Public relations in the cannabis industry has been oversold. Too often it is pitched as a shortcut to credibility, one shiny headline that suddenly makes a brand legitimate. “Get featured in TechCrunch” sounds good in a pitch meeting, but what will a hit like that do to move the business and build credibility among decision makers?
Part of where public relations has lost its way comes from confusing PR with advertising. Both matter, but they do different jobs. Advertising buys control. You pay for the space, decide the message, and repeat that message until it sticks. That’s powerful when you want consistency and scale. PR plays by different rules. You earn credibility when an editor or journalist decides your brand is worth covering.
The trouble starts when brands treat any coverage, anywhere, as a win. A story in a publication your audience will never see is not impact. It’s noise.
The industry also has an unhealthy obsession with prestige. Everyone wants the Forbes profile or the Bloomberg Businessweek mention. Those feel glamorous, but the people who actually make decisions about shelf space likely are not flipping through Bloomberg. They are, however, regularly reading mg Magazine, MJBizDaily, and other popular industry trade outlets. Prestige looks good on the wall. Relevance is what builds the business.
Knowing your audience is everything. There’s a time and place for both industry-trade coverage and mainstream coverage.
Another misstep is the promise of instant results. Agencies love to guarantee placements in ninety days, deliver a few hits, and then disappear. This fast-food version of PR leaves brand founders wondering if the whole discipline is a scam. The reality is slower and far more valuable. PR works like compound interest. It builds credibility brick by brick until trust becomes the engine that drives investor calls, new client meetings, distributor inquiries, and talent pipelines.
The most damaging failure happens when PR is disconnected from business goals. Press for the sake of press does not matter. If you are raising capital, your communications should signal stability and traction to investors. If you are seeking product distribution, your media mentions should make buyers believe your product will sell. If you need credibility with regulators, you should be in the publications they already respect. When PR is not tied to a business goal, it becomes decoration rather than infrastructure.
The fix starts with clarity. Every brand needs a north star. What outcome matters most right now? Once that is clear, media decisions get simple. If the target is investors, build stories and proof points that speak directly to them. If the target is retailers, show up where they go for trusted information. If the target is talent, spotlight culture and leadership.
From there, pick media with purpose. Forget chasing trophies and start dominating the outlets that shape your category. When customers and competitors keep running into your name, credibility begins to shift in your favor.
Founders also need to be educated about how PR actually works. It’s not a magic wand. PR is a process. And through it all, lean hard into storytelling. Cannabis is not a widget business. It is culture, politics, health, and personal transformation all rolled together. The strongest campaigns in this industry are about people. Data proves your point, but stories make it unforgettable.
Advertising and PR both belong in a serious cannabis marketing mix. Advertising builds reach and repetition. PR creates credibility and trust. When brands understand the difference and use both with intention, momentum compounds, fabricated hype fades, and credibility soars.
PR rooted in storytelling and alignment builds reputations that survive every boom, bust, and ballot measure. Hype will get you noticed. Strategy will get you remembered. Only one of those will pay the bills.
Cannabis PR Questions Answered
What is the biggest mistake cannabis brands make in PR?
Treating any media coverage as a win, even when it’s irrelevant to their audience. Instead of trophy-hunting, pitch meaningful stories to outlets your customers and investors actually read.
How is PR different from advertising?
Advertising buys control and repetition, while PR earns credibility through third-party validation.
Why doesn’t hype work in cannabis public relations?
Hype delivers short-term attention, but without strategy it fails to build trust or influence decision makers.
How can cannabis brands align PR with business goals?
Tailor stories to investors, regulators, or retailers and choose media outlets that audience respects.
What makes cannabis PR campaigns succeed long-term?
Long-term success requires storytelling rooted in culture, relevance, and credibility, supported by consistent alignment with business objectives.
With an extensive background spanning more than a decade in publicity, marketing, and sales, Green Lane Communication founder and CEO Michael Mejer is a seasoned professional adept at forging connections between leaders in the cannabis sector and the media.
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