How to Promote CBD Ads on Facebook? Tips for Best Practices

If you sell CBD products, the answer is yes, but for the more technically-minded individuals reading, allow me to explain.

A study done in mid 2019 revealed that a whopping 40% of individuals ages 18-29 have used CBD at some point in the past or were current users.

It also found that 15% of individuals aged 60 and older had also tried or were current CBD users.

This means that on average 64 million Americans have tried or are currently using CBD.

And 75% of the businesses with CBD as an offering are owned by women.

In addition, 40% of Americans are interested in trying CBD.

With numbers like this, it’s no surprise that businesses are getting in on the hype. However, when it comes to MARKETING CBD, things get (a lot) more complicated.

It’s no surprise either that the BEST place to market CBD products is online. 1) Because the population that happens to be the biggest users spend a majority of their time plugged in online and 2) it’s the perfect platform for getting in front of your buyers in the most thumb-stopping way possible. Literal magic. 🔮

The thing is, even with the internet playing a key role as the leading CBD sales channel with over 60% of the whole market being online, CBD business owners like you have a million hoops they’re required to jump through when it comes to CBD advertising on Facebook and Instagram.

And that’s where we come in. Let’s get your CBD ads rolling!

While it’s not exactly contraband anymore, there’s still a lot of uncertainty around CBD as a health or food related product, which can make it difficult for advertisers to use native advertising placement.

Facebook’s strict policies regarding CBD products don’t mean you can’t effectively advertise your CBD business on the platform. While direct promotion of CBD products is restricted, savvy marketers have developed strategic approaches that comply with Facebook’s guidelines while still reaching their target audience. The key is understanding the distinction between prohibited content and acceptable advertising practices that can indirectly promote your CBD brand and products.

One effective strategy is to focus on educational content about the general benefits of plant-based wellness without specifically mentioning CBD. This approach positions your brand as a thought leader in the wellness space while avoiding direct product promotion that might trigger Facebook’s content filters. For example, you might create ads discussing holistic approaches to stress management, sleep improvement, or natural wellness—topics that resonate with your target audience without explicitly mentioning CBD.

Brand awareness campaigns represent another viable approach for CBD businesses on Facebook. Instead of promoting specific products, focus your advertising on building recognition for your company name, logo, and overall mission. These campaigns can highlight your company’s values, sustainability practices, or community involvement without referencing CBD directly. This strategy helps establish brand credibility and recognition, so when consumers encounter your products through other channels, they already have positive associations with your brand.

Indirect CBD Advertising Techniques

Landing page optimization plays a crucial role in effective CBD advertising strategies on Facebook. While your ads cannot mention CBD, they can direct users to landing pages that provide more detailed information once they’ve clicked through. Ensure these landing pages are compliant with Facebook policies initially, then use strategic navigation options to guide visitors to CBD-specific content. This approach requires careful planning to maintain compliance while still converting ad traffic into potential customers.

Another technique gaining popularity is the use of lifestyle marketing in CBD advertising on Facebook. Rather than focusing on products, create ads that showcase the lifestyle associated with your brand—featuring images of people enjoying outdoor activities, practicing yoga, or engaging in self-care routines. These ads can promote a wellness-focused lifestyle that aligns with your CBD brand values without explicitly mentioning prohibited products, effectively building audience affinity with your brand identity.

Measuring Success in CBD Facebook Advertising

Tracking performance metrics is essential when implementing indirect CBD advertising strategies on Facebook. Since conversion paths may be less direct than traditional product advertising, pay special attention to metrics like engagement rates, brand lift measurements, and multi-touch attribution models. These metrics help evaluate how effectively your compliant advertising is contributing to overall brand awareness and eventual sales, even when direct product promotion isn’t possible.

A/B testing becomes particularly valuable for CBD advertisers on Facebook. Experiment with different messaging approaches, visual elements, and calls-to-action to determine which combinations most effectively engage your target audience while maintaining compliance. For example, test whether wellness-focused messaging outperforms educational content, or whether lifestyle imagery drives more engagement than informational graphics. These insights will help refine your advertising strategy over time for maximum impact within Facebook’s regulatory constraints.

In short, Native ads on Facebook are ads that blend in and reflect the content around them.

Native ads exist within the news feed on both Facebook and Twitter, as well as a select other few websites and apps.

Yes, Native ads are often criticized as a medium for social paid advertising because it can feel as if the network or advertisers are deliberately deceiving users into believing that the paid advertising placements are actually organic content.

But the truth is that consumers are actually pretty comfortable with both the practice and the concept with a few exceptions:

• They need to be from trustworthy brands
• They need to be relevant

Because CBD ads can benefit from being sandwiched between other health and medicinal posts, it can be difficult to get wording and imaging that is approved to use on the Facebook platform.

• List GENERAL benefits for CBD products and ALWAYS avoid making medical claims, especially serious ones. However, if you need a work-around, you can cite medically-backed sources like those found in the U.S. National Library of Medicine and/or the National Institutes of Health. Both are great options.
• The Farm Bill requires each State to submit its own hemp regulation plan so that it can be approved for sales going forward. Unfortunately, not all States have done this yet, so pay attention to your local laws.
• Building trust with consumers should always be your priority. You can do this by testing for contaminants, proving the quality of your CBD, being locally sourced or even calling for lab-results that can properly showcase the CBD percentages in your products. This is a good step to take now, but it’ll also play hugely in your favor at the point that CBD is fully legal.
• While you CAN advertise CBD on Facebook, you CANNOT mention the products in your ads.
• Refrain from using CBD within a domain name.
• If needed, you can create a new Facebook account. Leave any CBD-related promotion or information off of the page.
• This is complicated, but you’ll need to find creative ways to describe your products to your customers.
• CBD images are currently allowed if they don’t mention CBD.
• Target audiences who have an interest in “hemp oil”
• Replace “CBD” with “Natural Plant-Based Remedies” anywhere in your ad creative and copy.

Double check that your landing page does NOT mention CBD oil. If you need to, disconnect any correlation between the landing page and your main website. If it says CBD, it can be crawled by Facebook ad bots and it will be rejected.

If you have a track record when it comes to rejected ads, this could play against you when it comes to getting CBD ads approved.

Sometimes, improving your chances could be as easy as having an agency with a good track record publish your ads. Other times, this can look like taking a break from CBD and hemp related advertising and focusing on something else for awhile.

Remember: when it comes to hemp ad policy and CBD and Facebook ads, you run the risk of having your account deleted whenever you get rejected. You can combat this by making certain that you’re doing what we described above: focusing on other things when possible to keep your track record positive.

Just in case we’ve been amiss in answering all of your questions around CBD Facebook ads or hemp advertising laws, this section is just for you.

Can You Do CBD Ads on Facebook?

The short answer is “yes!” CBD ads, while tricky, are still very doable- and we would know! We’ve promoted CBD products for a multitude of our clients with great success. All it takes is following the rules and best practices we’ve described above, and making sure we’re being attentive to other ads as well to keep the spotlight off of any and all rejected ads.

And yes, sometimes even when you follow every rule to the letter, your ads will be rejected. You can combat this by asking for a review or discussing with a Facebook partner.

Can You Promote CBD Oil on Facebook Ads?

Just like with any other CBD topical product, the answer is yes. Just don’t make serious medical claims and/or mention CBD in the ads at all. Opt for words like “Naturally derived ingredients” or “plant sourced ingredients” instead.

Will I Ever Be Able to Mention CBD in My Facebook Ads?

With hemp becoming medically and fully legal across the US, there’s been increasing pressure for Facebook to open the gates when it comes to their CBD ads policy. We believe that given time, Facebook is going to cave and make our lives a little easier.

How Can I Organically Market CBD on Facebook?

When it comes to what you can post on Facebook organically, there are much fewer limits, making it totally acceptable to market CBD on your business page.

You’ll be able to utilize the words “CBD” and “Hemp” in your copy, as well as include it in your ad creative.

Because this is the case, any standard social media marketing blueprint for business will do when it comes to making a plan for CBD marketing. However, we’d still recommend not making medical claims for the moment.

Can I advertise CBD on Facebook legally?

While Facebook prohibits direct CBD product advertising, you can legally promote your CBD business through compliant strategies. These include educational content about general wellness, brand awareness campaigns that don’t mention CBD specifically, and lifestyle marketing that aligns with your brand values without explicitly referencing CBD products.

What are the best ways to advertise CBD on Facebook?

The most effective ways to advertise CBD on Facebook include focusing on educational content about general wellness benefits, creating brand awareness campaigns that don’t mention CBD directly, and utilizing native advertising approaches. Additionally, some businesses successfully use indirect promotion strategies like lifestyle marketing and directing traffic to compliant landing pages that can later guide visitors to CBD-specific information.

How do Facebook’s policies affect CBD advertising?

Facebook’s policies strictly prohibit direct promotion of CBD products, even in states or countries where CBD is legal, creating significant challenges for CBD businesses. These restrictions mean advertisers must develop indirect strategies that focus on brand awareness, educational content, and lifestyle marketing without mentioning CBD specifically, while also carefully monitoring policy updates as Facebook occasionally adjusts its stance on wellness products.

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