTok’s algorithm to gain traction. In the video editing app, users can achieve exponential growth in a matter of months or even weeks by strategically posting and tagging videos.
David Hawkesworth (@CampCanna on TikTok), an influential cannabis leader, who grew his TikTok following to 850,000 people after starting his page in January 2021. The feat is impressive considering TikTok’s harsh censorship of cannabis. But shortly after speaking with Hawkesworth, his account was deleted by the platform, forcing him to start from scratch.
“Essentially, you’re playing a game without knowing all the rules. Now, TikTok has a growing influx of older users that has made it harder for the platform to juggle content restrictions for niches like cannabis.”
David Hawkesworth (@CampCanna on TikTok)
Use algo-speak
Algo-speak is a new term for the specific language that creators use to avoid algorithm detection. Through trial and error, members of the cannabis community have learned best practices for circumventing restrictions, including clever abbreviations and jargon that can get around censors.
Hawkesworth highlighted the danger of posting on his @CampCanna account without intense self-censorship.
“Hashtags like ‘cannabis’ ‘weed’ ‘420’ ‘stoner’ are the equivalent of putting a target on your back that lumps you under illegal activity. TikTok forces creators to use slang and euphemisms urban to create their content that creates a clique of “You know if you know” fans.
David Hawkesworth, @Campcanna on TikTok
And your comments are not safe either. You’ll trigger the algorithm if you comment something like “Message me” or “Send me a message” because it’s programmed to identify spammers and lawyers. This practice is restrictive, but it protects the user experience and makes things feel organic. So don’t let any platform’s algorithm think you’re one of the many fake accounts claiming to have Cookies or Runtz for bass.
Little by little, you’ll notice certain hashtags or words getting past the censors. So while you can’t search for the word “weed” on TikTok, you can search for Budtender videos (for now). Over time, the algorithms are updated with new censored terms. But the community will adapt, and so will you.
Get creative (no weeds)
You shouldn’t even type the word “grass” on these platforms, so picturesque nug strokes are also off the table, for the most part. Instagram has traditionally been more accepting of flower photos in content though Sarah ElSayedA content and influencer manager at Ardent Cannabis, he’s learned that people can fill in the blanks if you provide symbolic substitutions for the word or flower.
ElSayed is best known for her DIY recipes, but she’s also found success creating viral content for Ardent’s TikTok. ElSayed mixes his cannabis content into more mainstream niches like astrology, food and music without explicitly referencing the plant. His advice: “Replace any images of cannabis with mullein or broccoli to avoid bans while trying to educate.”
For US CBD brand NotPot, it made sense to team up with Venice-based branding agency GRTR to launch the @NotPotDealer TikTok account @NotPotDealer’s first video alone generated over 2.3 million views and 560k likes without a single image of a nug, joint or bong.
“We equipped a few mystery figures with $5,000 to create crazy stunts like DIY painted skateboards and blowing up cars. The result was an intriguing viral hit.” – Charlie DePew, GRTR Head of Production.
Prepare to get banned – get a safe account
Preparing for the worst means always having a social backup account ready. Don’t jump at the chance to start a social cannabis account without also securing a backup page that you can switch to if your account gets canceled.
Even if an account is not removed, it can still be negatively ranked by the algorithm, commonly known as a shadow ban. This means your page won’t show up on discovery pages or search results unless a user knows exactly what page they’re looking for. For each new social media account, create a backup account that can passively grow in the background.
Have fun doing giveaways through your backup accounts, or even make a window (fake Instagram or recorder account) to share content that might not appear on the main page.
Earlier this year, @CampCanna dealt with a blocked account with 200,000 followers following an increase in mass flagging of bot accounts, but was lucky enough to win an appeal within a week. “It turns out that there is no protection against mass reports. If the platform receives enough notifications or numerous reports, the algorithm will close your account now and ask questions later. But you can file an appeal,” he explained.
After our interview, @CampCanna was banned, forcing him to move to the @WorldWideStonersClub page Hawkesworth’s loyal followers on the Discord platform helped alert his most committed fans to the move. And even as he awaits a possible appeal, his influence on the platform still shows clearly. Simply searching for the phrase “canna camp” on TikTok returns posts that have garnered more than 33 million views.
Runtz co-founder and Joke’s Up CEO Yung LB hit 220,000 followers Instagram account @YungLB_Litt suspended numerous times for promoting the plant on Instagram. Quickly switch to backup accounts com @official_YungLB, which only has an audience of 14,000 people. But while Instagram and TikTok have restored their primary accounts to him and other canna-influencers following the appeal, the appeals process is arbitrary and may be inaccessible without the help of representatives from each company
Invest in LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest
Don’t group all your posts into one platform. LinkedIn, Twitter, and Pinterest are relatively 420-friendly social media platforms worth investing time in. Even if they don’t do crazy numbers like Instagram and TikTok.
For B2B relationships and networking, LinkedIn is a safe haven for the cannabis community. But it doesn’t offer many opportunities to acquire new consumers and community members for marketers. You’ll also notice that many people are hesitant to engage with cannabis content on the professional platform. But that doesn’t mean they don’t see it.
Twitter and Pinterest each have their merits, but they are not based on discovery in the ways we described above. The best way to get a feel for these communities is to follow accounts that are similar to yours in some way, and then put your own spin on the strategies you see working for others.
Before you branch out, keep in mind that each marketing strategy must be tailored to the specific platform. This is not a one-post-fits-all scenario. So think about how TikTok and Twitter might react differently to the same content and adapt accordingly. Track what’s working and where, then keep tweaking along the way.
Using Instagram and Tiktok is being a guest who depends on their respective house rules. Make no mistake, these platforms actually own your account and the following you build around it.
The ultimate goal of content creators on these platforms is to obtain user data, such as emails and phone numbers, that can be used to reach fans outside of the app. These data points are the building block for newsletters, live event activations, and maintaining long-term communication with the public in the event of a banned social account.
Marketing on Instagram and TikTok is not an easy task these days. But the cannabis community has always had enough resources to thrive and shine despite the shadow of prohibition.
So get out that smartphone and take a look and get to work cracking the latest discovery algorithm. And remember, if you can market cannabis, you can market anything.
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