The legal cannabis industry, including products with CBD and hemp, has been growing a lot in recent years. As more countries legalize marijuana and public opinions change, there is a big opportunity for marketers and business owners to promote these products.
However, advertising CBD and cannabis-related products comes with a lot of challenges, especially on major ad platforms like Facebook and Google. These platforms have strict policies about what kind of ads they will allow.
In this article, we'll look at strategies and examples for how to legally and effectively advertise CBD products on Facebook and Google Ads. We'll cover the legal situation, the policy details, best practices for ad creative, and a case study from Nick Shackleford an experienced media buyer who also owns a CBD drink brand called Brez.
So if you're interested in learning how Facebook and Google ads work in the CBD market, read this article all the way through.
Understanding the legal environment
Before we get into the tactics, it's critical to understand the legal environment around cannabis, marijuana, hemp and CBD. While still illegal federally, many U.S. states have legalized marijuana for medical and/or recreational use. The 2018 Farm Bill was a major law that legalized hemp, which is defined as cannabis with less than 0.3% THC content.
This bill opened the doors for the legal production, sale, and marketing of hemp-derived CBD products. CBD products derived from hemp are now legal at the federal level, while marijuana-derived CBD products are only legal in certain states. Knowing this difference is very important as it sets the stage for what can and can't be advertised on platforms like Facebook and Google that have to comply with federal law.
Facebook and Google advertising policies for CBD
Both Facebook and Google have specific policies related to CBD and hemp products that advertisers need to be very familiar with. Here are the key takeaways:
Facebook
Facebook allows ads for hemp-derived topical CBD products, but prohibits ads for ingestible hemp and all marijuana products. CBD products can only be promoted with ads leading to landing pages featuring the topical products. The ads and landing pages cannot feature or mention ingestible products.
Other key restrictions:
- No health or medical claims
- Target only 18+
- No before-and-after images
- No featuring or mentioning of recreational drugs
- Proper labelling of CBD and hemp products
Google
Google classifies CBD products under their "Unapproved Pharmaceuticals and Supplements" policy. Their official policy is that they do not allow ads for CBD products at this time. However, some advertisers have found ways to compliantly advertise hemp-derived products without explicitly mentioning CBD.
Best practices and examples for CBD Ads
Now that we understand the high-level policies, let's look at some best practices and real examples of CBD advertising on Facebook and Google.
- Educational content first
One of the most important things for staying compliant, especially on Facebook, is leading with educational content before mentioning products. The ad and initial landing page should focus on providing information rather than pushing product sales.
For example, an ad could use copy like "Learn about the potential benefits of hemp for stress relief" and lead to an article or blog post. Only after navigating through the educational content can the user click through to a product page. The 2-click rule (ad -> content -> products) is a best practice for staying compliant.
- Focus on hemp and exclude CBD mentions
Another good tactic, especially for Google Ads, is to focus on advertising hemp products without explicitly mentioning CBD. Use terminology like "hemp extract", "hemp oils", etc. You want to avoid triggering any red flags in the ad or landing page copy.
The brand WYLD has run ads on Facebook very successfully using language like "Hemp for sleep and relaxation" and imagery focusing on their hemp gummies. The initial landing page provides educational content about hemp extract, and only several clicks later gets into the specific products.
- Avoid health claims and target users who are 18+
In your ad copy and landing pages, avoid making any specific health claims or promises. Use softer language like "may support", "could promote", "helps with", rather than definitive claims. You also want to make sure your ads are targeted only to people 18 or older. Also ensure that it is also indicated on your landing page.
- Leverage influencers and customer testimonials
Using customer testimonials and influencer-created content in your ad creative can be very powerful. It provides social proof while keeping your brand at arm's length from any claims.
The brand Rose LA has leveraged influencer video content talking about their experiences with CBD products to drive traffic and sales. They'll run Facebook ads with this content leading to their website which has more information and the products for sale.
- Create separate CBD-focused landing pages
For Facebook Ads in particular, you'll want to create separate landing pages that are specifically designed for CBD advertising. These should be purely educational and informational, without many mentions of CBD. You can then retarget people who visit these pages later with ads for your products.
Many brands use the URL format of “learn.brandname.com” for their educational landing pages.
The key is to use tracking pixels to build retargeting audiences based on the compliant landing page traffic. You can show these users more direct response ads focused on driving product sales. The ad account for retargeting can be separate from the account driving traffic to the educational content.
Successful CBD Ad Campaign Case Studies
Next, let's look at a few interesting case studies of brands profitably advertising CBD products on Facebook and Google.
Brez Mood
This US brand co-founded by Nick Shackleford was launched in 2022 selling microdosed cannabis drinks. Since Facebook and Google don't allow ads for marijuana products, Breeze focused their advertising solely on their hemp-derived CBD drinks.
They created ads with messaging around "A new way to unwind" and "Relax into your evening with hemp". The ads click through to long-form article pages about the benefits of hemp extract. The product is only introduced after a user navigates through the content.
Through this funnel, Breeze has scaled to over $1M in sales profitably on Facebook Ads in just a few months. They target lookalike audiences based on their pixel data.
Sunday Scaries
Sunday Scaries is a popular CBD gummies brand focused on relieving stress and anxiety. They've built a strong community on Instagram and email but also leverage paid ads.
For Facebook, they run ads to blog content around managing stress and anxiety naturally. The articles subtly introduce their CBD gummy products. They also heavily leverage customer testimonials and user-generated content.
On Google, they focus on search ads for keywords like "hemp gummies for anxiety" that direct to targeted landing pages. By avoiding CBD keywords and focusing on intent-based hemp searches, they can drive efficient direct sales.
Elevate Hemp
This CBD Vape brand has grown exponentially on Snapchat ads targeted towards a GenZ and Millennial audience. Their ad creative is very focused on the product and experience.
Since Snapchat is more lenient with vape and ingestible products, Elevate is able to directly feature their disposable CBD vape pens in the ad creative. The ads drive to a direct response sales page.
Through constantly iterating on ad creative and audience targeting, Elevate has achieved a 5X return on ad spend on Snapchat consistently. This shows the power of finding the right audience alignment.
Conclusion
Advertising CBD products on Facebook and Google comes with its challenges but is very possible with the right strategies. The keys are understanding the policies, leading with educational content, focusing on hemp terminology, leveraging social proof, and setting up compliant funnels.
As the legal environment changes, we expect the opportunities for cannabis and CBD advertising to continue expanding. The brands that establish a strong foothold now with effective advertising will have a massive advantage.
Hopefully this guide gives you the foundations for creating profitable and compliant CBD marketing campaigns. Remember to always stay up-to-date on the latest policies, get creative with your angles, and focus on providing value to your target audience. Here's to your success in this exciting industry!
