What Cannabis PR Gets Wrong and How Brands Can Fix It

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.
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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.
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Cannabis PR Questions Answered

1. 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.
2. How is PR different from advertising?

Advertising buys control and repetition, while PR earns credibility
through third-party validation.
3. 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.
4. How can cannabis brands align PR with business goals?

Tailor stories to investors, regulators, or retailers and choose media
outlets that audience respects.
5. 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.

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[image: Michael Mejer founder Green Lane Communication]

*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.*