Influence by the ‘Gram

IG weed influencers cutting through the noise.

The Broccoli Report 
Friday, July 8, 2022
Time to read: 6 minutes, 57 seconds. Contains 1393 words.

Above: Homemade pate de fruit from @sousweed

Influence by the ‘Gram: IG Weed Influencers Cutting through the Noise

Scrolling Instagram these days is like stepping in a firehose of frenetic advertising (as Mashable put it recently, “Wait—Instagram has content that’s not ads?”). Still, even with the deluge of “suggested content” burying my pals’ posts, it remains my social media platform of choice, and apparently, a lot of folks feel the same way. IG is on track to have 2.5 billion users by 2023. Its users fall into some seriously covetable demographics, too—33% are 25 to 34 years old, and nearly 30% are 18 to 24, making alarmist reports of IG’s alleged demise among the youngs a little premature.

So smart brands need to be on IG, but building audiences and awareness are not easy, especially when users merrily opt-out of suggested posts and ruthlessly x-out ads. And this is where the irresistible allure of influencer marketing shines forth, the silveriest of silver linings in the cloudy social media sky. Partnering with an influencer who speaks to the right audience for your brand can be social media magic. I flick right by most ads, but when someone I admire talks about something they like, I slow my scroll and pay attention. The clout is real—61% of consumers trust influencer recommendations.

With the right combination of creativity, charm, work ethic, and audience, almost anyone can be an influencer. Still, only a special few have the patience and extra creativity required to maintain an engaged following while navigating the bumpy realities of IG’s censorious cannabis policies. In today’s newsletter, I’m sharing a list of creators who have cracked the code at cannabis influencing—as well as some caveats for brands that may be wasting precious marketing dollars chasing the wrong stats.