If I had a nickel for every time someone e-mailed CBDeebly and asked us the secrets to getting CBD ad approvals… I’d have $9,878,397, approximately. Getting CBD ad approval is possible despite the myths of CBD advertising! CBD ad approvals can be yours with some perseverance, positivity and by following these 5 tips.
1) In the walled gardens, play by the rules: Before you begin, always check the TOS for each platform. Each platform alway has them listed listed. Trying to guess what you can and can’t do is a fool’s errand. It’s only going to waste your time and frustrate you. Ignoring the TOS in a walled garden can result in no sales, leave you with banned Facebook accounts, blacklisted domains and a raging headache. In particular, do not try to make some hokey landing page redirect, click-funnel BS workaround. Break the rules and you’ll successfully make an irritating workflow for people, sell no CBD and waste a lot of time.
RESOURCE: Our CBD Ad Platforms infographic outlines the pros and cons of each platform. Check it out to see what you need to look out for when evaluating potential advertising platforms.
2) Don’t game Google! C’mon, it’s Google. They have self-driving cars and they pretty much run the World. Give them what they want and you’ll see approvals come in by the boat full. I know what you’re thinking – But, Lisa, what about the ‘big guys’ that I see breaking the rules and getting away with it? Well, if you haven’t learned by now, the rules aren’t equally applied to all people. The CBD advertising space is no different. Sublingually suck up your frustration and do it the right way, not the easy way – even if others aren’t.
Look at all that green!
RESOURCE: How to advertise on Google for CBD companies.
3) K.I.C – Keep it clean! The 2018 Farm Bill was kind to hemp. HEMP. Not, CBD. As silly as it is and despite the science that very clearly explains the ‘association’ of hemp and CBD, the big advertising platforms don’t seem to agree with science and therefore are not cool with CBD as much as they are with hemp. Don’t fight it, just give them their “hemp” 😉 and move on with your life (and your piles of money).
RESOURCE: We have a CBD clean site guide to help you get your site clean so you can defy internet science and win the PPC game.
4) 99.9% CBD ad approval with programmatic ads! There isn’t really a trick here other than to do it. The red-headed step-child of advertising, the “big guys” have been keeping this kind of advertising to themselves for too long. There are NO CBD ad restrictions and you can be live with CBD programmatic advertising for just dollars in just minutes. Think of it like the used car lot of CBD ad approvals. Everyone’s approved!
RESOURCE: The 21 Questions You Should Ask before engaging with a CBD programmatic advertising vendor.
5) Cut the medical claims! Finally, a reason more important than morals, ethics, and the scare of the FDA warning letters for why you shouldn’t make false claims about the benefits of CBD on your site. Medical claims WILL hinder your likelihood to get approved on any ad platform (other than programmatic).
RESOURCE: Since we can’t teach ethics, morality or law on our blog; this post on how CBD is going the way of 1900’s quackery will have to do.
The bottom line is that despite the trials and tribulations we’ve all faced with CBD ad approvals; there is hope! My advice is to stick with it and don’t get discouraged. Don’t be fooled by people/agencies claiming that you need to work with them to get ads approved. You made it this far in the CBD game, don’t give up your hemp gold to some online “experts”. There is plenty of DIY CBD advertising solutions to get you rolling in the paid media space!