Can You Advertise CBD on Instagram? A Complete Guide for 2025

As the CBD industry continues to thrive, many merchants are wondering about the possibility of advertising their products on Instagram. The response is yes – you can sell it on Instagram, but only after following the proper advertising guidelines.

With over 2 billion users, Instagram is a valuable platform for businesses trying to reach potential customers, increase sales, and improve brand visibility.

Nevertheless, the advertising of CBD products on Instagram has its unique challenges due to the platform’s restrictions and the legal complexities surrounding CBD.

Instagram restricts the direct promotion of CBD products on its platform. Companies have to get a prior written consent from Legit Script to promote such items on the platform.

Not only that, businesses may also ensure that they have a CBD Merchant payment solution in order to facilitate easy transactions while complying with industry rules and regulations. 

Instagram’s privacy policy can be somewhat confusing. The platform does not directly state that advertising CBD products is prohibited or that accounts sharing content related to the sale of CBD products are restricted.

Despite the presence of CBD product advertisements on Instagram, there are cases where the accounts posting these ads face bans, receive notifications for policy violations, or do not receive any feedback regarding their CBD advertisements.

This uncertainty leads to the confusion surrounding CBD advertising on Instagram. Consequently, you may find yourself asking the following questions:

“What strategies can we use to promote CBD on Instagram?”

                        Or

“Can you advertise CBD on Instagram?”

Let’s dive in, and learn about the effective strategies for promoting CBD products on Instagram through this blog.

Prior to advertising CBD products on Instagram, it is essential to make yourself familiar with the platform’s regulations to avoid the removal of content or potential account restrictions.

Meta, the parent company of Instagram, implements strict regulations regarding content related to CBD and cannabis, especially in terms of advertising.

Also Read: How to Market the CBD Products the Top Trends

Understanding Instagram’s Policies on CBD

Instagram follows the guidelines provided by its parent company, Meta. It maintains strict guidelines banning the promotion of certain products, specifically  CBD with THC levels less than 0.3%.

Meta states, “we may remove the content published for trading, donating, gifting or asking for non-medical drug content that admits using non-medical drugs”.

Their stance is clear: any content on their platform cannot claim medicinal or therapeutic uses of CBD, which is due to the legal complexities surrounding it.

Also Read: CBD Social Media Marketing 

Major Restrictions in Instagram For CBD:

1. Prohibition on Direct Sales: 

Direct sales of CBD products via Instagram is not allowed. Any posts that suggest direct selling may get removed.

Also Read: CBD Advertising Best Practices

2. Restrictions on Health Claims:

Advertising CBD as a remedy for illnesses or health conditions is prohibited; this includes claims regarding anxiety reduction, pain relief, or any other health advantages.

Also Read: How Much Does it Costs to Open a CBD Dispensary  

3. Limitations on Targeting: 

Advertisements must not be targeted at minors, and any content that may be seen as advertising recreational drug use is directly banned.

Also Read: How to Market CBD Business On Social Media

4. Consequences of Policy Violations:

Breaking these guidelines may lead to the immediate removal of content, flagging of the account, or even permanent suspension.

If we cannot advertise CBD products through traditional marketing tools, then let’s explore some effective promotional strategies:

Also Read: Guide to Start a CBD Business 

Effective Promotional Strategies to Promote CBD Products:

1. Engage with Local Communities:

While promoting CBD on Instagram, it is essential to engage with the local community. It means actively responding to comments, questions or posts that refer to your brand. Such engagement will improve dispensary’s local public relations which will eventually improve the overall branding of your CBD products.

Regular interactions with the local community help you to place yourselves as an integral part of the community rather than just a business entity. This process will help to improve the trust and credibility among consumers. On top of that, engaging with local communities helps to gain valuable feedback about your products and services; which can be used to improve your products and increase the demands among potential buyers.

To impactfully engage with local communities, consider the below actions:

• Track relevant hashtags and location tags.
• Search for posts that mention your brand or products.
• Reply to comments and queries.
• Like and comment on relevant posts.

These strategies help local businesses to create relationships with potential consumers and convey their commitment to the community.

Also Read: CBD Advertising Best Practices

2. Use Geo-Tags:

Geo-tags refer to an electronic tag that assigns a geographic tag to an image or video to a post on social media. Geo-tags help to reach consumers located within your area.With the help of Geo-tags you can reach out to the consumers who are unaware about your brand.

Geo-tags will help the businesses to carve a path of trust and credibility among the potential consumers.

To utilize geotags effectively, it is advisable to implement:

-Valid hashtags and location tags

-Different location tags

-Multiple location tags

It will help your business to reach consumers located in your area.

Also Read: How to Create Google Business Profile for CBD Business

3. Use Localized Hashtags:

It is important to use localized hashtags for creating brand awareness among the potential consumers within your locality. Hashtags help to reach out to the customers who are not aware about your brand.

Utilizing localized hemp hashtags allows you to connect with potential customers who have an interest in your products and services. This strategy can significantly help to build trust and credibility among prospective clients.

Local customers can discover your dispensary through geo-specific hashtags tailored to their area. While general hashtags such as #cbd, cbdoil, and #dispensaries are widely recognized, they lack specificity and may not effectively assist users seeking particular services or locations to purchase products.

Fortunately, nearly any hashtag can be adapted to include geographic identifiers, such as alaska dispensary, colorado dispensary, or CBD [city name].

On Instagram, you can include up to 30 hashtags in a single post. While we do not recommend using all 30, we advise incorporating several of the most relevant and popular hashtags.

Also Read: Marketing Ideas for CBD Business

4. Influencer Collaborations:

Instagram influencers help to reach a wider audience for your products. Influencers are simply people with a large count of subscribers or followers who can promote products or services to their followers. Hiring influencers will help businesses to reach potential consumers. This promotional strategy helps to expand reach and improve your business.

To hire influential influencers for your business: Identify influencers who are relevant to your target audience. Finding an influencer who is willing to promote CBD products or services on their page will help businesses to reach a wider audience.

In exchange for a fee, influencers will speak about your CBD brand and items on their channels. As a result, a larger audience will be interested in buying your products.

It is an effective marketing strategy wherein not just the goods are advertised but also the reputation of your products and services is improved because well known brands discuss your CBD products through their blogs.

Also Read: How to market CBD Business on Facebook 

5. Advertise educational content:

To effectively engage potential consumers on Instagram, it is essential to create educational content. This strategy can help you to position you as an expert in the CBD industry.

By implementing this strategy, it will enable you to educate about the products and services that you are willing to convey. It will help you gain trust and credibility among the potential consumers.

To create educational content, you must:

• Write blogs about CBD
• Create videos
• Provide free ebooks

By offering valuable content to potential customers, you can position your brand as an expert in the CBD sector. It is crucial to understand that there is always scope to explore within the realm of cannabis and there are many who are discussing it.

Your content can involve deep comparisons of different strains, provide tips on increasing yields and discuss the benefits of CBD treatments, and more.

While some farmers might view this as an inefficient use of time and resources, it is, in fact, a powerful strategy for building your brand presence in the market and enhancing your reputation among consumers.

Additionally, this approach can foster greater acceptance of the product and may even attract new customers who previously had no interest in it.

Some farmers might view it as a waste of time and resources. But this is a smart way to establish your brand among the users and strengthen your reputation in the market.

Also Read: Email Marketing For CBD Business

6. Post relevant CBD images on Instagram:

While you are posting images on Instagram, ensure to add images of CBD products only. This means you should not post weeds unrelated to your CBD products or services.

By posting CBD related images will enable you to show the benefits of CBD products like CBD Merchant Solution which can help to improve the quality of life. This helps to establish trust and credibility among the potential customers.

In your posts on Instagram, should include:

• Your products or services
• People using your products or services
• Images relevant to your target audience.

Adding relevant CBD photos on Instagram will help to improve your visibility and brand awareness on Instagram.

7. Be social!:

Being on Instagram means that you have to be social, that means you have to be social with your consumers. You have to interact with potential consumers by commenting and liking the content of your consumers. It helps to understand the requirements and consumer behavior patterns; which eventually help to create credibility, loyalty and trust among potential consumers.

In order to be social on social media platform:

• You have to follow, like and comment on the consumer’s content.
• You have to show consumers that you are interested in what they have to say.

This strategy will help you to add more consumers to your business, create awareness and build trust and credibility among the consumers in the long run. It helps you to add more connections, establish a reputation and increase your reach on Instagram which will eventually boost your sales in the long run.

8. User Generated Content:

Real users sharing their experiences on Instagram will be more convincing than a brand created content. It will help to attract more likes, shares and comments on your posts from the consumers . Instagram allows you to tag products in your content which helps users to discover and purchase your CBD products.

What are the Do’s and Don’ts of CBD advertising on Instagram?

Do’s:

• Focus on providing information rather than promoting sales.
• Maintain a regular posting schedule.
• Collaborate with reputable vendors and quality merchandise.
• Utilize high-resolution visuals.
• Interact with your audience through comments.
• Highlight products that contain hemp seed oil, topical applications, and various hemp-related items.
• Do Ensure that you have a CBD Merchant Payment Solution to facilitate the transaction effectively. 

Don’ts

• Make any uncertified health claims.
• Use inappropriate language.
• Target underage teens or children.
• Post photos showing recreational drug use.
• Use the word, “CBD” in the advertisements.
• Crosslink to your main website or include direct links to CBD products.

Despite taking all these precautions, there remains a chance that your account may still be banned. Therefore, if you intend to advertise CBD, it is advisable to utilize the aforementioned methods that present lower risks.

Some of The Best Alternatives For CBD Ads on Instagram:

1. Buy Native Advertising from Non-Traditional ad Platforms and Networks:

You can promote CBD products using native advertising on platforms such as Outbrain, Taboola, Revcontent, and others. These flexible networks permit the marketing of goods and services that may not be accepted on more traditional channels.

2. Use Buy and Sell Groups:

Consider creating interest groups focused on CBD education, health, and wellness, or related topics. In essence, seek out individuals with similar interests who are sharing information in privately managed groups or locate buy-and-sell groups that allow the advertisement of CBD products. The latter may even permit self-promotion.

3. Utilize a Chatbot for Product Sales:

Utilize a chatbot for your website which enables the direct selling of CBD products through Facebook Messenger. Automated programs simulate human interaction, helping ventures to help consumers with their queries, provide support and market their products and services.

4. Organize Workshops or Events:

Education is one of the effective tools to connect with your audiences or attract new customers. You can conduct informative sessions or utilize time to educate about your products to your potential consumers. Try to host educational events both online and in-person.

5. Open a Physical Retail Store:

Whether a traditional store, a temporary shop or just a table at a marketplace; there are numerous ways to sell products directly to the public. Opening a retail store will help you to connect with local customers, create a word-of-mouth buzz and also sell to the audiences who are ready to buy.

6. Invest in SEO Marketing:

SEO content marketing is an effective method to reach audiences who are actively trying to gain information about CBD products online. Specifically focusing on keyword research in your content will help you to improve brand visibility.

Optimization done properly will increase your website rankings in search results. However, it necessitates meticulous content creation, skilled optimization, and an extended sales cycle.

Nevertheless, by delivering valuable content, you can cultivate an engaged audience that is likely to visit your online CBD store.

7. Promoting on Social Media Platforms Within the Cannabis Industry:

If you seek an alternative avenue to reach a targeted audience, consider advertising or interacting with networks dedicated to cannabis to connect with similar-minded consumers. Notable examples of such platforms include Weedtube, High There, Canna App, Leafly, Weedmaps, and Duby.

8. Collaborate with Local Businesses in Your Community. 

Forming partnerships with well-established businesses in the same sector will help to showcase or sell products at the right locations. Examples include skincare providers, spas, chiropractors, and fitness centers.

Here are some quick and effective tips for you that help to advertise your CBD products.

• Never think about the paid advertising on Instagram for your CBD products as it is against the privacy policy of Instagram. If you do so your ad may be approved but after some time your Instagram account will be banned.
• The privacy policy of Instagram restricts the word CBD so never use the word CBD in any of your Instagram posts, story or image.
• Use the word hemp products as it is safe and indirectly refers to the same CBD. 
• The story, post, and images you posted on your Instagram account will never reflect the idea that you are selling CBD products.
• However, the Story, post, and images you posted on your Instagram account just show that you are sharing some information or your experience regarding hemp products (CBD).
• While advertising your CBD products never target specifically the teenager audience.
• Ask your customers to share feedback on your CBD products on their Instagram account.
• Effectively use tags and hashtags to grab the attention of your audience.
• Go live on Instagram with your customers, share their stories and grab the attention of other audiences.
• Connect with the Instagram influencers.

These are some quick and effective tips that help you to advertise your CBD product on Instagram. If you follow these tips hopefully your account will not be banned and you don’t get any privacy violation notification.

Conclusion:

Although Instagram does not allow direct paid advertisements for CBD products, brands have the opportunity to promote these items through organic content, partnerships with influencers, and informative posts.

To ensure compliance, companies should avoid making medical claims and instead concentrate on innovative marketing techniques such as community engagement and email campaigns.

Despite the existing limitations, CBD brands can successfully connect with their target audience on Instagram by adopting the appropriate strategies.

To effectively communicate your message and stand out in a landscape where platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Google, Amazon, Snapchat, and TikTok restricts paid advertising for CBD brands, the most effective approach is to leverage high-quality organic content combined with robust SEO techniques, appealing branding, engaging websites, user-generated content, and earned media.

This strategy is indeed a practical path. By focusing on expert-driven, educational content that cites authoritative sources (.edu, .org, etc.), brands can quickly improve their search engine rankings.

We now have a clear understanding of how to market your CBD products on Instagram. While it may not be a straightforward process, success is achievable.

Not only that by effectively leveraging CBD merchant payment solutions, Businesses can easily facilitate seamless transactions while maintaining compliance of the industry standards. By rigorously following all relevant laws and regulations, your brand can thrive. Additionally, utilizing CBD SEO can help promote your business and increase website traffic.

If you are still stuck with your Instagram advertising on CBD? Do not worry because we at CBD Merchant Solutions expertise are eager to make you an expert with CBD advertising on Instagram.