Facebook has historically had very restrictive policies around advertising cannabis-derived products like CBD on their platform. However, after the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp cultivation and CBD production from hemp, Facebook’s rules have slowly relaxed to allow some forms of CBD marketing.
It’s still extremely challenging for CBD companies to get their Facebook ads approved, even when following the stated policies to the letter. But it’s not impossible with the right strategy, targeted ad creative, and a good dose of patience.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything CBD brands need to know about advertising on Facebook in 2023, including:
- Facebook’s current policies on marketing CBD products
- The LegitScript certification required for CBD advertisers
- How to create compliant ads and landing pages that avoid rejections
- Tips and best practices to improve your chances of getting CBD ads approved on Facebook
- Alternative marketing channels if Facebook just won’t approve your ads
If you want to leverage Facebook’s huge audience to promote your CBD brand, keep reading to learn how to effectively (and legally) advertise CBD products on Facebook.
Facebook’s Evolving Stance on CBD Advertising
To understand Facebook’s current CBD ad policies, let’s look at the key points straight from their Business Help Center:
- Ads cannot promote ingestible CBD products directly or link to sales pages selling them. This includes any product meant to be eaten, smoked, vaped, or otherwise ingested (oils, edibles, capsules etc.)
- Ads can promote topical CBD products meant to be used on skin, hair, nails etc. as well as hemp products not containing CBD.
- Ads cannot make express medical claims about CBD’s effects or abilities to treat specific conditions.
- Advertisers must comply with all applicable laws and regulations surrounding CBD.
- CBD advertisers must get certification through LegitScript to be eligible to run ads.
Beyond the published policies, it’s important to understand that Facebook’s enforcement is notoriously inconsistent. They reject many ads that seem to follow the rules, while occasional non-compliant ads get through too. Moderators can override rejections, but rulings vary person to person.
In other words, approval is never guaranteed on Facebook, even if you dot every “i” and cross every “t” in their policies. It often requires repeated tries and a good dose of patience. But with the right strategy, CBD advertisers can get their foot in the door.
Getting LegitScript Certification for CBD Products
To be eligible to advertise CBD on Facebook at all, you must first get certification from LegitScript. This organization audits CBD companies to ensure their business and products comply with all applicable regulations.
The LegitScript certification process involves:
- Submitting your label information, licensing, and credentials for review
- Providing samples of your CBD products for independent lab testing
- An inspection of your website content, payment processing, etc. to verify you aren’t selling illegal products
- Ongoing monitoring, audits, and re-testing to maintain certification
Getting certified by LegitScript isn’t cheap – it costs around $2,000 initially and $1,000 per year to renew. The approval process can also take several weeks.
However, this upfront time and monetary investment significantly improves your chances of being allowed to advertise CBD on Facebook later on. It’s not required for other channels like Google or programmatic ads, but Facebook specifically mandates it.
Once you’ve completed the steps to earn LegitScript certification, you’ll receive a badge for your website and credentials to confirm your compliant CBD business status when applying to run Facebook ads.
Crafting Compliant CBD Ad Creative
Assuming you’ve earned your LegitScript certification, the next step is actually creating compliant ad creative and landing pages that avoid triggering any red flags in Facebook’s review process.
Here are some best practices for making Facebook ads and landing pages for CBD products that adhere to their stated policies:
- Avoid references to ingestible CBD products. Don’t mention CBD oils, gummies, capsules, etc. Focus any product claims or images on topicals.
- Make sure your landing page doesn’t link out to products disallowed under Facebook’s policies. Have a separate page just for advertising purposes.
- Don’t use images of cannabis leaves, plants, smoke, or other paraphernalia-type images. Stick to neutral product photos and stock images.
- Don’t make any specific medical claims or say that CBD can treat or cure any condition. Don’t say “relief”, “heal”, “remedy” etc.
- Use age targeting of 18+ to exclude minors. Facebook prohibits promoting controlled substances to minors even if it’s legal CBD.
- Be selective with vocabulary – avoid unregulated terms like “CBD supplements” or “nutraceuticals” that may seem medical. Stick to cosmetics, creams, lotions wording.
Having compliant ad creative still doesn’t guarantee approval, but it avoids some common pitfalls that lead to outright rejection. Here are a few examples of Facebook ads and landing pages from reputable CBD brands that adhere to these guidelines:
[Insert examples of Facebook ad mockups and landing pages focused on topicals/hemp, age-gated 18+, neutral images, no medical claims]
Tips to Finally Get Your CBD Ads Approved
Even if you follow every recommendation to the letter, getting CBD ads approved on Facebook often takes multiple attempts and lots of patience. Rejection is commonplace, and inconsistent rulings are the norm.
Here are some tips to help improve your chances of getting over Facebook’s high CBD advertising hurdles:
- Consider working with an agency experienced in Facebook CBD advertising – they can carefully navigate the nuances.
- Expect the first few ad tries to get rejected, and be ready to persistently edit and appeal if needed.
- Start with a small ad budget until you get approval before scaling up spend. Lower initial budgets seem to pass more easily.
- Don’t take rejection personally or as a judgement of your company. Moderators have to follow complex and evolving rules.
- If rejected, politely request an official manual review – human moderators can sometimes override bots.
- Study the creative and landing pages of other brands already advertising CBD on Facebook for ideas.
While approval ultimately depends on Facebook’s decision, following the compliance steps and strategies above can help get your foot in the door. But patience and persistence are critical – expect the road to be long with progress coming slowly.
Alternative Marketing Channels for CBD Companies
For companies unable to get their Facebook CBD ads approved despite their best efforts, plenty of other marketing channels exist to promote your products beyond social media alone.
Here are some alternative options for getting the word out about your CBD brand if Facebook just won’t cooperate:
Influencer Marketing
Partnering with relevant social media influencers provides a way to tap into their engaged audiences on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and more. While the FTC now requires disclosure of paid promotions, influencer posts come across as authentic endorsements.
The key is finding influencers in health/wellness niches who align with your brand values. Make sure to document terms clearly in written contracts.
Native Advertising
Native ads promote your content in the same format and style as the surrounding content platform. For example, in Facebook’s news feed or on content recommendation sites like Outbrain, Taboola etc.
Because they match the look and feel of non-ad content, native ads see higher engagement. You have more creative freedom since they live off of Facebook’s platform.
SEO Content Marketing
Creating blog posts, videos, and other content optimized for relevant CBD-related search terms can help drive organic traffic to your website. This indirectly promotes your brand and products.
The focus is on informational education and thought leadership, not direct product pitches. But it can increase awareness and establish expertise.
Email, SMS & CRM Marketing
Building an owned audience via email lists, SMS subscribers, and CRM contacts allows you to market directly on your terms. Once you have an audience’s contact details, the activities you can promote are much less restricted.
Nurture subscribers through valuable education and promotions. Carefully segmenting your lists enables highly personalized messaging as well.
Pop-Up Shops & Retail Stores
For companies willing and able to make the investment, brick-and-mortar retail spaces provide a captive audience to sample and sell products in person.
Local pop-up shops and permanent storefronts require upfront capital but enable direct sales as well as brand awareness in the community.
As you can see, countless options exist beyond just Facebook ads to creatively market CBD products. Capitalizing on multiple channels, especially owned media like email and text marketing, can ensure your success isn’t tied to one platform alone.
The growth of the CBD industry shows no signs of slowing down.
And as public and regulatory acceptance continue to increase, Facebook will find itself under growing pressure to ease restrictions on related advertising. Their policies have already become markedly more permissive compared to just a few years ago.
While marketing CBD on Facebook certainly presents challenges today, we hope this guide provided the information you need to carefully navigate the obstacles. With strategic preparation, compliant ad creative, and relentless persistence through what will likely be many rejections, it is possible for CBD brands get their ads approved on Facebook.
However, given the effort involved just to overcome the platform’s high barriers to entry, diversifying your media mix to rely less on Facebook may be a smart move. Focus on channels you can control, like email and text messaging, or unrestricted digital platforms like Google and programmatic advertising.
If you need assistance creating a comprehensive digital marketing strategy for your CBD brand spanning every channel from Facebook to SMS campaigns and beyond, reach out. Our team of experts helps cannabis and CBD companies market and sell their products effectively. We handle the compliance complexities and optimization intricacies so you can focus on your passion – delivering top-quality CBD products to customers seeking their benefits.
