As marketing professionals representing clients in the cannabis and psychedelic spaces, we know firsthand the stigma of association. These industries are rife with misconceptions, and a handful of team members at our cannabis and psychedelic agency are ready to quash some of these myths.
Cannabis marketing professionals are just that — Professional
Good Highdeas co-founder Brett Puffenbarger recently polled his LinkedIn connections about if a person needs to partake in cannabis use to be a representative of the plant. In total, 87% of respondents gave a “no,” though more than half of respondents indicated the caveat, “but it would be helpful.” Working within the cannabis and psychedelics industries involves much less professional consumption than many would posit. Accordingly, our first myth to bust is all about if — and how much — our cannabis and psychedelic agency really partakes.
Some PR Pros talk up cannabis more than we actually toke it
“For me, I’ve had a couple of friends think I was like reviewing weed or working at a dispensary. While I’m always up to give product recommendations, my job in cannabis PR involves a lot more writing and less consumer-facing interactions. There is also a perception in cannabis PR that we are smoking weed all day every day, but I can assure anyone that type of routine is way too stressful to sustain in this line of work.” — Trevor Maniscalo, Digital PR Account Manager
Connect with Trevor on LinkedIn
Marketing teams rarely touch the cannabis and psychedelics they market
“Sometimes, people think that I’m physically around tons of cannabis plants and psychedelic drugs all the time when I tell them I work for a cannabis and psychedelics PR firm, which would still be cool. In reality, the only actual drug I am around is my legally obtained medical cannabis, which isn’t that exciting.” — Adryan Corcione, SEO Content Writer
Connect with Adryan on LinkedIn
We are always advocates, but not always consumers
“There’s a massive stigma towards cannabis and people who work in the cannabis industry in Kenya. Most people think I’m always high as part of my job and get really surprised when I tell them I’m straight-edge.” —Wilfred Maina, PR Account Coordinator
Connect with Wilfred on LinkedIn
The cannabis and psychedelics spaces require constant pivoting
Our team often finds the fundamental service of public relations is misunderstood by the public at large, so this cannabis and psychedelics marketing agency is ready to set the record straight. Read below to learn the truth versus perception of cannabis and psychedelic PR work, or consider applying to our advocacy-centered agency if you’re a pro and this info is nothing new to you.
Slowpokes get left behind in cannabis and psychedelic public relations
“A common perception in psychedelic/cannabis PR is that my work is slow-moving. The reality is that the industry is continuously evolving – from the legal landscape to tech and pharmaceutical advancements, so it’s important for our clients that we stay ahead and have our finger on the pulse of the rapidly changing psychedelic/cannabis world.” —Gina Epifano, PR Account Coordinator
Connect with Gina on LinkedIn
Cannabis public relations is full of positive media coverage
“I think people think PR is more defensive than it is. When people think of PR they think of crisis communications specifically but most of our work is actually proactive rather than reactive.” —Lucas Wentworth, PR Account Manager
Connect with Lucas on LinkedIn
Cannabis and psychedelics consumers are rarely the only target audience
“People think we spend all dang day trying to get clients published in High Times Magazine. There are hundreds of cannabis and psychedelic publications — many of them with a business, medical or scientific focus. The spread of technical knowledge we have as people who “work with drugs” can be seriously underestimated.” —Marissa Smith, Managing Editor
Connect with Marissa on LinkedIn
Marketing is Fundamentally Centered on Informed Communication
At NisonCo, we love to geek out about all kinds of knowledge. Our research and content writing teams are vital to supporting the SEO and PR services we provide, and communication is at the core of it all. Check out these data-informed predictions from our team about trends we expect to see in 2022 and read on to discern what we’re really communicating about when we log in to work.
Content writers shape the cultural dialogue in cannabis and psychedelics
“Often, when I’m conversing with older people and they ask me what I do for work, they’ll find out I write about the likes of cannabis and psychedelics and change the topic. What I don’t get to say is that I’m writing pieces about financial aspects of the industry, diving in-depth into farming practices, the need for diversity in the workplace, and the importance of more research.” —Kelly Ebbert, Marketing Content Writer and SEO Copywriter
Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn
Cannabis PR pros are knowledgeable communicators, not spin doctors
“What people think I do: Respond to journalists when clients do something bad/controversial; Tweet all the time; “Chit Chat” with journalists all day. What I actually do: Read a lot of news; Email journalists about client news; Write pitches; Research — lots of research.” —Max Broburg, Public Relations Specialist
Interested in lending your own cannabis and psychedelic marketing expertise?
Our team is currently hiring PR, SEO, and writing positions. Please see our Career Page here for more information.
Consider Leaning into our SEO and PR Expertise
If you are interested in obtaining the best cannabis SEO or PR strategy for your brand, reach out to us. We can craft a free SEO audit for you to get a feel for what’s needed to launch a new SEO strategy or tackle hard-hitting trends in policy or the cannabis market with a pertinent PR media strategy.
