Can You Advertise CBD on Snapchat?

What Can You Do With CBD Ads Using Snapchat Advertising?

According to the Snap Advertising Policies, “Snapchat allows some limited ads for cannabis, CBD, and related products, where legal, with appropriate targeting.” Snapchat does not allow smoking or vaping videos, except when creating videos for health messaging or smoking cessation. Based on recent reporting by Mike Sill, CEO and Founder of Sunday Scaries, Snapchat baits and switches CBD companies; there is one caveat to keep in mind.

Snapchat fears CBD because of an uncertain regulatory environment where cannabis is illegal, and CBD derived from cannabis is legal. Even though Snapchat is afraid, they still want CBD companies’ money, so they have very strict compliance rules that Mike Sill of Sunday Scaries says do a disservice.

 He had such a challenging revenue-draining experience that he canceled all of his ads until the CBD legal pending policies change on the platform. Read on to learn more about Snapchat’s CBD compliance restrictions and how you could create ads for CBD on Snapchat that are compliant.

Here are the CBD advertising rules on Snapchat:

1. Cannabis, hemp, and CBD cannot be shown in the ad. Only the bottle without the words cannabis, hemp, or CBD on the bottle.
   
   No matter if your CBD is in gummy bear form or a salve, if you would like Snapchat to permit targeting ads for your company, you cannot show the product which contains CBD, cannabis, or hemp.

2. You cannot show cannabis, hemp, and CBD in a positive, uplifting light.

God forbid you film a video of people enjoying the effects of your CBD. However, if you post this video in a Snapchat advertising, your ad will be shut down immediately.

You are not allowed to show anyone smiling, being happy, or uplifting within your CBD advertisement.

3. Descriptive language, which could imply that CBD is beneficial in any way, is not allowed.

This means you cannot use words such as “chill out,” “relax,” or “relief” within your advertisements even if you are not making claims.

As you may or may not be aware, the FDA and FTC already restrict claims for CBD. Still, Snapchat’s advertising guidelines go a step further. These guidelines restrict any descriptive language that suggests CBD may do anything at all.

4. There are no testimonials or endorsements allowed.

You cannot show written or video testimonials of happy customers benefiting from your CBD. You cannot even mention that your CBD has won awards or received raving reviews from the top media outlets.

5. Promotional offers are not allowed.

No discounts. No money-back guarantees. No 24/7 customer support. Anything closely related to being promotional is strictly prohibited in your CBD advertisements.

Until the Food and Drug Administration allows CBD to be marketed as a dietary supplement, these hypocritical compliance restrictions will remain on Snapchat.

The only platform where you can directly promote CBD without any advertising restrictions is the organic search results on Google and YouTube using SEO. If you want to learn more about SEO for your CBD brand, then download the free CBD Digital Marketing For Dummies Ebook below.

Snapchat is an app where people can express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together by using photos and short videos. Over 75% of the Millennials and Gen Z use Snapchat actively, so if you are after a younger audience ages 18 to 29, then Snapchat is for you. The challenge is understanding whether Snapchat will approve your ads or not.

One of the hurdles to getting your ads approved is making your ads compliant with the laws in every geo-location. This means if someone in Florida sees your ads, then your ads must comply with the CBD laws in Florida. 

The best way to work around the compliance issues on the app is to set up a pre-lander instead of directing users straight to your official website. Instead, please direct them to an intermediary web page on your unofficial website that captures the audience’s information with a health-related story or quiz.

From here, you could build an email list and promote CBD directly to this new audience. If you want to sell CBD directly using the app, you are in for a rude awakening. The platform for Millenials and Gen Z makes it impossible to promote CBD effectively directly.

The only platform where you can directly promote CBD without any advertising restrictions is the organic search results on Google and YouTube using SEO. If you want to learn more about SEO for your CBD brand, then download the free CBD Digital Marketing For Dummies Ebook below.

On top of the existing payment processing and advertising restrictions that CBD struggles with. If you are running a CBD company, understanding CBD advertising laws is crucial to the success of your ads. Whether your ads run on Snapchat, in the organic search results on Google, or another platform, you need to understand what you can and cannot advertise legally to avoid steep fines and penalties when advertising CBD products.

Every individual state has different CBD laws which affect advertising so give our CBD advertising laws by state article a read to learn more. From a federal standpoint, the FDA and FTC are currently regulating the advertisement of CBD. 

Can You Run CBD Ads on Snapchat?

Yes, you can run CBD ads, but the compliance requirements make it impossible to get a return on investment, according to Mike Sill, the CEO, and Founder of Sunday Scaries.

Can Dispensaries Advertise on Snapchat?

Dispensaries may be able to run ads on the platform, but they cannot run ads with cannabis.

What Can You Advertise on Snapchat?

Seems like just about everything except cannabis, CBD, and hemp. Unfortunately, until the compliance guidelines are changed, advertising on the app does not give a return for CBD businesses.

How Much Does Snapchat Advertising Cost?

If you believe you could overcome the compliance requirements and get a return on investment. The average cost of Snapchat advertising is $2.95 per thousand impressions.

What are the Snapchat Advertising Policies?

The Snapchat advertising policies run over five pages long which you can read in full detail here. The guidelines that pertain specifically to CBD, hemp, and cannabis are the following,

“We prohibit depicting illegal drug use or the recreational use of pharmaceuticals.”

“We allow some limited ads for cannabis, CBD, and related products, where legal, with appropriate targeting.”

“We do not allow the depiction of smoking or vaping, except in the context of public health messaging or smoking cessation.”

What are the Snapchat Video Guidelines?

Snapchat has many video guidelines on long-form video, single images or videos, and specifications for ads and businesses.

Can You Smoke on Snapchat?

Smoking in advertisements and non-advertorial content is strictly prohibited on the platform.

Can You Advertise CBD on Social Media?

In general, yes and no. Every social media platform has steep restrictions on advertising CBD and most outright ban the promotion of CBD. The only platform where you can directly promote CBD is using SEO in the organic search results on Google and YouTube.

Can You Market CBD on Facebook?

According to the Facebook advertising policies, you can only run paid ads for non-ingestible hemp. However, you cannot feature non-ingestible hemp in your ads on Facebook. Facebook considers CBD unsafe because it is derived from federally illegal cannabis.

Does Affiliate Marketing Work for CBD?

Yes, affiliate marketing is an effective channel to advertise CBD products. The only downside is that you have to payout hefty commissions on every purchase, which eats into your profit margin over time.